The American journal of emergency medicine
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Compartment syndrome is a relatively common condition that can cause serious limb- or life-threatening consequences. Many times the emergency department physician is the first to examine and diagnose this orthopedic emergency. ⋯ The primary goal for any physician is early recognition and appropriate treatment. If left undetected or untreated, the result is amputation of the limb or death.
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Comparative Study
Facial trauma in motor vehicle accidents: etiological factors.
The effects of seat belts and the use of alcohol and drugs have been studied as etiological factors in facial trauma to occupants of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). During a 15-month period, 461 patients were admitted to a regional trauma center as a result of injuries sustained in MVAs. Two hundred thirty-seven (51%) of these patients had facial trauma. ⋯ Head injuries and blunt chest trauma were most commonly associated injuries in these patients. This study suggests that use of alcohol and drugs in occupants of the motor vehicle had a major effect on the etiology of facial trauma. Also it supports the data that suggests that the use of seat belts prevents a wide range of injuries including facial trauma in MVAs.
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The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics and clinical course of patients who receive emergency department (ED) migraine treatment and their association with frequent ED visits. All migraine patient records during a 42-month period were reviewed retrospectively at an urban teaching hospital ED. One hundred eighty-five migraine patients had 339 total visits; 133 had a single visit; 31 had two visits; and 21 patients had three or more ED visits (range, 3 to 26 visits). ⋯ A small group (11.4%) of patients accounted for 42.5% of all ED visits. Given the nature of severe, frequent migraines and the current lack of consistently effective therapy, this may be a common ED phenomenon. More effective management strategies and therapy that will enable patients to reduce their dependence on the ED for treatment would be useful for patients with multiple ED visits.
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The objective of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of the patient population of an urban emergency department (ED) in The People's Republic of China. A prospective observational study was conducted at a university-affiliated hospital adult ED medical unit and included all patients visiting the medical unit of the ED during a 2-week period. A data collection log was designed and placed in the ED. ⋯ These data offer emergency physicians a preliminary understanding of the clinic presentations and diagnoses of patients seen in a university-affiliated urban hospital ED in China. The number and length of time patients were held in observation unit point out the shortage of in-hospital beds. This study is useful for describing and understanding characteristics of the patient encounter and for improving the delivery of emergency care in China.