The American journal of emergency medicine
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We examined the use of point-of-care (POC) testing of cardiac biomarkers against standard core laboratory testing to determine the time-savings and estimate a cost-benefit ratio at our institution. ⋯ Our data suggest that the use of an accelerated cardiac POC pathway could have dramatically impacted the care provided to a large percentage of our patients at a minimal cost per direct patient care hour saved.
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Roller coasters are probably one of the more popular rides at amusement parks around the world, and there are few reported injuries. We report a case of symmetric diffuse upper lobe hemorrhage resulting from roller coaster in a previously healthy woman. The clinical course, management, and etiology of her case are discussed; and the literature is reviewed. To our knowledge, pulmonary hemorrhage in this setting has not yet been described.
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Acute epiglottitis is a true airway emergency in the emergency department (ED). The patient may appear very toxic and rapidly progress to respiratory distress and life-threatening condition. The inflammatory process includes not only epiglottis but also the rest of the supraglottic area including the vallecula, aryepiglottic folds, and arytenoids. ⋯ However, before the patients are well prepared, the clinical condition may critically go downhill; and any intention to visualize the throat can result in severe and fatal airway spasm. Thumbprint sign on lateral radiography of neck is typical, but it may be extremely risky to let a patient leave the consulting room for the study if respiratory distress has developed. We demonstrate a safe and practical way to investigate the epiglottis by bedside ultrasonography to visualize the "alphabet P sign" in a longitudinal view through thyrohyoid membrane by emergency physician in the ED.
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A patient with acute hip pain out of proportion to physical findings and inability to weight bear despite negative plain films warrants further in-depth evaluation. Correctly diagnosing the cause of hip pain, a common emergency department (ED) complaint, may be a challenge in the geriatric population (Perron A, Miller M, Brady W. Orthopedic pitfalls in the ED: radiographically occult hip fracture. ⋯ Am J Emerg Med 2002; 20: 234-7; Zacher J, Gursche A. Regional musculoskeletal conditions: hip pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2003; 17: 71-85).