The American journal of emergency medicine
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Ambulance response time is a major factor associated with survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs); the fast emergency vehicle pre-emption system (FAST™) aids response time by controlling traffic signals. This eight-year observational study investigated whether FAST™ implementation reduced response times and improved OHCA outcomes. ⋯ The FAST™ implementation significantly reduced ambulance response times and improved OHCA outcomes in Kanazawa city.
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Numerous pathologies diagnosed in the emergency department (ED) are treated with invasive procedures involving anesthetic and surgical risks. Retropharyngeal abscess is a serious condition requiring emergent treatment, often in need of trans-oral incision and drainage under general anesthesia. A misdiagnosis, especially after surgical treatment, might generate undesirable consequences, more so if the final diagnosis is a non-surgical pathology such as longus colli (LC) tendonitis. ⋯ Longus colli tendonitis is a rare condition that mimics emergent surgical conditions. Emergency physicians are qualified to make a clinical and radiological diagnosis. While CT scan can provide a diagnosis, the primary evaluation tool is an adequate medical interview and physical exam.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of two techniques for tungsten carbide ring removal.
Emergency physicians may have difficulty removing modern rings made of hard metals such as titanium and tungsten carbide. These metals are exceptionally difficult or impossible to remove using standard ring cutters. Numerous alternative techniques for removal have been described, including the "umbilical tape" or "string technique" and, in the case of tungsten carbide, breaking the ring using locking pliers. ⋯ Both the umbilical tape or string technique and the locking pliers technique successfully removed tungsten carbide rings in our model. The locking pliers technique is significantly faster but destroys the ring and creates potentially harmful shrapnel.
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To determine whether frequent emergency department (ED) users are more likely to make at least one and a majority of visits for mental health, alcohol, or drug-related complaints compared to non-frequent users. ⋯ Frequent ED users were more likely to make a mental health, alcohol or drug-related visit, but a majority of visits were only noted for those with alcohol-related diagnoses. To address frequent ED use, interventions focusing on managing patients with frequent alcohol-related visits may be necessary.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting in-hospital mortality among geriatric trauma patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) following a motor vehicle collision. ⋯ In our study, heart failure, cranial trauma, abdominal trauma, pelvic trauma, and ISS were found to be the most important predictors of in-hospital mortality among geriatric motor vehicle trauma patients.