The American journal of emergency medicine
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Colonoscopy is a common procedure used for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of gastrointestinal disease. Life-threatening complications are uncommon (28/10 000 procedures) but include perforation, hemorrhage, diverticulitis, and postpolypectomy syndrome. Although previously reported, the association between appendicitis and colonoscopy is not widely known. ⋯ Although establishing causality is difficult, there is an association between colonoscopy and appendicitis, which may be underreported with literature-based estimates as high as 3.8 appendicitis cases per 10 000 procedures. Timely diagnosis of postcolonoscopy appendicitis may prove challenging given limited knowledge of this association between colonoscopy and appendicitis and similarity of presentation with other more well-known complications. This case report demonstrates that a recent history of colonoscopy should not preclude consideration of a traditionally broad differential diagnosis for abdominal pain, including appendicitis.
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Knowledge of current areas of activity in emergency medicine research may improve collaboration among investigators and may help inform decisions about future research priorities. Randomized, controlled trials are a key component of research activity and an essential tool for improving care. We investigated the characteristics of randomized trials recently published in emergency medicine journals. ⋯ Emergency medicine journals publish randomized trials addressing a wide range of clinical topics. Randomized trials focusing on geriatric patients are not commonly published in these journals.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Optimal external laryngeal manipulation: modified bimanual laryngoscopy.
External laryngeal manipulation (ELM) is commonly used to facilitate laryngeal view during direct laryngoscopy. We evaluated the effectiveness of the newly modified bimanual laryngoscopy, which involves a direct guidance of an assistant's hand by a laryngoscopist, to optimize laryngeal exposure during direct laryngoscopy compared with conventional bimanual laryngoscopy. ⋯ The modified bimanual laryngoscopy is more effective for obtaining the optimal laryngeal view on the first attempt compared with the conventional bimanual laryngoscopy.
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Multicenter Study
Emergency airway management in geriatric and younger patients: analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study.
There is little information on geriatric emergency airway management. We sought to describe intubation practices and outcomes for emergency department (ED) geriatric and younger patients in Japan. ⋯ In our multicenter study involving a large geriatric population, we found that geriatric patients were intubated with a higher success rate, compared to younger patients. These data provide implications for the geriatric ED airway practice that may lead to better patient-centered emergency care.
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Comparative Study
Anterior-posterior compression pelvic fracture increases the probability of requirement of bilateral embolization.
Transarterial embolization has become an effective method in the management of pelvic fracture-related retroperitoneal hemorrhage. However, the selection of bilateral embolization or selective unilateral embolization remains controversial. The anterior-posterior compression (APC) pelvic fracture creates a complete diastasis of the anterior pelvis, which might be associated with bilateral sacroiliac joint injuries and further bilateral arterial injuries. In the current study, we evaluated the correlation between APC pelvic fracture and the need for bilateral internal iliac artery (IIA) embolization. ⋯ In the management of APC pelvic fracture, more attention should be paid to the higher probability of bilateral hemorrhage. Bilateral IIA embolization should be considered in patients with APC pelvic fracture.