The American journal of emergency medicine
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Comparative Study
Comparison of 3 scoring systems to predict mortality from unstable upper gastrointestinal bleeding in cirrhotic patients.
We aimed to compare the performance of Glasgow-Blatchford, preendoscopic Rockall, and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores in cirrhotic patients with unstable upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Model for end-stage liver disease score performed better in terms of predicting mortality of unstable UGIB in cirrhotic patients compared with Glasgow-Blatchford and preendoscopic Rockall scores in the ED.
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Clivus fracture (CF), which is usually reported to accompany with head trauma, has high mortality rates. Early diagnosis of CF is rare because of high mortality rates and inadequate urgent radiologic techniques; however, diagnosis rates are increasing with computed tomography images obtained in high resolution and thin sections. In this article, radiologic and clinical features of 2 patients who were detected to have longitudinal CF after head trauma are presented and accompanying pathologies and its importance for prognosis are discussed under the light of literature data composed of a small number of reports.
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The end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) measurement was considered as an essential tool for the assessment of several conditions in emergency medicine. However, the diagnostic role of capnography in dyspneic patients still remains unclear. We aimed to analyze the alteration of the ETCO2 levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations and its role in the decision-making process. ⋯ End-tidal carbon dioxide levels were higher in admitted patients when compared with discharged patients on arrival to the ED. ETCO2 measurement has very little contributions while evaluating patients with COPD exacerbation in the ED.