The American journal of emergency medicine
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Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Comparison of the loop technique with incision and drainage for soft tissue abscesses: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Skin and soft tissue infections are a common presentation to the emergency department. Traditional management of abscesses involves a linear incision through the center of the abscess with packing placed. The loop drainage technique (LDT) is an alternate approach that may reduce pain and scarring, as well as decrease the number of follow up visits needed. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare the efficacy of the LDT with conventional incision and drainage (CID) in the treatment of soft tissue abscesses. ⋯ The existing literature suggests that LDT is associated with a lower failure rate than CID. However, the data is limited by small sample sizes and predominantly retrospective study designs. Given the potential for less pain, decreased scarring, and lower associated healthcare costs, this technique should be considered for the treatment of skin and soft tissue abscesses in the ED setting, but further studies are needed.
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Blunt chest injury is a common presentation to the emergency department. However, a delayed hemothorax after blunt trauma is rare; current literature reports a delay of up to 30days. We present a case of 44-day delay in hemothorax which has not been previously reported in current literature. ⋯ Delayed hemothorax after blunt trauma is a rare clinical occurrence but associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The management of delayed hemothorax includes draining the hemothorax and controlling the bleeding. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Emergency physicians should be vigilant and weary that hemothorax could be a possibility after a chest injury despite a delay in presentation. A knowledge of delayed hemothorax will prompt physicians in providing important advice, warning signs and information to patients after a chest injury to avoid a delay in seeking medical attention.
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Comparative Study
Psychological scales as predictors of emergency department hospitalizations in suicide attempters.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychological scales reflecting lethality and intent as predictors of suicide attempter's hospitalization. ⋯ The psychological scales can be helpful for predicting suicide attempter's hospitalization in emergency settings. Especially, the RRRS seemed to have a superior predictive ability. Moreover, combining the scales had significantly better predictive performance than use of the individual scale alone did.
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Comparative Study
Effect of the Macintosh curved blade size on direct laryngoscopic view in edentulous patients.
In the present study, we compared the laryngoscopic view depending on the size of the Macintosh curved blade in edentulous patients. ⋯ Compared to a standard-sized Macintosh blade, a smaller-sized Macintosh curved blade improved the laryngeal exposure in edentulous patients.