The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Emergency department length of stay for ethanol intoxication encounters.
Emergency Department (ED) encounters for ethanol intoxication are becoming increasingly common. The purpose of this study was to explore factors associated with ED length of stay (LOS) for ethanol intoxication encounters. ⋯ Variables such as diagnostic testing, treatments, and hour of arrival may influence ED LOS in patients with acute ethanol intoxication. Identification and further exploration of these factors may assist in developing hospital and community based improvements to modify LOS in this population.
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Bacterial meningitis is a relatively uncommon condition encountered in the emergency department and the constellation of symptoms varies. Hearing loss has been well documented in the literature as a complication of the disease process, but not as the presenting complaint. ⋯ Even with advances in therapy, bacterial meningitis still carries a significant mortality rate. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical to achieving good outcomes.
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Case Reports
Pseudo-Wellens' syndrome and intermittent left bundle branch block in acute cholecystitis.
We present a case of a 54-year-old male patient who was admitted to our Emergency Department (ED) with localized epigastric pain. Inflammation markers, ultrasound, and CT scan were inconsistent with an initial diagnosis of cholecystitis. However, there was additional evidence of cholecystolithiasis. ⋯ A laparoscopic study confirmed acute cholecystitis. Coronary angiography showed no pathological processes associated with ACS. ECG abnormalities were initially ongoing, but were no longer detectable during an 8month follow up assessment.
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According to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), intramuscular hematoma without other severity criteria is not considered a major bleeding. ⋯ We showed that half of the patients admitted with intramuscular hematoma could not be qualified as having ISTH-criteria major bleeding. Interestingly, these patients displayed a similar hospitalization duration and rate of re-bleeding to those with ISTH-criteria major bleeding.