The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study
Dodgeball-related injuries treated at emergency departments.
There is little published information on injuries from playing dodgeball. This investigation described dodgeball-related injuries among children and adults managed at emergency departments (EDs). ⋯ The majority of dodgeball-related injuries occurred among children. Children and adults tended to differ with respect to when and where the injuries occurred as well as the type of injury.
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There is variability in the management of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and abnormal findings on their initial head computed tomography (CT). The main objective of this study was to validate the value of the Important Brain Injury (IBI) criteria, introduced by the Canadian CT-Head Rule, in predicting the need for surgical intervention. The secondary objective was to identify independent predictors for neurosurgical intervention. ⋯ The IBI criteria for MTBI identified all patients who required neurosurgical intervention; however its specificity is low.
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Emergency Departments (EDs) are a care source for patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). St. Louis, MO reports among the highest rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia infection. We examined STD treatment in a high-volume urban ED, in St. Louis MO, to identify factors that may influence treatment. ⋯ The burden of STDs in a high-volume academic ED was significant and treatment varied across groups. Attention should be paid to particular groups, specifically women and patients reporting Black as their race, to ensure appropriate treatment is administered. Patients would benefit from targeted STD management protocols and training in the ED.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Is it feasible "scoop and run while playing" resuscitation on a rescue water craft? A randomized simulation study with lifeguards.
Response time is a predictive factor for survival of drowning victims and lifesaving. Rescue Water Craft (RWC) are lifeboats very common in lifeguards operations. The aim of this study was to analyze the feasibility of providing effective mouth-to-mouth ventilations and/or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the RWC while sailing at different speeds. ⋯ Resuscitation techniques on board of a RWC are feasible and therefore they could be an option for lifeguards when their training, sea conditions, distance and the victim's characteristics allow it. CPR maneuvers may be highly effective at 10 kn, both for MM-only and CPR, however, the quality of the ventilations dramatically worsen with increasing speed.
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Significant morbidity and mortality is attributed to infection with the influenza virus annually and care is often sought in Emergency Departments (ED). The exposure of Emergency Department healthcare personnel and subsequent illness is speculated to be high but has not been quantified. ⋯ Among Emergency Department providers, transmission of clinically significant Influenza illness was low.