The American journal of emergency medicine
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To describe first author gender differences and characteristics in 1) Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Annual Meeting abstracts and 2) resulting manuscript publications. ⋯ A minority of SAEM abstracts, and manuscript publications resulting from them, had female first authors. Abstracts with female first authors took longer to achieve manuscript publication, and almost a fifth of female first author abstracts resulted in male first author manuscript publication.
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Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a syndrome characterized by localized apical dysfunction of the left ventricle. It is rarely seen in pediatric patients, but can carry significant morbidity and mortality. While most commonly associated with psychosocial stressors or physical exertion, a growing number of cases are being attributed to medications. ⋯ Rates of pediatric clonidine overdoses are increasing in the setting of changing prescribing practices. Our case illustrates some key features of the clinical presentation, as well as demonstrates a rare sequelae to this common toxic exposure. To our knowledge, this is the first reported pediatric case of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy secondary to a clonidine overdose.
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On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which will limit legal abortion in many areas of the U.S., making the need for effective emergency contraception even more critical. ⋯ The efficacy of products used for emergency contraception depend on patient and temporal factors. Emergency physicians must have an understanding of the optimal use of these agents to prevent unwanted pregnancy, particularly in the setting of restricted abortion access.
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Administration of 3% sodium chloride through a peripheral venous catheter is associated with risk of infusion-related adverse events (IRAE) due to its high osmolarity. Given this concern and the paucity of data regarding these events, many hospitals have policies that require central line administration of 3% sodium chloride. ⋯ These data suggest that IRAE occurred more frequently when 3% sodium chloride was administered over a longer duration and the majority of events were mild with no permanent tissue injury. It may be reasonable to consider peripheral administration of 3% sodium chloride in the acute care setting for a short duration, although additional studies are needed to continue to evaluate its safety.
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Alcohol intoxication is a significant public health concern and is commonly seen among emergency department (ED) patients. This study was undertaken to identify the accuracy of clinician assessment of blood alcohol levels among emergency department patients. ⋯ Clinicians' estimates of BAC were often inaccurate, and often overestimated the BAC.