The American journal of emergency medicine
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The diagnostic performance of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in prediction of bacteremia among febrile patients visiting an emergency department (ED) was analyzed. ⋯ The CRP level was not reliable to distinguish the bacteremia from nonbacteremic infection, whereas duration after fever onset was less than 12 hours. Clinicians must consider the history of fever onset to improve the accuracy of early prediction of serum CRP before the microbiological results of blood cultures is available.
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With recent advances in radiologic diagnostic procedures, the use of diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) has markedly declined. In this study, we reviewed data to reevaluate the role of DPL in the diagnosis of hollow organ perforation in patients with blunt abdominal trauma. ⋯ For patients with blunt abdominal trauma and hemoperitoneum who plan to receive nonoperative management, DPL is still a useful tool to exclude hollow organ perforation that is undetected by CT.
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This study aims to quantify the relation between elder self-neglect and rate of emergency department utilization in a community-dwelling population. ⋯ Elder self-neglect was associated with increased rates of emergency department utilization in this community population. Greater self-neglect severity was associated with a greater increase in the rate of emergency department utilization.