The American journal of emergency medicine
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Neck pain with associated rigidity is a concerning clinical presentation that emergency physicians encounter regularly. We present the case of a 58-year-old man with acute neck pain, worsened by movement and swallowing, that was found to be secondary to acute calcific retropharyngeal tendonitis. Patients with severe neck pain, neck stiffness, and odynophagia may have this condition. The diagnosis can be confirmed with imaging, and response to conservative treatment is often dramatic.
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Use-of-force (UOF) techniques are used by law enforcement to gain control of noncompliant subjects. The purpose of this study was to assess factors associated with subject and deputy injuries during law enforcement UOF. ⋯ This study identifies situational characteristics potentially associated with subject and deputy injuries during UOF events.
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Overcrowding is an important issue facing many emergency departments (EDs). Access block (admitted patients occupying ED stretchers) is a leading contributor, and expeditious placement of admitted patients is an area of research interest. This review examined the effectiveness of full capacity protocols (FCPs) on mitigating ED overcrowding. ⋯ Although FCPs may be a promising alternative for overcrowded EDs, the available evidence upon which to support implementation of an FCP is limited. Additional efforts are required to improve the outcome reporting of FCP research using high-quality research methods.