The American journal of emergency medicine
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As the use of helicopters for air transport of critically ill patients increases, the availability of monitoring devices for physiological parameters during flight becomes important. It has long been known that arterial PO2 (PaO2) decreases during unsupplemented, non-pressurized flight. In this study, the authors examined the use of the transconjunctival oxygen (cjO2) monitor for assessing the adequacy of arterial oxygenation during helicopter flight in four healthy volunteers. ⋯ The relationship between cjO2 and PaO2 was linear with a regression coefficient of 1.147. The authors conclude that the transconjunctival O2 monitor may be useful for monitoring the adequacy of arterial oxygenation during helicopter flight in hemodynamically stable patients. The results of study also support the use of supplemental oxygen in all patients subjected to helicopter transport.
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Intraosseous infusions were widely used in pediatric patients during the 1930s and 1940s. Recent reports have re-introduced this concept and confirmed its safety and ready accessability for fluid and drug administration. However, these reports have not addressed the difficulties encountered during insertion of the intraosseous needle. ⋯ This method was successfully utilized in ten pediatric and five adult patients. Intraosseous needle placement is a safe, rapid method to gain access to the venous circulation. By utilizing these techniques, a stable, usable fluid line can be established in even the most dehydrated pediatric patients.
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Boerhaave's syndrome represents a diagnostic dilemma for the emergency physician. The prognosis of this truly life-threatening emergency is darkened by any significant diagnostic delay. Unfortunately, classic or expected symptoms and signs are frequently absent at presentation, a circumstance that leads to frequent misdiagnosis. ⋯ However, emphasis should be placed on the fact that this entity may occur without emesis. The chest radiograph is the most helpful diagnostic aid. Undoubtedly, maintenance of a high degree of suspicion by the emergency physician for Boerhaave's syndrome will lead consistently to earlier diagnosis, and subsequent aggressive intervention should result in considerable reduction in rates of both morbidity and mortality.
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A case of an unusual caustic ingestion involving Compound W, an over the counter wart remover is presented. Chemical burns of the tongue, pharynx and larynx developed. The active ingredient in this preparation: salicylic acid in a flexible collodion vehicle produces caustic injury through a keratolytic action, which may be enhanced by the presence of collodion.
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Pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation drug therapy is based upon body weight, a statistic that often requires estimation. Using two current techniques of estimating body weight and the devised weight-estimating method (DWEM), the authors estimated the weights of 258 children. ⋯ Using height, habitus, sex, and age in a multiple regression analysis, habitus and height--two readily available measurements--were the best predictors of body weight. The DWEM, based on these two measurements, is a simple method of estimating children's weights and is more accurate than currently used body-weight estimations.