The American journal of emergency medicine
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
The knee-chest position does not improve the efficacy of ipecac-induced emesis.
Previous studies have shown that ipecac-induced emesis, even if instituted very early, removes only a mean of 28% to 45% of an ingested tracer. Because vomiting is an ancient reflex that occurs in mammals, reptiles, and other animals, we speculated that, in humans, maintaining a sitting rather than a horizontal posture during induced emesis might decrease the efficacy of gastric emptying. To test this hypothesis, 20 normal fasting adult subjects underwent induced emesis in the knee-chest position on one day and in the sitting position on another. ⋯ This represented 47.1% of the administered tracer dose (95% Cl, 40.1% to 54.0%). Even if initiated only ten minutes after an ingestion, ipecac-induced emesis removes an average of less than half of an ingested tracer dose, with a high degree of intersubject variability. Horizontal patient positioning does not appear to improve the efficacy of this procedure.
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A patient with chronic renal failure presenting to the emergency department with acute pulmonary edema has a true life-threatening emergency. Whereas conventional treatment modalities may prove useful, more unusual therapeutic measures may be necessary. A case is presented followed by useful recommendations for the emergency physician faced with such a patient.
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To establish an incidence of cervical spine injuries in significant blunt head trauma and to evaluate the necessity of using cervical radiography, all consecutive cases of blunt head trauma admitted to the trauma service over a 7-month period were reviewed. Two hundred twenty-eight charts were reviewed for demographic information, circumstance of injury, complaints and physical findings referable to the cervical spine, presenting level of consciousness, severity of head injury, and cervical spine radiographic findings. ⋯ The patient population was defined, yet the very low incidence of cervical spine injuries associated with blunt head trauma in this study precludes any identification of predictors. Nevertheless, the results suggest that alert and asymptomatic patients can be spared cervical spine radiography.
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Review Case Reports Comparative Study
Blunt scrotal trauma: emergency department evaluation and management.
Blunt scrotal trauma may result in a variety of injuries, including testicular rupture, torsion, dislocation, hematoma, or contusion, as well as epididymal, scrotal, and urethral injuries. Testicular rupture occurs in 50% of patients with traumatic hematocele, and is probably frequently misdiagnosed. If not aggressively diagnosed and surgically repaired, testicular rupture may lead to testicular atrophy and loss. ⋯ Testicular scan, when rapidly available, is indicated in any case of suspected traumatic torsion. If testicular scanning is unavailable or equivocal, surgical exploration is indicated. Once torsion is ruled out, ultrasound is a useful diagnostic technique in acute scrotal trauma to differentiate those scrotal and testicular injuries requiring surgical intervention.