Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To review all ladder fall injuries seen in a community ED and to identify patterns of injury, factors that contribute to falls, and what pre-event and event factors could have reduced the likelihood of a fall or a resulting injury. ⋯ Falls from ladders, both in the occupational and nonoccupational settings, often result in significant injury. Simple safety measures may have prevented the majority of falls in this study. Public health efforts should emphasize education on safe ladder practices and techniques to reduce the possibility of injury in the event of a fall.
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Mild cerebral hypothermia improves neurologic outcome in animals resuscitated from cardiac arrest. This study examined whether one practical external cooling method, i.e., local application of ice to the heads and necks of swine, during resuscitation induces cerebral cooling. ⋯ External application of ice packs during resuscitation effectively reduced intracerebral temperatures in swine by an amount that improved neurologic outcomes in previous large animal studies. These data suggest that clinically significant cerebral cooling could be accomplished with a noninvasive, inexpensive, and universally available intervention. Further studies are required to assess the clinical feasibility and therapeutic efficacy of this intervention.
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To determine whether an effective telephone callback system can be successfully implemented in a busy ED and to quantify the benefits that can be obtained related to the follow-up care of elder patients. ⋯ A telephone callback system is a feasible and effective method to improve follow-up care of elder patients released from the ED.
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To determine the frequency of visual and auditory confidentiality and privacy breaches in a university ED. ⋯ Confidentiality and privacy breaches occur in a university ED by all members of the health care team. The ED architecture and floor plan affect patient confidentiality and privacy.