Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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A case of bilious vomiting in a 9-month-old male is reported. The differential diagnosis of infantile bilious vomiting is reviewed, and appropriate diagnostic studies are discussed. ⋯ The common manifestation of this pediatric surgical emergency may vary considerably from classic descriptions. Bilious emesis in infants must be considered a surgical emergency until proven otherwise; intussusception may manifest as bilious vomiting only.
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To compare and contrast the patient characteristics of ED patients at low risk for acute cardiac ischemia who were assigned to a chest pain observation service vs those admitted to a monitored inpatient bed for "rule-out acute myocardial infarction" (R/O MI). ⋯ Patients evaluated in a chest pain observation service appear to have different clinical characteristics than other individuals admitted to a monitored inpatient bed for "R/O MI." Investigators should address differences in clinical characteristics when making outcome comparisons between these 2 patient groups.
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To mathematically model the supply of and demand for emergency physicians (EPs) under different workforce conditions. ⋯ The number of EM residency positions should not be decreased during any restructuring of the U.S. health care system. EM is likely to remain a specialty in which the supply of board-certified EPs will not meet the demand, even at present levels of EM residency output, for the next several decades.
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To use existing data sources to refine prior estimates of the U.S. emergency medicine (EM) workforce and to estimate effects of proposed changes in the U.S. health care system on the EM workforce. ⋯ Although the current data on EPs in practice in the United States are incomplete, the authors project a relative shortage of EPs. More accurate and complete information on the numbers and distribution of EPs in America is needed to improve workforce projections.
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To assess the potential actions of medical school deans, graduate medical education (GME) committee chairs, and hospital chief executive officers (CEOs) regarding future funding reductions for residency training. Specifically, institutions with emergency medicine (EM) residencies were surveyed to see whether EM training was disproportionally at risk for reductions. ⋯ In the setting of anticipated residency cuts, favored proportional reductions in specialty residencies would likely affect EM training. However, most GME decision makers with an existing EM residency program do not consider the EM residency a top choice to be reduced or eliminated.