Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Accurate and precise interpretations of Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) findings are important factors in managing trauma patients. The objectives were to analyze the influence of anechoic stripe (AS) size on interpretation accuracy by emergency physicians (EPs) and to assess the precision of FAST examination interpretation as a function of EP FAST experience. ⋯ AS size visible on FAST examinations and EP experience level with FAST examination interpretation exerted a significant influence on the interpretation accuracy of videotaped FAST examinations. In addition, precision was enhanced by increased EP experience with FAST.
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To examine presentations and prevalence of head injury among elder victims of blunt trauma and to estimate the prevalence of occult injuries associated with a normal level of consciousness, absence of neurologic deficit, and no evidence of significant skull fracture. ⋯ Elder patients with head trauma are at higher risk of developing a significant intracranial injury, including subdural and epidural hematoma. An occult presentation is also more common in elders.
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To describe the frequency of depression among emergency medicine (EM) residents by month, gender, rotation type, postgraduate year (PGY), and number of hours worked. ⋯ Season, number of hours worked, rotation type, PGY, and gender all failed to predict depression among EM residents in this single-center trial. The prevalence of depression was comparable to that of the general population.
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Comparative Study
Confirmation of endotracheal tube placement after intubation using the ultrasound sliding lung sign.
To evaluate the performance of the ultrasound (US) sliding lung sign as a predictor of endotracheal tube (ETT) placement. Many other tools and examination findings have been used to confirm ETT placement; erroneous placement of the ETT has even been confirmed by US. ⋯ These results show that US imaging of the sliding lung sign in a cadaver model is an accurate method for confirmation of ETT placement. Further, the technique may have some utility in differentiating RMS bronchus from main tracheal intubations.
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Medical knowledge is one of six core competencies identified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The authors present a tool for assessment of medical knowledge developed by the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors. ⋯ The result is a collaborative specialty-wide approach to the common problem of formatting tests to assess medical knowledge. The tool has been widely accepted by both residents and residencies.