Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To establish the prevalence of domestic violence committed by women against male patients presenting to an urban ED for any reason. ⋯ Almost 13% of men in this sample population had been victims of domestic violence committed by a female intimate partner within the previous year. Further attention to the recognition and management of domestic violence committed by women against men may be warranted.
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Because of stress and illness, conscious emergency medicine (EM) patients may be temporarily cognitively impaired and thus incapable of participating in the informed consent process for acute care research. This pilot study sought to assess the mental capacity of ED patients during their evaluation and treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). ⋯ This pilot study suggests that some patients with AMI may have difficulty processing information necessary to give informed consent for acute care research. Routine clinical evaluation may not detect this cognitive defect.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Octylcyanoacrylate for the treatment of partial-thickness burns in swine: a randomized, controlled experiment.
To compare re-epithelialization rates of superficial partial-thickness burns treated with octylcyanoacrylate (OCA), silver sulfadiazine (SSD), and dry gauze (controls) in swine. ⋯ Under these study conditions, treatment of partial-thickness burns with OCA spray resulted in a higher percent of re-epithelialization at seven but not 14 days when compared with both SSD and control, with no significant increase in infection rates. Future studies should evaluate the use of OCA for the treatment of burns in humans.
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Extracorporeal support of heart and lung function (venoarterial perfusion) during cardiac arrest (ECPR) has been advocated as a means of improving survival following cardiac arrest. The authors retrospectively reviewed their institution's seven-year experience with this intervention. ⋯ In select patients with reversible disease, extracorporeal CPR can be used to successfully treat cardiac arrest. Further investigation into its most appropriate application is warranted.
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To explore whether patients in a public ED had poorer health than patients in a private ED, the authors compared the physical and mental health statuses of patients seeking emergency care. ⋯ Patients seeking care in the public ED had lower adjusted physical health status scores than comparable patients obtaining care in a private ED. The SF-12 is sufficiently responsive to detect hypothesized differences between ED populations, and correlates well with admission decisions.