European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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A retrospective study was undertaken to compare the management of head injured patients in a short stay ward (SSW) with their management in other departments in the same hospital, where there is no neurosurgery department. Head injured patients were admitted to the general surgery department until November 1998, when the SSW was inaugurated. The following data were collected for all head injured patients admitted between 1997 and 1999: age, gender, diagnosis, outcome categories and length of stay. ⋯ The length of stay was longer in general surgery (3.5 +/- 3.9 days) and neurology departments (9.6 +/- 19.1 days) than in the SSW (1.4 +/- 0.8 days) and paediatrics department (1.5 +/- 1.5 days). Thirteen patients in the SSW required admission to another department in the hospital and only one was transferred to the neurosurgery department in another hospital. The results support the view that SSWs are suitable in the management of head injured patients.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of a short-stay observation unit (SSOU) on the hospitalization rate, the authors have analysed the activity of a SSOU opened in 1992 in a paediatric emergency department (PED) and the number of children hospitalized between 1987 and 1996. Among 2321 patients admitted to the SSOU in 1996, 644 medical patients have been analysed, showing a young population (55% under 3 years old), living in the town or surroundings (70%) and usually have not been referred by a general practitioner (64%). Twenty per cent were admitted for accurate diagnosis (group A), 49% for treatment and observation of a recognized acute pathology before decision of discharge (group B), and 31% waiting for a bed in a paediatric ward (group C). ⋯ Between 1987 and 1991, the number of children hospitalized increased 5% per year on average. After the opening of the SSOU in 1992, this increase has been stopped although the number of medical referrals to PED was still going up. The SSOU in a PED can provide comprehensive care to young children requiring short-term treatment or observation, and is effective in limiting unappropriate hospitalizations.
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Case Reports
Delayed upper airway obstruction following a retropharyngeal haematoma after minor head trauma.
The development of a retropharyngeal haematoma may occur rarely after major head, face or cervical spine injuries, and it is even less frequent following minor trauma. As these patients are commonly not intubated, a life-threatening upper airway obstruction may occur. ⋯ Predisposing factors such as antithrombotic therapies and vascular lesions may enhance the risk of occurrence even after minor trauma. Hypotheses on how to identify this potentially fatal complication earlier are reported.
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Editorial Comment
The observation care unit as part of the emergency department revisited.
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We assessed the effect of magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) on lowering the rate in ventricular atrial fibrillation (AF), and evaluated the effect of this therapy in magnesium (Mg) deficient and nondeficient patients. This experimental clinical study was performed on 34 patients with rapid AF (ventricular rate [VR] > 120/minute) presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary care university hospital. Patients with systolic blood pressure < or = 100 mmHg, Hb level < or = 11.8, saO2 of < or = 96%, BUN > or = 40 or creatine > or = 1.8 were excluded (n = 15). ⋯ There was no difference in the response to Mg therapy between Mg deficient and nondeficient patients at 15, 30 or 60 minutes after therapy (p = 0.41, p = 0.28, p = 0.08). It is concluded that i.v. MgSO4 has a statistically significant but clinically limited effect on VR and this effect did not differ between patients with and without Mg deficiency.