European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Rhabdomyolysis, or acute skeletal muscle destruction, may be accompanied by myoglobinaemia, myoglobinuria, and an elevated serum creatine kinase level. This disorder has many potential causes. In this article, the authors describe a case of rhabdomyolysis occurring after vigorous weight lifting by a man who was supplementing his weight-training programme with the intake of anabolic androgenic steroids dispensed to him by a colleague.
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The spineboard (SB) and the vacuum mattress (VM) are utilized for prehospital and emergency department (ED) immobilization of the spine. While permitting excellent pictures to be taken, the SB is a very painful device that can only be used for a limited time. The current study investigated the feasibility of different models of the VM for radiography. ⋯ This was related first of all to a high contrast of the sac in comparison with its contents and to a sometimes considerable shrinkage of the latter that resulted in further folding into the sac and, secondly, also to very broad mattresses, additional chambers within the VM and various grips and supports for lifting the mattress. Therefore, some features designed for prehospital use of the VM are actually acting against its use for diagnostic purposes. The aim of this study was to discuss and identify possible properties of a device that is useful for both immobilization and diagnostic purposes.