European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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This report highlights the uncommon disease of Langerhans cell histiocytosis in the context of nontraumatic back pain. Langerhans cell histiocytosis has a broad range of presentations and should be borne in mind in many differential diagnoses in the emergency and general practice setting. Back pain in children, contrary to back pain in adults, is frequently the result of a treatable organic pathology and should be assessed thoroughly before a diagnosis of nonspecific or mechanical back pain is made.
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Screening studies of healthy volunteers have determined that coeliac disease affects 1% of the European population. Despite this the majority of cases are unrecognized. ⋯ This review provides an update of the published data on coeliac disease. We discuss the relationship between coeliac disease and abdominal pain and ways in which this may change emergency physicians practice.
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To assess whether the introduction of the National Emergency X-ray Utilization Study guidelines in a UK emergency department reduced the number of patients having cervical spine radiographs and altered the accuracy of diagnosis of cervical spine injury. ⋯ Introduction of the National Emergency X-ray Utilization Study guidelines to a UK emergency department did not reduce the number of patients having cervical spine radiographs after neck trauma and had no effect on the pick-up rate for cervical spine injuries.
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To establish the level of medical care provided in the emergency department of general hospitals to the victims of the Volendam café fire on 1 January 2001. ⋯ Treatment and triage of the burn casualties after the Volendam café fire was adequate. The documentation rate was low. Not all steps in diagnosis and treatment may be of equal importance in disaster circumstances.
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At this moment, in the Netherlands, rescue workers are not given any specific standardized training in disaster response or disaster management. After the café fire in Volendam, the Netherlands, on New Year's Eve 2000, around 200 rescue workers were deployed on-site. The aim of this study is to investigate the rescue workers' experiences with regard to their level of preparation for the emergency response. ⋯ Preparation for the emergency response lacked standardized procedures. The use of triage protocols was extremely poor, as was documentation of actions. Slightly more than half of the personnel followed treatment protocols. It is advisable that all rescue workers become familiar with the basic uniform principles and protocols regarding disaster management. A dedicated and standardized national disaster management course is needed for all rescue workers.