European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Review
The comprehensive medical preparedness in chemical emergencies: 'the chain of chemical survival'.
Medical management of victims of chemical incidents includes supportive therapy, decontamination and antidote administration. Chemical weapons of mass destruction are available to many countries and are a possible alternative to conventional weapons for terrorist groups. During the last 5 years, some Italian institutions have made big efforts to establish a national system of antidote stockpiling and distribution. ⋯ Although antidotes are indispensable instruments for some poisonings, as nerve agent and botulin intoxication, antidote stockpiling cannot be considered the only objective of a comprehensive medical preparedness for chemical emergencies. This paper addresses the medical priority when approaching victims of chemical emergencies. The priority actually is to establish a chain of chemical survival in which antidote administration is one out of several links.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Evaluation of an international emergency medicine intervention in Tuscany.
To measure the effectiveness of a 9-month emergency medicine 'train the trainers' program in Tuscany, Italy. ⋯ When measured by written examinations, oral examinations and physician self-assessment, a train the trainers program, designed as part of an international emergency medicine collaboration, was efficacious.
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A 21-year-old man presented to the emergency department in St James's Hospital by ambulance. He was found collapsed at home by his uncle. He was complaining of severe pain and swelling to his left lower limb, with reduced sensation to his left foot. ⋯ If there is any evidence of compartment syndrome, urgent fasciotomy is required. Electrolyte imbalances should be corrected, unless very mildly abnormal. We have learned from our experience with this case that a high index of suspicion and thereby early recognition is crucial to prevent complications in intravenous drug users presenting with unusual symptoms and signs.
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To evaluate the accuracy of emergency physicians using bedside ultrasound to detect appendicitis (BUSA). ⋯ Our study gives insufficient evidence to support the use of bedside ultrasound by emergency physicians to rule out appendicitis. The high specificity in our study, however, suggests that with further training, BUSA may be useful to rule-in appendicitis in some patients.
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This paper reviews the experience of penetrating chest trauma over a 3-year period in one UK emergency department. ⋯ Penetrating chest trauma contributes significantly to our trauma workload with a high proportion of patients sustaining life-threatening injuries requiring immediate intervention. Significant prehospital delays occur. Overall mortality of 4.2% is comparable with that of a major American case series. Further education and protocol development is required to ensure that prehospital and emergency department management of these patients reflects the latest evidence-based guidelines.