European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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To analyse the presence of women on the editorial teams of emergency medicine journals and the potential relationship between the pre-eminence of the journal and their presence. ⋯ Very few women are found either on editorial teams or in editor-in-chief positions in the emergency medicine journals, irrespective of the pre-eminence of the journal. It should be investigated whether a negative journal bias underlies these findings.
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Brugada syndrome is a well-defined clinical entity with the typical electrocardiographic changes in the right precordial leads (V1 and V2), attributed to mutation in SCN5A gene. Brugada-like electrocardiographic pattern can be replicated by sodium channel-blocking drugs and electrolyte abnormalities. ⋯ The electrocardiogram changes disappeared after sodium bicarbonate administration and normalization of serum potassium. The case highlights the importance of recognizing cocaine and hyperkalemia, as potential triggers of the acquired Brugada sign.
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To evaluate a Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) designed to utilize alternatives to emergency hospitalization. CDUs are one model of care designed to strengthen the gatekeeper role of Emergency Departments (EDs). ⋯ This CDU model was associated with statistically and clinically significant reductions in hospital admissions. The judicious application of this CDU model to other ED environments can be expected to yield similar benefits.
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Comparative Study
Are emergency department visits really a teachable moment? Smoking cessation promotion in emergency department.
To compare the effectiveness of smoking cessation counseling in the emergency department (ED) versus in outpatient clinics (OCs) setting. ⋯ ED-based counseling for smoking cessation was as effective as that performed in the OC setting. Referral of smokers from the ED to a smoking cessation program was unsuccessful in our patient population.
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The management of wounds in children is stressful, not only for the child, but also for parents and staff. In our Emergency Department (ED), we currently do not have a paediatric sedation policy, and thus children requiring suturing, not amenable to distraction and infiltrative anaesthesia, are referred to specialty teams for general anaesthesia. We proposed that the introduction of a topical anaesthetic gel (lidocaine, adrenaline, tetracaine - LAT) might help to reduce the number of referrals, by allowing the ED staff to perform the procedures, in combination with nonpharmacological approaches. ⋯ We have found that the introduction of topical anaesthetic gel in ED has significantly reduced the number of children with wounds referred to specialty teams for general anaesthesia. This has important implications for patient safety and hospital resources.