European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Health research is fundamental for clinical excellence, a fact that applies equally to emergency medicine (EM). Although European scientific publication rates in EM have traditionally been lower than those of other medical specialties, from 1995 steady progress has been made. ⋯ In addition, it is necessary to improve representation of European journals indexed in the category of EM and to receive a firm boost to EM research from the European Society for Emergency Medicine as well as from all European national societies. This study reviews these aspects and offers a personal perspective on where European EM research should be going.
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To audit the management of nontraumatic hot swollen joints presenting to a large UK university teaching hospital and to design a simple emergency department (ED) algorithm to improve patient care based on existing guidelines and our experience. ⋯ Patients presenting with nontraumatic hot swollen joints are common and the knee, wrist, ankle, hip and elbow are commonly affected. Joint aspirate is required to rule out septic arthritis, should be considered early and appropriate personnel called, and can show the presence of gout or pseudogout. Septic arthritis should still be considered in patients with a negative aspirate in whom there is high clinical suspicion. Our simple ED algorithm may improve patient care.
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The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines classify asthmatic exacerbations into mild, moderate, severe episodes and those with imminent respiratory arrest. We aimed to identify proportions of adult asthmatic patients in different subgroups with abnormal chest radiograph (CR) results and to explore predictors of them. ⋯ Abnormal CR results were infrequent in mild exacerbations and planned discharged patients. The female sex was the only predictor of an abnormal CR result.
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Letter Case Reports
Association of aortic valve stenosis and recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A pilot case-control study of behavioral aspects and risk factors in Swiss climbers.
Climbing is a popular sport in Switzerland, with approximately 100 000 active participants. There is an inherent risk of falls, overuse and stress-related trauma, with a reported injury rate of 4.2 injuries per 1000 climbing hours. ⋯ Climbers with higher experience seem to be more prone to injuries. Larger studies on this subgroup are warranted, to identify typical risk profiles and to develop preventive strategies. Furthermore, climbers should be advised about the increased injury risk when trying new climbing routes and specific information should be given.