European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Increasing evidence supports a role for contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the assessment of blunt abdominal trauma. Accurate definition of organ injury can be demonstrated, as well as extension to solid organ capsule and even vascular injury. Low-dose contrast is needed for renal imaging, to avoid obscuration of deeper structures from intense cortical enhancement. ⋯ The spleen is best assessed in the delayed phase, thereby limiting misinterpretation of early heterogeneous contrast uptake. Typical sonographic features of traumatic injuries of the solid abdominal organs are described. Although contrast-enhanced computed tomography is the gold standard modality for imaging abdominal organ traumatic injury, contrast-enhanced ultrasound has developed a role in the emergency setting, particularly in low-energy injuries and in follow-up of traumatic injuries.
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Digit preference bias has previously been described in a number of different clinical settings including the emergency department. This study aimed to assess whether the implementation of a computerised recording system affects the digit preference bias in recording of times of arrival, assessment and departure at an emergency department. ⋯ The introduction of the patient tracking system eliminated the digit preference bias found in recording of the time of nursing assessment, examination and departure that was present in the preintervention data.
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Our study attempted to describe the differences in circumstances, risk groups, and severity of road traffic injuries (RTIs) among injured children (1-15 years) and adults (≥16 years) coming to the tertiary-care hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. ⋯ The study may assist local authorities in Karachi to prioritize interventions to address common injuries among those who are at a high risk for RTIs. Further quantitative and qualitative studies are needed to assess the factors leading to RTIs among pedestrians in Karachi.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Multicentric investigation of survival after Spanish emergency department discharge for acute heart failure.
Ideally, discharges from the emergency department (ED) should be as safe as discharges after hospitalization. We have ascertained this hypothesis in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) directly discharged from EDs, analyzing their short-term outcome. ⋯ Direct ED discharge of patients with AHF after treatment and a short observation period is as safe as discharge after a longer time of inpatient hospitalization in general wards.