European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Comparative Study
Epidemiology of assault and self-harm injuries treated in a large Romanian Emergency Department.
Intentional injury, including interpersonal violence and self-harm, is one of the world's leading causes of preventable injury. In Europe alone, nearly 1.5 million individuals receive medical treatment each year for a violence-related injury. We examined violent injuries treated in the largest Emergency Department (ED) in Tîrgu Mures County, Romania, with a catchment area of approximately 580 000 residents to describe the epidemiology of assault and self-harm injuries. ⋯ Of all injuries treated in the Tîrgu Mures ED, one out of five was violence related. One out of 10 patients that suffered an injury as a consequence of a violent event and treated in the ED required admission to a hospital for further medical care, leading to a significant health care burden. These data suggest that prevention strategies should focus on young adults, and particularly men. Interventions that focus on detection and treatment of psychological illness, reduction of alcohol use and associated aggression, and family and intimate partner violence are suggested as priorities.
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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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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Use of the TrachView videoscope as an adjunct to direct laryngoscopy for teaching orotracheal intubation.
The main objectives of this study were to assess the ease of the use of the TrachView videoscope and to compare it with direct laryngoscopy (DL) for teaching orotracheal intubation to emergency medicine (EM) medical students. Thirty-seven EM students with no earlier intubation experience were asked to intubate a manikin's trachea using DL alone and DL in combination with the TrachView. This investigation involved a randomized, cross-over study design and each trainee received a 10-min demonstration with each technique before the beginning of the study. ⋯ However, the POGO score improved to 90% (range, 15-100%) with the addition of the TrachView device (P<0.001). The TrachView was considered easy to use by a majority of the EM students and improved visualization of the vocal cords compared with DL alone. The time to achieve successful intubation of the manikin's trachea was shorter when the TrachView was used as an adjunct to DL.
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Review Case Reports
Carotid artery dissection: three cases and a review of the literature.
Carotid artery dissections are potentially disabling, probably underdiagnosed, and mainly affect young-aged and middle-aged people. We present three consecutive cases illustrating different clinical presentations and thereby emphasizing the diagnostic challenge of carotid artery dissections for the emergency physician. ⋯ Clinical vigilance is of utmost importance as early diagnosis and timely treatment favor long-term prognosis and even prevent ischemic complications. We review the literature and discuss the pathophysiology, etiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, imaging techniques, treatment, and prognosis of carotid dissections.