Can J Emerg Med
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Review Case Reports
Infant Strangulation from an Amber Teething Necklace.
Amber teething necklaces supposedly provide analgesia for teething infants. Their use is becoming more widespread, despite lack of peer-reviewed evidence and warnings from Health Canada that they pose a strangulation and aspiration risk. ⋯ We will also discuss the role of physicians as advocates in reporting similar cases and educating families. Finally, we will comment on the responsibility of all professionals and professional organizations that work with infants and toddlers to advocate for children by raising concerns and counselling parents.
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The main objective of this study was to understand the five-year trend in total emergency department (ED) visits, frequency of use, and diagnoses and disposition of patients. Since the region has experienced a profound increase in opioid use disorder since 2009, we were particularly interested in changes in the volume of mental health and addiction (MHA) ED presentations. ⋯ The dramatic increase in MHA ED visits mirrors the opioid epidemic the region is experiencing. MHA may soon become the commonest ED presentation. If reasons for ED visits serve as a proxy for unmet outpatient needs, increased efforts at developing community MHA services and addressing the related social determinants of health are required.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparison of functional outcomes in elderly who have sustained a minor trauma with or without head injury: a prospective multicenter cohort study.
The consequences of minor trauma involving a head injury (MT-HI) in independent older adults are largely unknown. This study assessed the impact of a head injury on the functional outcomes six months post-injury in older adults who sustained a minor trauma. ⋯ This study did not demonstrate that the occurrence of a MT-HI is associated with a worse functional or cognitive prognosis than other minor injuries without a head injury in an elderly population, six months after injury.
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The predominant causes of acute mechanical small bowel obstruction in geriatric patients are adhesions and hernias, which is not much different than in other adult age groups. Unusual etiologies may be encountered, such as volvulus or gallstone ileus, but a displaced feeding gastrostomy tube is a distinctly rare cause of intestinal obstruction which needs to be considered by emergency physicians as it may be increasingly encountered.