J Emerg Med
-
This is the fifth article in a continuing series on objectives to direct the training of emergency medicine residents. The emergency physician frequently must deal with hand injuries. Often these may appear innocuous; recognition of these injuries requires certain technical skills and a working knowledge of these entities. Specific objectives presented provide guidance for the didactic content as well as skill mastery for the resident experience.
-
Physicians have a responsibility to society, their peers, and patients to participate in malpractice litigation in a manner that ensures that medical malpractice cases are properly evaluated. Physicians are reluctant to involve themselves as expert witnesses in medical malpractice litigation because of not wanting to further any malpractice suits, mistrust of attorneys and misconceptions about expert witnesses and the legal system in general. The expert witness should be an impartial practicing physician who can select those suits that should or should not be filed and identify which parties were negligent in each case. If impartial physicians do not evaluate cases for attorneys, other more partisan and less objective physicians will.
-
Case Reports
Case report: severe ethylene glycol intoxication with normal osmolal gap--"a chilling thought".
This is a case of a 23-year-old male presenting with altered sensorium, vomiting, and right flank pain. Despite a normal osmolal gap, he was found to be suffering from ethylene glycol intoxication. This little-described presentation can result in the clinician failing to consider ethylene glycol as a causative agent.
-
Blunt injuries to the heart are common and potentially lethal. These injuries often go undetected while more obvious problems are treated. ⋯ The spectrum of cardiac trauma ranges from injuries with no actual cellular damage (myocardial concussion) to cardiac chamber rupture. The pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of these injuries are discussed.