J Emerg Med
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Review Case Reports
Are Plain Radiographs Sufficient to Exclude Cervical Spine Injuries in Low-Risk Adults?
The routine use of clinical decision rules and three-view plain radiography to clear the cervical spine in blunt trauma patients has been recently called into question. ⋯ The consistently poor performance of plain radiographs to rule out cervical spine injury in adult blunt trauma victims is concerning. Large, rigorously performed prospective trials focusing on low- or low/moderate-risk patients will be needed to truly define the utility of plain radiographs of the cervical spine in blunt trauma.
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As medical schools seek to standardize ultrasound training and incorporate clinical correlations into the basic science years, we proposed that ultrasonography should have a greater role in the anatomy curriculum. ⋯ Ultrasound can be effectively incorporated into an anatomy course for first-year medical students by utilizing didactics and hands-on exposure. Medical students found the addition of ultrasound training to be valuable, not only in enhancing their understanding of anatomy, but also in increasing their interest and experience in ultrasound imaging.
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Thermal epiglottitis is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease. Diagnosis requires a thorough history and high clinical level of suspicion, particularly in children. Thermal epiglottitis from steam inhalation can have a slow onset without oropharyngeal signs of thermal injury, findings that can hide the clinical diagnosis. ⋯ A thorough history and physical examination together with a high level of suspicion and aggressive, collaborative airway management is vital in preventing catastrophic airway obstruction in atypical forms of epiglottitis.