J Emerg Med
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Observational Study
Can Patient Variables Measured on Arrival to the Emergency Department Predict Disposition in Medium-acuity Patients?
Emergency department crowding has led to innovative "front end" care models to safely and efficiently care for medium and lower acuity patients. In the United States, most treatment algorithms rely on the emergency severity index (ESI) triage tool to sort patients. However, there are no objective criteria used to differentiate ESI 3 patients. ⋯ We derived and validated a model and created a nomogram with acceptable discrimination of ESI 3 patients on arrival for purposes of predicting DD. Incorporating these variables into the care of these patients could improve patient flow by identifying patients who are likely to be discharged.
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Case Reports
Ultrasound-Guided Femoral Nerve Blockage in A Patellar Dislocation: An Effective Technique for Emergency Physicians.
Patellar dislocation is an orthopedic emergency and its reduction can be painful. The aim of this case is to show that the ultrasound-guided femoral nerve blockage can be effectively used in the pain management of patellar reduction in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ A 21-year-old man was admitted to our ED after suffering a fall down a flight of stairs. The initial physical examination and plain radiography showed a patellar dislocation in the right knee. We performed an ultrasound-guided femoral nerve blockage to provide a pain-free and comfortable patellar reduction. To our best knowledge, there is no manuscript except an old case series about use of the ultrasound-guided femoral nerve blockage in the management of patellar reduction in the medical literature. Procedural sedation is the preferred method used for this purpose in ED, but these medications need to be closely monitored because of their potential complications, such as nausea, vomiting, allergic reactions, and respiratory depression. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Ultrasound-guided femoral nerve blockage gave rapid and effective pain control without any complication during the reduction in this patient. Therefore, we suggest this technique be used for pain management during the reduction of a dislocated patella in the ED.
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Lower rib fractures are considered as a marker of intra-abdominal organ injury. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) is the "gold standard" examination for patients with lower rib fractures. However, the reported incidence of concomitant intra-abdominal injuries (IAI) is 20%-40%. ⋯ Abdominal CT should be considered in blunt trauma patients with lower rib fractures who are younger than 55 years of age and have bilateral rib fractures and decreased levels of hematocrit on admission.