J Emerg Med
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More than 100,000 Americans with failing organs await transplantation, mostly from dead donors. Yet only a fraction of patients declared dead by neurological criteria (DNC) become organ donors. ⋯ With future improvements in organ preservation and DNC assessment, EPs may become even more involved in the donation process. EPs should support and engage in efforts to promote organ donation and transplantation.
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Croup is one of the most common causes of acute respiratory disorder in children. It presents as acute laryngeal symptoms in the context of viral infection. Treatment consists of systemic steroids and aerosolized adrenaline, after which the symptoms must resolve rapidly. There are many differential diagnoses, including neurological causes. In these cases, clinical presentation is atypical and the outcome can be less favorable. ⋯ We present the cases of three children who presented with stridor, which was initially treated as croup but eventually turned out to have a neurological origin. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Clinicians need to be aware of the differential diagnoses of croup. We suggest a few key points to help emergency physicians manage these patients, including adequate use of monitoring and nasofibroscopy. Early identification is a key element in the effective management of certain rapidly progressive neurological diseases.
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Previous investigators have assessed United States Case Law to evaluate the medicolegal risk surrounding point-of-care ultrasound applications. These studies have suggested that nonperformance is the primary source of an allegation of medical malpractice. ⋯ As previous studies have suggested, nonperformance of ultrasound seems to convey the greatest medicolegal risk. Extended, emerging, or adjunct applications of ultrasound may convey a slightly higher risk.