International journal of emergency medicine
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The use and interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs) are widely accepted as an essential core skill in Emergency Medicine. It is imperative that emergency physicians are expert in ECG interpretation when they exit their training programme. ⋯ In this prospective cross-sectional study of Emergency Medicine residents and recently qualified emergency physicians, we found that there was improvement in the interpretation of ECGs with increased seniority. There exists, however, a low level of accuracy for many of the critical ECG diagnoses. The average score of 46.4% obtained in this study is lower than the scores obtained by other international studies from countries where Emergency Medicine is a well-established speciality.
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There is a critical and growing need for emergency physicians and emergency medicine resources worldwide. To meet this need, physicians must be trained to deliver time-sensitive interventions and life-saving emergency care. Currently, there is no internationally recognized, standard curriculum that defines the basic minimum standards for emergency medicine education. ⋯ It is not designed to be prescriptive, but to assist educators and emergency medicine leadership in advancing physician education in basic emergency medicine content. The content would be relevant, not just for communities with mature emergency medicine systems, but also for developing nations or for nations seeking to expand emergency medicine within current educational structures. We anticipate that there will be wide variability in how this curriculum is implemented and taught, reflecting the existing educational milieu, the resources available, and the goals of the institutions' educational leadership.
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Hypocalcemia with stridor is a well-known condition in the pediatric age group but has rarely been reported in the elderly. We report an elderly patient who presented with dyspnea and laryngeal stridor attack caused by hypocalcemia. ⋯ The cause of stridor was hypocalcemia secondary to thyroidectomy. Complete resolution of stridor was achieved by calcium replacement therapy.
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To quantify injuries in children that result from toppled televisions. ⋯ Falling TVs may cause significant morbidity and mortality in children particularly those younger than 3 years old. Head and facial injuries are the most common body region involved and traumatic brain injury is the major cause of death.
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Life-threatening acute lung injury due to combat and/or terror attacks is associated with high mortality. The successful management includes the use of "rescue" extracorporeal lung assist and early transport by aeromedical evacuation teams. ⋯ Novel techniques in extracorporeal lung assist and in ventilatory support may help save lives even in disaster medicine.