Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Role of surgeon-performed ultrasound on further management of patients with acute abdominal pain: a randomised controlled clinical trial.
The use of bedside ultrasound performed by the surgeon or emergency physician on duty at the emergency department is increasing. A study was performed which is the first randomised study to evaluate the benefits of surgeon-performed ultrasound for the management of the acute abdomen. ⋯ This study shows benefits in the management of the acute abdomen resulting in fewer further requested examinations, fewer admissions and shorter lead times to surgery. On the basis of these results, it is recommended for implementation in emergency departments.
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In China the practice of emergency medicine includes patient management in the prehospital, emergency department and intensive care settings. In recent years, emergency medicine has emerged as an independent medical specialty in its own right, and has built up its own professional pool of clinicians, academicians and researchers. There is, however, still much room for improvement compared with developed countries, especially in the areas of clinical and prehospital care, teaching and scientific research. In this paper the current state of emergency medicine education in China is presented and further avenues for improvement are explored.
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There has been an increasing demand for computed tomography (CT) scans of the head following trauma over the past 10 years. This has placed radiology services under pressure. ⋯ Emergency physicians should not interpret CT scans for trauma without extra training.
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Access block, the inability of patients in the emergency department (ED) to access hospital beds, is a contributing factor to overcrowding in the ED. The effect of a holding unit (HU) on access block and some medical management indicators is presented. ⋯ The opening of an HU has led to an improvement in the access block.
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To assess the competency of physicians in the non-traumatic emergency department (ED) in intubating critically ill patients, to describe the methods, success rates and immediate complications after intubation in Siriraj Hospital. ⋯ At this institution, the majority of ED intubations were performed by residents and no drug was used. In this ED patients were intubated with a high success rate and a low rate of serious complications.