Articles: emergency-department.
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Asthma has been reported as one of the main causes of frequent attendance to the emergency department (ED), and many of those visits are potentially preventable. Understanding the characteristics of frequent attender (FA) patients with asthmatic exacerbations will help to identify factors associated with frequent attendance and improve case management. The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics of FA who present multiple times to the ED for asthma exacerbations. ⋯ We found that a small number of FAME patients accumulated a large number of ED visits and spent a significantly longer time in the ED. This group tended to be males with social, financial, and addiction problems.
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The actively bleeding anticoagulated patient presenting to the emergency department requires rapid evaluation and treatment, which is made increasingly complicated by the ever-evolving antithrombotic treatment options used in medicine. Even with excellent supportive care, the timeliness with which reversal decisions need to be made continues to demand of the emergency practitioner a familiarity with the properties and general characteristics of a variety of antithrombotic agents. Reversal options vary and may include vitamin K, FFP, PCC, rFVIIa, platelets, and desmopressin, among others.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialSenior work-up assessment and treatment team in an emergency department: A randomised control trial.
To evaluate the impact of a senior early assessment model of care on performance measures in a single ED. ⋯ A senior early assessment model of care was not associated with improved overall NEAT performance and ED length of stay. However, there is evidence that improvements were made in the subgroup of discharged patients. There was no difference in overall NEAT performance among the three study groups.
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Bilateral chemical eye injuries are a common and important problem in the Emergency Department. Irrigation of both eyes can be time-consuming, so we present a novel, simple and cost-effective technique for hands-free bilateral eye irrigation. Modifications of a generic dual-lumen cannula adapter and fixation about the glabella allow sterile irrigation fluid to be delivered directly to the medial canthi of the contaminated eyes in a hands-free fashion. ⋯ Patients regain autonomy of movement to reposition themselves for comfort or to manipulate the eyelids for more effective irrigation. Clinicians are freed to tend to other tasks. By sharing this technique we hope to stimulate discussion on the safest and most effective method of irrigating chemically injured eyes and prompt the generation of comparable outcome data for the benefit of patients.
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Patients with anemia are frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED); emergency physicians (EPs) often play an important role in the evaluation and management of anemia. Although many patients have findings consistent with anemia on routine laboratory tests, only a small percentage will require acute intervention. An understanding of the broader types of anemia and how to manage such patients is important in the practice of an EP, as the presence of anemia will impact treatment plans for a variety of other disorders. This article reviews the evaluation and management of adult patients presenting to the ED with anemia.