Did an emergency physician (EP) have a telephone consult without requesting that the specialist see or examine the patient?
Approximately 5% of patients presenting to EDs have neurological symptoms such as headache, dizziness, back pain, weakness, and seizure disorder, but little is known about the factors that led to misdiagnoses of neurological emergencies in the ED, according to a 2012 review of studies.1
Asthma is a common problem in the emergency department (ED), with many children having significant exacerbations. The ED physician must be prepared with a versatile approach to rapidly stabilize the patient. This article comprehensively reviews the approach to a child with acute severe asthma, emphasizing management alternatives.
Scaphoid fractures are by far the most frequent bony injuries of the wrist in both pediatric and adult patients. The peak incidence is in adolescence, around 15 years of age.
Skiers thumb is an acute injury to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) caused by forced abduction and hyperextension of the thumb; frequently it is associated with any sport that involves grasping a pole, such as skiing, hockey, lacrosse, or pole vaulting.
Bennett fractures are fractures of the first metacarpal, with the fracture line extending from the base of the metacarpal (MC) to the CMC joint. Bennett fractures are the most common thumb MC fractures. Involvement of the CMC makes this fracture unstable.
A Rolando fracture is defined as a comminuted fracture of the base of the thumb metacarpal. The mechanism of a Rolando fracture is most often simultaneous hyperextension and hyperabduction. This fracture type is typically unstable and occurs less commonly than a Bennett fracture in the pediatric population.
The purpose of this article is to review procedures and therapies used in the difficult, life-threatening clinical circumstances. The authors review five procedures that are rarely used in extreme situations.
