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Utmost caution has to be applied when future quality of life as presumed by nurses and doctors is used as an argument for withholding or withdrawing further treatment.
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In recent years, an important manifestation of shock, resuscitation, and critical illness has become more evident in the intensive care unit.
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More than 2000 cases of severe acute respiratory disease (SARS) with more than 70 deaths were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by April 2, 2003.
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Pneumococcal vaccine protects older adults from developing pneumococcal bacteremia but does not prevent community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), according to a new study from Group Health Cooperative in Seattle.
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Although spinal injuries occur infrequently, a delay in the detection of thoracolumbar trauma may have devastating consequences for a child. It is critical that the emergency physican be familiar with injury patterns that may result in this type of injury.
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The recognition of non-accidental injury is critical for a pediatric
trauma patient. In the year 2000, almost 3 million reports of child
abuse were made to social service agencies. Forty-four percent of the
fatalities were children younger than 1 year of age. Not only are these
statistics alarming, but they point out the need for emergency
department and trauma physicians and nurses to recognize non-accidental
injury and aggressively protect the children who seek our medical
expertise and protection.
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The skyrocketing cost of medical malpractice insurance has affected physicians throughout the nation. Many emergency physicians (EPs) have seen the costs of insurance nearly double in the past three years. Some insurers have deemed EPs with three claims against them in a five-year period as uninsurable. This months ED Legal Letter will provide insight into the malpractice crisis by looking at the cause, effect, and potential solutions to the problem. Furthermore, it will review why past legislative attempts to remedy previous malpractice crises have failed.
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Jaber and colleagues report a series of 112 intubations of patients in their multidisciplinary ICU in Montpellier, France, during a 14-month period. Every ventilated patient underwent a cuff-leak test prior to extubation, and the incidence of post-extubation stridor was determined.
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Providing a universal consent form to patients, proxies, and staff increased the frequency with which consent was obtained without compromising understanding of the process.
