Emergency medicine
Seyed Reza Habibzadeh; Ehsan Bolvardi; Esmail Rayat Dost; Mahdi Foroughian
Volume 6, Issue 2 , July 2020, , Pages 109-111
Abstract
Introduction: Child abuse has been defined as allowing others to cause physical, emotional, and sexual harm, and also physical and emotional pain to a child. The present study was a report on a case of physical and sexual child abuse accompanied by traumatic brain injury (TBI) referred to an emergency ...
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Introduction: Child abuse has been defined as allowing others to cause physical, emotional, and sexual harm, and also physical and emotional pain to a child. The present study was a report on a case of physical and sexual child abuse accompanied by traumatic brain injury (TBI) referred to an emergency department.Case Presentation: A 4-year-old child was rushed into an emergency department by her mother. At the time of hospital admission, the child was feeling confused and drowsy and had symptoms of hemorrhage in the right preperitoneal space as well as bleeding from the mouth. According to the pattern of the child’s admission to the emergency department, contradictory descriptions by parents, clinical examinations, and TBI pattern; the probability of a case of child abuse was raised. Thus; neurosurgery, legal medicine, gynecology, and surgery consultations were requested. With regard to the brain injury and epidural hematoma, immediate measures (i.e. head lifting, taking Dilantin, blood glucose control, blood pressure control, and maintaining adequate oxygen saturation in the arterial blood) were taken to put a stop to secondary brain injury, and the patient was then transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) for further treatments.Conclusion: In the present case study, the child was seriously examined and followed up. In conclusion; 20 days later, the case was discharged from the pediatric ward with good medical conditions, and received counseling and psychiatric services for one year.
Emergency medicine
Abbas Edalatkhah; Mohammad Ali Jafari; Sima Valizadeh; Alireza Esmaeili; Ehsan Zarepur
Volume 6, Issue 2 , July 2020, , Pages 115-117
Abstract
Objective: Necrotizing fasciitis of the perinea, referred to as Fournier’s gangrene, is a necrotizing infection of the perinea. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report on the Fournier’s gangrene following an ant bite and this is a rare case report of this type.Case Presentation: ...
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Objective: Necrotizing fasciitis of the perinea, referred to as Fournier’s gangrene, is a necrotizing infection of the perinea. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report on the Fournier’s gangrene following an ant bite and this is a rare case report of this type.Case Presentation: In this rare case report we describe a 20-year-old man who developed Fournier’s gangrene following an ant bite which resulted in his death. He sustained numerous ant bites in the perinea. Subsequently, he suffered from itching of the area and had scratched the area frequently leading to dermal ulcers and laceration, pain, and swelling of the scrotal area followed by fever and diminished consciousness. Finally, he presented to the emergency room (ER) after 72 hours of ant bites with a shock. Physical examination revealed extensive necrosis of scrotum. The primary treatments including antibiotic therapy, normal saline solution, and dopamine were not effective.Conclusion: Even a simple nonpoisonous insect bite can lead to Fournier’s gangrene and death. Paying greater attention to the site of bite, especially in the perinea which is anatomically more susceptible to infection, observing hygienic principles, and quick access to healthcare centers may prevent the patient’s death
Emergency medicine
Parvin Aَbbaslou; Maryam Ahmadipour
Volume 6, Issue 2 , July 2020, , Pages 118-120
Abstract
Objective: Foreign body swallowing is a common pediatric problem. A foreign body in the pharynx is a medical emergency that requires urgent intervention. Evaluation and treatment of pharyngeal foreign bodies is much more difficult in children than in adults and sometimes requires hospitalization and ...
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Objective: Foreign body swallowing is a common pediatric problem. A foreign body in the pharynx is a medical emergency that requires urgent intervention. Evaluation and treatment of pharyngeal foreign bodies is much more difficult in children than in adults and sometimes requires hospitalization and removal of the foreign bodies under general anesthesia due to children’s lack of cooperation. Fish and chicken bones are the most common swallowed foreign bodies, but an interesting case of a piece of dishwashing steel wool stuck in a child’s pharynx is reported in this article.Case Presentation: A 10-year old boy was presented with a history of dysphagia from five weeks ago. Oral examination did not reveal anything significant. In lateral neck radiographs of the patient, a metal wire was observed in the hypopharyngeal region opposite the 4th and 5th cervical vertebrae. Endoscopic attempts to remove the foreign body were not successful. Therefore, the foreign body was removed from the patient’s pharynx in the operating room under general anesthesia. No complications were observed.Conclusion: Despite the prevalence of swallowing foreign bodies in children, ingestion of a piece of dishwashing steel wool not diagnosed for three weeks was considered interesting to report. Pharyngeal foreign bodies are medical emergencies; therefore, it is particularly important to suspect the presence of a foreign body and perform diagnostic procedures.
Emergency medicine
Mirko Barone; Barbara Leone; Giuseppe Cipollone; Felice Mucilli
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2020, , Pages 1-2
Abstract
As known, small bowel obstruction is one of the most common emergencies in general surgery carrying a not negligible rate of morbidity and financial expenditures as far as high social impact . Peritoneal adhesions are the leading cause of intestinal obstruction up to 74% of cases. In spite of increasing ...
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As known, small bowel obstruction is one of the most common emergencies in general surgery carrying a not negligible rate of morbidity and financial expenditures as far as high social impact . Peritoneal adhesions are the leading cause of intestinal obstruction up to 74% of cases. In spite of increasing incidence worldwide, current management still presents some “blind corners”, whose aspects still claim debate.
Emergency medicine
Mohammad Paravar; Somaye Safavi; Razie Eghtesadi; Mahdi Mohamadzade; Mojtaba Sehat; Mohammadreza Fazel; Esmaeil Fakharian; Mohammadhosein Makki; Mahzad Erami; Tayebeh Taghipor; Abdolreza dayani najafabadi
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2020, , Pages 3-6
Abstract
Objective: Emergency medical services systems are at the first line of dealing with patients who suffer from various infections. Conducting investigations on the bacterial contamination of emergency ambulances play a crucial role to improve the occupational health of staff as well as the quality of patient ...
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Objective: Emergency medical services systems are at the first line of dealing with patients who suffer from various infections. Conducting investigations on the bacterial contamination of emergency ambulances play a crucial role to improve the occupational health of staff as well as the quality of patient care. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and other life treating bacteria in the urban and rural ambulances and their on-call emergency medical service personnel.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 12 front line pre-hospital emergency urban and rural ambulances in Kashan, Iran, in 2015. A total of 18 sites were sampled in each ambulance and from the nose of personnel. Grown colonies were confirmed based on colony morphology on mannitol salt agar plates, gram stain reaction and biochemical characteristics reactions.Results: The S. aureus contamination was only isolated from the nose of on-call emergency medical service providers of 12 urban and road ambulances, while no sign of contamination was found in 18 sampling sites of these front-line ambulances. Also, further evaluation of these sampling sites revealed the contamination with coagulase-negative staphylococci in all of them and oxygen tank was introduced as the most contaminated site inside the ambulances. Moreover, the prevalence of equipment contamination was significantly higher in urban ambulances.Conclusion: Identifying the rate of pathogens in clinical settings like the pre-hospital ambulance setting is an important issue which should be carefully considered.
Emergency medicine
Julius Gbenga Olaogun; Amarachukwu Chiduziem Etonyeaku; Joshua Taye Ige; Obafemi Kayode Wuraola
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2020, , Pages 7-12
Abstract
Objective: There has been a worldwide rise in the prevalence of penetrating abdominal injury (PAI), and there are both inter-country and intra-country variations in frequencies. This study evaluates the mechanisms and pattern of penetrating abdominal injuries and the treatment outcome in our center.Methods: ...
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Objective: There has been a worldwide rise in the prevalence of penetrating abdominal injury (PAI), and there are both inter-country and intra-country variations in frequencies. This study evaluates the mechanisms and pattern of penetrating abdominal injuries and the treatment outcome in our center.Methods: This descriptive study of adult patients managed for PAI was conducted at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti from January 2015 to December 2018. Data were prospectively collected and analyzed by using descriptive statistics from Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0.Results: There were 96 patients managed for abdominal injuries during the study period. Forty-six (47.9%) of them had PAI, while 50 (52.1%) others sustained blunt trauma. Patients ages ranged from 17-72 years (mean = 34.2±10.8 years; median = 34 years). Majority, 42 (91.3%), were males, while 4 (8.7%) were females (M: F=11:1). The most afflicted age group was in the 4th decade. Majority of the injuries were due to gunshot (60.9%) followed by stab (26.1%), unsafe abortion (6.5%), road traffic injury (4.3%) and fall (2.2%). Gastrointestinal injuries were the most common with small bowel perforations predominating. Solid organ injuries were only seen in 3 (7.9%) patients. Eight (17.4%) had associated extra-abdominal injuries. Thirty-eight (82.6%) patients required exploratory laparotomy, while 8 (17.4%) were managed non-operatively. The negative laparotomy rate was 2.6%. Seven (15.2%) patients developed complications which were mostly wound infection (10.8%). The duration of hospital stay was 1-58 days (mean 12.7±10.5). Three patients (6.5%) with gunshot injuries died.Conclusion: Gunshot wounds were the major variant of PAI, and the highest cause of mortality from it. Gut injuries were most common, and exploratory laparotomy remains the main-stay of treatment, while non-operative management is practicable in carefully selected cases.
Emergency medicine
Bita Abbasi; Masoud Pezeshki-Rad; Mozhdeh Amini; Mahdi Foroughian; Maryam Sahebari; Sirous Nekooei; Reza Akhvan
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2020, , Pages 18-22
Abstract
Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the clinical symptoms and sonographic characteristics of femoral trochlear cartilage in patients with knee joint osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 94 patients with painful primary knee OA according to the American ...
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Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the clinical symptoms and sonographic characteristics of femoral trochlear cartilage in patients with knee joint osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 94 patients with painful primary knee OA according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria with a visual analog scale pain score of 30 mm or more. Clinical features were evaluated by a rheumatologist according to the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) criteria, and a radiologist performed ultrasonography within a week. The thickness and echogenicity grade of three cartilage regions were evaluated. Other findings such as meniscal extrusion, effusion, and Baker’s cyst were recorded. Results: The average age of patients was 60 years. The linear regression model showed a significant association of grades II and III trochlear cartilage injury with the pain index, physical activity, and WOMAC overall index. However, there was no significant association between the trochlear cartilage thickness in these three regions and the WOMAC indexes (including pain, physical activity, and the overall index). There was also no significant association between Baker’s cyst and the WOMAC indexes, but a significant association was found between meniscal extrusion and the WOMAC index (P≤0.001). Conclusion: According to our study, the echogenicity grade determined by ultrasonography of femoral trochlear cartilage affects the clinical symptoms of patients including pain. These findings indicate the role of this diagnostic device in understanding changes due to the disease, and it can help physicians focus on the pathology in order to control clinical symptoms in patients.
Emergency medicine
Surendar Ravipragasam; Deepika Chandar; Vinay R Pandit
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2020, , Pages 23-27
Abstract
Objective: Survival-to-discharge rates following in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) patients remain significantly low. The use of initial documented cardiac rhythm as predictor of Survival-to-discharge is still unclear. This study aimed to assess whether the initial documented rhythm can be used as a ...
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Objective: Survival-to-discharge rates following in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) patients remain significantly low. The use of initial documented cardiac rhythm as predictor of Survival-to-discharge is still unclear. This study aimed to assess whether the initial documented rhythm can be used as a predictor of survival-to-discharge following IHCA in an emergency department of the tertiary care referral institute, south India. Methods: This observational study was conducted for six months from January to June 2017 among all patients above 12 years, with witnessed cardiac arrest after arrival at the emergency department. After obtaining informed consent from the patients’ caregivers, data of socio-demographic details, previous relevant medical history, initial documented rhythm, neurologic status and survival-to-discharge were collected and analyzed. Results: The mean age of participants was 50 ± 17.15 years. Of the 252 study participants, 77.4% had non-shockable and 22.6% had shockable rhythm as initial documented rhythm. The overall survival-to-discharge rate was 17.5% (n=44) in our study. The overall proportion of participants who survived to discharge after IHCA was higher among participants with shockable rhythm (16/57, 28%) in comparison to participants with non-shockable rhythm (28/195, 14.3%). These differences were found to be statistically significant. Among the patients with shockable rhythm, 61.1% had good cerebral performance. Conclusion: Survival-to-discharge rates after IHCA can be predicted based on the initial documented cardiac rhythm. Early identification of patients with impending cardiac arrest and providing prompt management of patients with cardiac arrest will improve the survival rates significantly
Emergency medicine
Peyman Saberian; Mostafa Sadeghi; Parisa Hasani-Sharamin; Maryam Modaber; Amirreza Farhoud; Mehrad Aghili
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2020, , Pages 38-42
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of rescue blankets with conventional blankets in terms of preventing hypothermia in the pre-hospital setting. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, patients older than 18 years old with Cold Discomfort Scale (CDS) > 2, and those who were transferred ...
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Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of rescue blankets with conventional blankets in terms of preventing hypothermia in the pre-hospital setting. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, patients older than 18 years old with Cold Discomfort Scale (CDS) > 2, and those who were transferred to the emergency department (ED) by emergency medical service entered the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups based on the type of transfer. In this regard, one group was transferred with rescue blankets and the other group was transferred with conventional blankets. The tympanic temperature in patients and CDS were recorded before the use of blanket (primary) and at the time of arrival in the ED (secondary). Results: Finally, 161 patients with the mean age of 45.31±19.8 years were included (63.4% were male). Totally, 88 cases (54.7%) were transferred with rescue blankets and 73 cases (45.3%) with conventional blankets. The mean of the primary tympanic temperatures in the rescue and conventional blanket groups were 36.20±0.84°C and 36.34±0.65°C, respectively (P=0.23). The mean of the primary CDS in rescue and conventional blanket groups were 6.55±1.95 and 5.89±2.29, respectively (P=0.05). Also, the mean of the secondary tympanic temperatures in the rescue and conventional blanket groups were 36.59±0.47°C and 36.76±0.48 °C, respectively (P=0.03). Besides, the mean of the secondary CDS in the rescue and conventional blanket groups were 2.64±2.80 and 2.41±1.29, respectively (P=0.48). Conclusion: According to the results, there is no significant difference in the tympanic temperature and CDS of the patients transferred with the rescue blanket compared with the conventional blanket
Emergency medicine
Mohit Kumar Arora; Ela Madaan; Rajnand Kumar
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2020, , Pages 47-49
Abstract
Objective: Patella is a sesamoid bone which develops in the quadriceps tendon. It is an uncommon site for neoplasms. The most common primary tumors which involve patella are benign. These include chondroblastoma, giant cell tumor (GCT) and aneurysmal bone cyst. Malignant lesions are less common in patella. ...
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Objective: Patella is a sesamoid bone which develops in the quadriceps tendon. It is an uncommon site for neoplasms. The most common primary tumors which involve patella are benign. These include chondroblastoma, giant cell tumor (GCT) and aneurysmal bone cyst. Malignant lesions are less common in patella. These encompass metastasis, osteosarcoma and hemangioendothelioma. The most common complaint in patients of GCT patella is anterior knee pain. Early diagnosis and optimal management are necessary for improving survival rate in these patients.Case Presentation: The authors present a case report of GCT of patella in a 16-year old child. Incisional biopsy was done to confirm the diagnosis. Further radiological examination showed that the tumor involved almost whole of the patella. Hence, surgical management in the form of patellectomy and extensor mechanism repair was done to improve the outcome of the disease. The patient did not have any clinical or radiological symptoms at the end of the final follow up of 22 months.Conclusion: Primary tumor of patella is a rare entity. Benign tumors like GCT present only with anterior knee pain and should be included in the differential diagnosis of anterior knee pain. MRI is useful to determine the extent of involvement of tumor in the patella. Treatment may vary from curettage and bone grafting to total patellectomy with extensor mechanism repair
Emergency medicine
Rosanna Varutti; Alessandro Mosca; Nicola Latronico
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2020, , Pages 50-52
Abstract
Objective: One of the most frequent causes of death and acquired disability in the pediatric population is the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI is secondary to falls, road traffic and vehicle collisions, child abuse and assaults. Penetrating brain injury is a severe form of traumatic brain injury. Blunt ...
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Objective: One of the most frequent causes of death and acquired disability in the pediatric population is the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI is secondary to falls, road traffic and vehicle collisions, child abuse and assaults. Penetrating brain injury is a severe form of traumatic brain injury. Blunt head injury is more frequent than TBI in children, but the second one carries a poor prognosis and a worse outcomes.Case Presentation: We report a pediatric case of penetrating craniofacial trauma, caused by a pencil in to the eye, and the successful of multidisciplinary management.Conclusion: Traumatic head injuries in children are frequently seen in the emergency ward, but the penetrating head injuries are unusual in young children. This case shows the importance of the ‘first golden hour’ after head trauma. The collaboration between team members, added to a promptly and invasive strategy, allowed to reduce neurological sequelae.
Emergency medicine
Fereshteh Jamali; Haniyeh Ebrahimibakhtavar; Mahbubeh Zomordi Torkdari; Farzad Rahmani
Volume 5, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 37-40
Abstract
Objective: Assessing patients’ satisfaction with emergency medical services (EMSs) is an important managerial point of view. The present study aimed to assess the patients’ satisfaction with EMS in Tabriz, Iran.Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study that was done in the prehospital ...
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Objective: Assessing patients’ satisfaction with emergency medical services (EMSs) is an important managerial point of view. The present study aimed to assess the patients’ satisfaction with EMS in Tabriz, Iran.Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study that was done in the prehospital emergency and disaster management center of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. In this study, from May to December 2017, we included 659 patients who were transferred to hospitals with our prehospital emergency services. A valid and reliable questionnaire was used to evaluate the satisfaction of patients about the performance of prehospital EMSs.Results: Data of 659 patients were evaluated. Trauma was the most common cause of contact with 115 and help request (33.83%). The results indicated that patients’ level of satisfaction was good and very good. The highest level of satisfaction was related to the treatment of patients and use of medical equipment in the ambulance (n=578 patients, 87.7%) as well as the treatment practiced by the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) (n=575 patients, 87.24%). However, the lowest level of satisfaction was related to the absence of an active EMT in the rear cabin when transferring patients to the hospital (n=337 patients, 51.14%) and transfer of the patient from the accident scene to the ambulance (n=410 patients, 62.21%).Conclusion: Patients’ satisfaction with EMS was optimal. The minimum and maximum satisfaction rates were related to the absence of an active EMT in the rear cabin, treatment of the patient, and use of medical equipment.
Emergency medicine
Samuel Olufemi Bolarinde; Isaiah Oyewole; Adesola Felix Abobarin
Volume 5, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 41-46
Abstract
Objective: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the major complaints in the work place. This study investigated the prevalence and pattern of work-related MSDs, risk factors and the strategies of management among nurses working in various specialty areas in a tertiary health institution in Nigeria.Methods: ...
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Objective: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the major complaints in the work place. This study investigated the prevalence and pattern of work-related MSDs, risk factors and the strategies of management among nurses working in various specialty areas in a tertiary health institution in Nigeria.Methods: This cross-sectional survey recruited 150 nurses working in various specialty areas of a government own tertiary institution in South-west, Nigeria. Data were obtained on demographic characteristics, occupational profile, work-related musculoskeletal symptoms, perceptions on job risk factors and management strategies. Data were presented using descriptive statistics of percentages and frequency tables.Results: The most common MSD among the respondents was low back pain (LBP) (60.0%), followed by neck pain (48.0%), while elbow pain was the lowest work-related musculoskeletal pain (5.3%). Findings indicated that respondents working in Intensive Care Unit (100.0%), Dental Unit (100.0%), Accident and Emergency (77.8%), Orthopaedics (75.0%), Ear Nose and Throat (75.0%) and Medicine (72.7%) suffered from LBP more than other respondents in other specialty areas. Results also revealed that frequent bending (64.0%), prolonged standing (49.3%) and frequent lifting of patients (48.0%) were major factors that contributed to LBP among the respondents. Rest (56.0%), pain killer drugs (50.7%), and exercise (36.0 %) were the most preferred pain management strategies among the respondents, while only 12.0% preferred physiotherapy management.Conclusion: A great percentage of Nigerian nurses suffer from work-related MSDs in their professions with the low back being the most injured body part. Nurses working in Intensive Care Unit, Dental, Accident and Emergency and Orthopedics are more prone to work-related LBP. Education programs on back care and workplace ergonomics are recommended for reduction and prevention of occupational hazards among nurses.
Emergency medicine
Vahid Abbasi; Abolfazl Atalu; Afshan Sharghi; Fatemeh Taghvatalab
Volume 5, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 47-50
Abstract
Objective: Currently, treating ischemic stroke by intravenous thrombolytic therapy has acceptable results in patients with stroke. This study aimed to evaluate the three months prognosis of patients treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA).Methods: This cross-sectional prospective ...
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Objective: Currently, treating ischemic stroke by intravenous thrombolytic therapy has acceptable results in patients with stroke. This study aimed to evaluate the three months prognosis of patients treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA).Methods: This cross-sectional prospective study was conducted on 30 patients with cerebral ischemic stroke with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) >5. Data such as demographic information, signs and symptoms, medical history, risk factors, focused neurological examination, and the NIHSS were collected for all patients. Then, all patients received 0.9 mg/kg of rt-PA as intravenous bolus doses and intravenous infusion under close monitoring in the emergency department. All patients were checked for necessary outcomes and also disability at the admission time, 7 days later and after three months all patients were checked again. All collected data were analyzed by appropriate tests using SPSS version 22.Results: Of all patients, 63.3% were males and 36.7% were females. The mean age of the patients was 62.37 ± 12.62 years with a range of 40-91 years. The mean of NIHSS was 12.46 ± 4.28 at admission time, in day seven it was 8.06 ± 3.72 and in month three after treatment it was 3.62 ± 2.31. There was a significant relationship between age, place of residence and NIHSS. Thirty percent of patients had NIHSS more than 15 at admission time and after 7 days this rate reached to 10% and three months later it declined to 6.7%. These differences were statistically significant.Conclusion: Intravenous thrombolytic therapy is associated with proper short term results in most patients with ischemic stroke.
Emergency medicine
Mohammad Hasan Lotfi; Hossein Lashkardoost; Andishe Hamedi
Volume 5, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 51-55
Abstract
Objective: The rate of road traffic accidents in Iran per capita and for the number of vehicles is much higher than the average in the world. The present study was conducted to investigate road traffic accidents in Yazd province during 2011-2015.Methods: The present study is a descriptive-analytic study ...
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Objective: The rate of road traffic accidents in Iran per capita and for the number of vehicles is much higher than the average in the world. The present study was conducted to investigate road traffic accidents in Yazd province during 2011-2015.Methods: The present study is a descriptive-analytic study in which data were obtained from data collection forms related to deaths from driving accidents of forensic medicine organizations. Data were entered into SPSS version 23. We calculated the frequency, percentage, and mean indices. We used Fisher exact test for data analysis.Results: In this research, 1437 individuals were studied. The number of deaths in men was three times more than women. Most fatal accidents occurred in the age group of 20-30 years. The most common accident which occurred during these years was the collision of vehicles with each other and in terms of the final cause of death, 1045 people died due to head injuries. In this study, we showed that the incidence decreased from 29.03 in 2011 to 22.03 in 2015.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the most cases of fatal accidents occurred in the age group of 20-30 years, in people with elementary education and in the summer. Therefore, preventive action is necessary by raising awareness.
Emergency medicine
Hassan Amiri; Mojtaba Chardoli; Maryam Sarvari; Samad Shams Vahdati; Niloufar Ghodrati; Roshan Fahimi
Volume 5, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 56-60
Abstract
Objective: This study investigates the possible magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with cervical trauma having a normal level of consciousness and normal CT reports. These patients have tenderness or an uncomfortable feeling in the traumatized area as well.Methods: In this cross-sectional ...
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Objective: This study investigates the possible magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with cervical trauma having a normal level of consciousness and normal CT reports. These patients have tenderness or an uncomfortable feeling in the traumatized area as well.Methods: In this cross-sectional anterograde study, cases were selected among patients referred to the emergency department of Hafte Tir, Iran University of Medical Sciences from 2012 to 2014. Inclusion criteria to select cases were: age above 15, blunt neck trauma, GCS=15, normal CT scan reports of neck, no past medical history of cervical vertebral surgery, and no persistent neurologic lesions. In order to analyse qualitative data, chi-square test was used and for quantitative data t test was applied accordingly.Results: Two hundred eighty patients with chief complaints of neck pain due to trauma entered our study. Among this batch, 264 of them had normal CT scan reports and MRI was done for all of them. According to the results, the maximum injury in MRI was related to intervertebral disc injury (38 cases), ligamentous edema (35 cases), and muscle edema (22 cases), respectively. Neck tenderness from the beginning of the accident and transient neurologic signs had a significant role in MRI results (P < 0.05).Conclusion: In patients with acute cervical trauma having normal CT reports, MRI must be done in those with the average age of 45 or more, tenderness in the neck area, and in those with neurologic transient symptoms.
Emergency medicine
Nahid Zamanimehr; Samad Shams Vahdati; Hamed Hojjatpanah
Volume 5, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 61-64
Abstract
Objective: Fluid resuscitation is necessary in almost all critical patients. The central venous pressure (CVP) is a well-established method of assessing resuscitation. Recently, there have been attempts to investigate less invasive methods like the diameters of inferior vena cava (IVC) or the jugular ...
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Objective: Fluid resuscitation is necessary in almost all critical patients. The central venous pressure (CVP) is a well-established method of assessing resuscitation. Recently, there have been attempts to investigate less invasive methods like the diameters of inferior vena cava (IVC) or the jugular vein. We aimed to investigate this method in our research.Methods: Seventy eight critical patients admitted to the emergency department from April 2018 to December 2018 were studied. The CVP was measured along with the diameters of the two mentioned veins before and during resuscitation. The urinary output was also recorded after administering the fluid. The minimum p-value that would illustrate a significant association was equal to 0.05.Results: Findings showed that 53.8% of patients were males and 46.2% were females with an average age of 71.48 years. The causes of the critical state were 25.6% hemorrhagic shocks, 30.8% septic shocks and 43.6% hypovolemic shocks. The mean diameter of the jugular vein before and during resuscitation was 27.21 mm and 25.38 mm, respectively (P = 0.1). The mean of IVC diameter before and during resuscitation was 63.33 mm and 57.98 mm, respectively (P <0.001). The CVP was 4.23 mmHg before resuscitation and 5.61 mmHg after resuscitation (P <0.001). With an average urine output of 201.28 cc, a significant correlation was observed with the increase in the CVP, while no such correlations were observed with the decreasing state of the diameters of the IVC or the jugular vein.Conclusion: Both the IVC diameter and the jugular vein diameter are unable to assess fluid resuscitation independently from respiratory factors
Emergency medicine
Esmaeil Fakharian; Zahra Sehat; Mojtaba Sehat
Volume 5, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 65-70
Abstract
Objective: Traumatic spine injuries are seriously important and are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The goal of this study is to determine the epidemiology of the traumatic spine injuries in Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan University of Medical Sciences (KAUMS), the main trauma ...
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Objective: Traumatic spine injuries are seriously important and are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The goal of this study is to determine the epidemiology of the traumatic spine injuries in Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan University of Medical Sciences (KAUMS), the main trauma center in Kashan, Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken on all cases of traumatic spinal injuries that were admitted to Shahid Beheshti hospital of KAUMS from 2014 to 2017. A checklist was used to collect demographic characteristics (age, gender, education, marital) and mechanism of the injury of the spine. According to ICD-10, the level of the injury was detected by diagnostic tests such as radiologic imaging and magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans, and also multi-trauma final outcome of the patients with traumatic spine injury (TSI) and rate of the spinal cord injury (SCI), hospital length of stay and surgery treatment was investigated.Results: The number of patients with traumatic spine injuries was 986. Among this batch, 77% were males. The mean age of the patients was 39.5 years. Most injuries occurred in the age group of 15 to 30 years. Traffic accident was the most common mechanism of the trauma (35.2%) followed by the falls (26.95%) motorcycle accident (17.9%), assault by a sharp object or an unspecified object (10.13%) and other reasons (5.6%). The most common site of injury was in lumbar section (24.41%). Patients with traffic accident injury had the longest hospitalization. The rate of SCI was 2.63% and the rate of mortality was 2.3%.Conclusion: The TSI is an important and serious public health problem and a major cause of disability. Understanding the epidemiology can help us contrive appropriate preventative measures.
Emergency medicine
Mohit Kumar Arora; Ela Madaan; Sandeep Kumar
Volume 5, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 78-80
Abstract
Simultaneous fracture of lateral condyle and medial epicondyle of humerus along with elbow dislocation is very rare injury in adults. Only a few cases have been reported in literature in pediatric age groups. The authors describe a case report of fracture of lateral condyle and medial epicondyle of humerus ...
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Simultaneous fracture of lateral condyle and medial epicondyle of humerus along with elbow dislocation is very rare injury in adults. Only a few cases have been reported in literature in pediatric age groups. The authors describe a case report of fracture of lateral condyle and medial epicondyle of humerus along with elbow dislocation in a young adult. The patient sustained injury in the form of fall from bike. Clinically the patient had swelling and deformity of the elbow joint. There were contusions present in the skin around the elbow joint. There was no distal neuro-vascular deficit. Appropriate radiological investigations were done. The elbow joint was then reduced and found to be unstable. Hence, patient was taken up for surgery in the form of open reduction and internal fixation. The functional outcome of the surgery is presented in the case report. Open reduction and internal fixation are the treatment of choices in these types of cases.
Emergency medicine
Manoel Francisco de Campos Neto; Vidal Haddad Junior
Volume 5, Issue 2 , July 2019, , Pages 81-84
Abstract
This communication describes two attacks by domestic and wild carnivores in Caceres County, localized in the Pantanal area, an extensive flooded plain in Mato Grosso State, Midwest region of Brazil. The first attack took place in an urban area and was caused by a Rottweiler dog (Canis lupus familiaris) ...
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This communication describes two attacks by domestic and wild carnivores in Caceres County, localized in the Pantanal area, an extensive flooded plain in Mato Grosso State, Midwest region of Brazil. The first attack took place in an urban area and was caused by a Rottweiler dog (Canis lupus familiaris) created by the family of the victim. Another attack occurred in a rural area, caused by a jaguar (Panthera onca), which was disturbed while feeding, characterizing an unprovoked attack. Both the patients were wounded in the forearm, with different severity of the wounds. The lesions restricted to the forearm were the consequence of the victims using their arms as a shield, featuring the “defense” injuries, but the severity of the wounds were proportional to the strength of the attacking carnivore. Health staffs and emergency centers should be alert for soft tissue and bone injuries in the observed body regions after domestic and wild animal attacks.
Emergency medicine
Luis Rafael Moscote-Salazar; Huber Padilla-Zambrano; Yancarlos Ramos-Villegas; Amit Agrawal; Andres M. Rubiano
Volume 5, Issue 1 , January 2019, , Pages 1-1
Abstract
Acute traumatic brain injury is a worldwide public health crisis. Post-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a finding that is present at a frequency of 40% according to data from American TCDB (1,2). Among the mechanisms that have been implicated as causes of post-traumatic SAH is the cortical ...
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Acute traumatic brain injury is a worldwide public health crisis. Post-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a finding that is present at a frequency of 40% according to data from American TCDB (1,2). Among the mechanisms that have been implicated as causes of post-traumatic SAH is the cortical bleeding through the subarachnoid space. It is estimated that the incidence of post-traumatic SAH is 11% to 60% in patients with traumatic brain injury. The brain CT is considered a technique with good sensitivity, economical and available in many hospitals worldwide. We have reviewed the literature and found some imaging characteristics of post-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. We have called “the five preferences for post-traumatic SAH”.
Emergency medicine
Ali Imani; Jalal Borna; Ali Alami; Shahla Khosravan; Hadi Hasankhani; Mostafa Bafandeh Zende
Volume 5, Issue 1 , January 2019, , Pages 8-13
Abstract
Objective: Low back pain is one of the most important job injuries among emergency medical personnel. This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of low back pain as well as its physical, mental and managerial predisposing factors among emergency medical personnel in Iran.Methods: In this ...
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Objective: Low back pain is one of the most important job injuries among emergency medical personnel. This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of low back pain as well as its physical, mental and managerial predisposing factors among emergency medical personnel in Iran.Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study we recruited 298 pre-hospital emergency medical personnel based on census sampling. Data were gathered using Nordic and a research-made questionnaire related to physical, mental and managerial back pain factors. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive and analytical tests including chi-square test were used appropriately. P value less than 0.05 was considered as the level of significance.Results: Findings showed that 46.3% of pre- hospital emergency technicians had a history of low back pain with different intensities. We observed a significant relationship between age, work experience, occupational-physical factors with low back pain (P > 0.001). However, there was no significant relationship between occupational-managerial factors and mental-occupational factors with low back pain (P > 0.05).Conclusion: Results show that the prevalence of back pain among emergency medical personnel is high. Identifying the factors associated with back pain can help the managers as well as the personnel to control the problem of back pain and increase employees’ productivity.
Clinical Toxicology
Seyed Hesam Rahmani; Gholamreza Faridaalaee
Volume 5, Issue 1 , January 2019, , Pages 29-31
Abstract
Hypokalemic periodic paralysis is anautosomal dominantdisease characterized by muscle weakness or paralysis with a matching fall in blood potassium levels. Paralysis attacks often occur in adolescence and are induced by strenuous exercise followed by rest, high carbohydrateor high sodiummeal content, ...
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Hypokalemic periodic paralysis is anautosomal dominantdisease characterized by muscle weakness or paralysis with a matching fall in blood potassium levels. Paralysis attacks often occur in adolescence and are induced by strenuous exercise followed by rest, high carbohydrateor high sodiummeal content, sudden changes in temperature, and even excitement, noise, flashing lights and cold temperatures. Despite global daily use of intravenous and oral potassium in the treatment of patients, data about intravenous bolus potassium is rare. Here we report a 29-year-old man complaining of weakness in the upper and lower limbs. By initial diagnosis of periodic hypokalemic paralysis, potassium chloride was ordered by oral route. After a few minutes, we heard patient screaming in pain. He complained of severe acute pain in peripheral intravenous line, palpitation and dyspnea. We noticed that potassium chloride vial was infused directly via cubital vein in few minutes erroneously. Physical exam revealed sinus tachycardia and hypertension. We began hyperkalemia treatment immediately. With appropriate treatment,the patient was discharged with good condition after 12 hours of admission.
Emergency medicine
Hammoda Abu-Odah; Akram Abu Salah; Ali El-Khateeb; Khawla El-Nems
Volume 4, Issue 2 , July 2018, , Pages 77-81
Abstract
Objective: Patients’ satisfaction (PS) is recognized as an important emergency department service design and it has received a high interest and attention in the health management where many studies have focused on determining factors affecting PS in health-related circumstances. In this study, ...
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Objective: Patients’ satisfaction (PS) is recognized as an important emergency department service design and it has received a high interest and attention in the health management where many studies have focused on determining factors affecting PS in health-related circumstances. In this study, we aimed to examine PS in emergency department (ED) of the European Gaza Hospital (EGH) in the Gaza Strip (GS).Methods: A descriptive-analytical cross sectional study was performed at ED-EGH between March, 15 and June 20, 2015. Press Ganey questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. For each patient, a self-administered questionnaire including 22 questions was filled based on a Likert scale. Results were analyzed using SPSS version 22.Results: Overall, 200 respondents were included in the study. About 73% of respondents were satisfied with overall medical services. The term of nurses’ concern provided to patients elicited the highest score (83.1%), followed by physicians’ concern with patients (72.0%) and communication skills with patients (71.4%), while the lowest score was reported in waiting time and security staff. Furthermore, our findings show an association between PS and level of education, gender differences, living area, and work shifts.Conclusion: The study results conclude that areas of medical and nursing care, respects of staff, physical comfort and waiting time ED-EGH is highly acceptable and offer in appropriate manners.
Emergency medicine
Krishna Prasad; Susan Tharian; Jebu A Thomas
Volume 4, Issue 2 , July 2018, , Pages 89-91
Abstract
Traumatic spinal epidural hematoma (TSEH) is a neurosurgical emergency which is considered as one of the rare causes of back pain. The onset of symptoms presentation can vary especially following a trauma. Here, we report a case where a young girl had a trivial fall and presented symptoms of back pain ...
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Traumatic spinal epidural hematoma (TSEH) is a neurosurgical emergency which is considered as one of the rare causes of back pain. The onset of symptoms presentation can vary especially following a trauma. Here, we report a case where a young girl had a trivial fall and presented symptoms of back pain three days later. She developed abrupt onset of lower limb weakness during her stay in the emergency department (ED). X-ray and computed tomography (CT) imaging of the spine did not show any obvious abnormality whereas, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging revealed hyper-intense lesions in the thoracic spinal segment which led to the diagnosis of TSEH. Our case highlights the importance of the atypical and varied nature of presentation and the choice of investigation which would help in the early diagnosis of this entity.