Background: Patients with traumatic wounds frequently present to the ED. Literature on whether to treat these wounds sterile or non-sterile is sparse. Non-sterile treatment has the advantage of saving resources and costs, and could be of value in health settings where sterile materials are not readily available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Tension Pneumothorax (TP) can occur as a potentially life threatening complication of chest trauma. Both the 2 intercostal space in the midclavicular line (ICS2-MCL) and the 4/5 intercostal space in the anterior axillary line (ICS 4/5-AAL) have been proposed as preferred locations for needle decompression (ND) of a TP. In the present study we aim to determine chest wall thickness (CWT) at ICS2-MCL and ICS4/5-AAL in normal weight-, overweight- and obese patients, and to calculate theoretical success rates of ND for these locations based on standard catheter length.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Blunt head trauma is a common presentation to emergency departments (EDs). Identifying skull fractures in children is important as they are known factor of risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Currently, CT is the reference standard for diagnosing skull fractures and TBIs in children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The time factor in diagnosis and management of a deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities (LE DVT) is of increasing importance in the era of crowding of emergency departments (ED). Current techniques used to detect LE DVT include a two-point regional compression ultrasound (rCUS), yet assessments are usually performed only during office hours. Outside office hours ultrasonography is postponed and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) prescribed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF