Stump Appendicitis.

Abdominal pain is a frequent problem encountered in the emergency department, and acute appendicitis is a well-recognized diagnosis. Laparoscopic appendectomy has become one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States. Patients with a history of appendectomy may experience recurrent right lower quadrant abdominal pain from an infrequently encountered complication that may occur when the residual appendix becomes obstructed and inflamed.

Close Together, Far Apart: an Assessment of the Public Health Needs of Three Geographically Proximate Communities in Central Haiti.

Haiti, a country marked by extreme poverty and poor health, is also an active site for thousands of non-governmental organizations. The community needs assessment is an important tool that allows aid organizations to understand better community perspectives regarding health. In this study, 84 community members were interviewed across three geographically proximate communities in the Arcahaie region of Haiti to identify similarities and differences in community needs.

Dental care after an emergency department visit for dental problems among adults enrolled in Medicaid.

Background: Dental emergency department (ED) visits are increasing nationally, but EDs provide only palliative care. The authors examine time to subsequent dentist visit within 6 months after the ED visit, as well as the effect of having a dentist visit in the prior year.

Methods: Using 2010-2012 Iowa Medicaid claims data, the authors identified adults with an index dental ED visit.

Parental perceptions of avoidability of their child's emergency department visit.

Objectives: To identify the factors associated with paediatric emergency department (ED) visits and parental perceptions of the avoidability of their child's ED visit.

Design: Cross-sectional study by performing secondary analysis of 2010-2011 Iowa Child and Family Household Health Survey data.

Setting: State-wide representative population-based sample of families with at least one child in the state of Iowa in the USA.

Eliminating Medicaid adult dental coverage in California led to increased dental emergency visits and associated costs.

Dental coverage for adults is an elective benefit under Medicaid. As a result of budget constraints, California Medicaid eliminated its comprehensive adult dental coverage in July 2009. We examined the impact of this policy change on emergency department (ED) visits by Medicaid-enrolled adults for dental problems in the period 2006-11.

Off-highway vehicle parks: combining environment, knowledge, and enforcement for all-terrain vehicle injury prevention.

The number of off-highway vehicle (OHV) parks continues to grow to meet the recreational needs of ATV enthusiasts and the increasing popularity of the vehicle. Little is known about how OHV park regulations and enforcement affect ATV safety among their users. This study was designed to determine whether there were differences in crash mechanisms and/or compliance with ATV safety laws and regulations when comparing off-road ATV crashes inside and outside state OHV parks.

A pilot study of the King LT supralaryngeal airway use in a rural Iowa EMS system.

Introduction: In 2003, the King Laryngeal Tube (LT) received FDA approval for US sales. Prehospital systems in urban setting have begun evaluating and adopting the LT for clinical airway management. However, it is not routinely approved by State EMS Boards for use by all prehospital providers.

Met5-enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 (MEAP): a cardioprotective hormonal opioid.

Background: Acute myocardial ischemia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The heart and other organs can be rendered more resistant to the deleterious effects of ischemia through a variety of preconditioning strategies, including treadmill exercise and brief ischemia of skeletal muscle. Some of the beneficial effects of these preconditioning strategies appear to be mediated by as-of-yet unidentified hormonal opioids.