Police as first reponders improve out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival.

Background: Police forces are abundant circulating and might arrive before the emergency services to Out-of-Hospital-Cardiac-Arrest victims. If properly trained, they can provide basic life support and early defibrillation within minutes, probably increasing the survival of the victims. We evaluated the impact of local police as first responders on the survival rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims in Navarra, Spain, over 7 years.

Extravasation of radiographic contrast material and compartment syndrome in the hand: a case report.

Radiocontrast agents are a type of medical contrast material used to improve the visibility of internal bodily structures in X-ray based imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) or radiography. Radiocontrast agents are typically iodine or barium compounds.Extravasation of contrast is a possible complication of imaging studies performed with contrasts.

Use of a structural deformity index as a predictor of severity among trauma victims in motor vehicle crashes.

Background: Information obtained from vehicle crash scenes, called kinematics, may prove useful in the management of victims and may complement anatomical and physiological findings.

Objectives: In addition to analyzing the significance of age, gender, position occupied in the vehicle, the use of restraint systems, and ejection from the vehicle, the objective was to carry out a preliminary study of what we have defined as the Structural Deformity Index (SDI) to verify its usefulness in predicting injury severity at the scene of a motor vehicle crash. The index consists of various parameters that can be easily identified at the crash scene.

Forestier disease: an unusual cause of upper airway obstruction.

We report the case of a 75-year-old man who presented at the emergency department complaining of difficult breathing, especially when in supine position. He had cough, dysphonia, and dysphagia for fluids in the last few months. After ruling out other causes of dyspnea, a lateral cervical radiograph was performed that showed large osteophytes compressing the airway, which was confirmed by cervical computed tomography.

Tropical pancreatitis: an unusual case of chronic pancreatitis in juveniles.

Immigration from tropical areas increases the incidence of illnesses not common in developed countries. We present a patient with tropical chronic pancreatitis (TCP), a juvenile form of chronic pancreatitis found predominantly in developing countries in tropical regions of the world.

Drug abuse with inhalated xylazine.

Given the difficulty of obtaining traditionally illicit drugs, consumption is turning towards less restricted products. We report the case of an 18-year-old man, who after inhaling xylazine (a non-narcotic sedative used in veterinary medicine for analgesia, hypnosis and muscle relaxation) presented with an episode of chills and dizziness followed by sweating, gait instability, palpitations and two episodes of syncope with bradycardia and hypotension. Ten cases of toxicity caused by xylazine consumption by oral and parenteral administration (intramuscular, subcutaneous, and intravenous) have been documented in humans.