Background: Appendicitis is a common surgical emergency in the pediatric population, affecting over 70,000 children per year in the United States alone. While historically practitioners predominately used computed tomography (CT) as the main diagnostic imaging modality, multiple professional societies have released guidelines recommending an ultrasound (US) first strategy when using imaging to confirm suspected appendicitis in pediatric populations. To date, no studies have quantified the change in imaging trends for pediatric appendicitis across the spectrum of healthcare facilities in the United States utilizing the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground There is limited data surrounding acute pain management in elderly ED patients. Ketorolac is a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with dose/duration-dependent side effects. There is evidence that an analgesic ceiling effect exists for parenteral ketorolac doses greater than 10 milligrams (mg); however, this has not been studied in patients 65 years and older.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAudience: The primary audience for this simulation exercise is emergency medicine (EM) residents, although it could be more broadly applied to all provider groups, including medical students, advanced practice providers, and faculty physicians.
Introduction: Over the course of their professional careers, approximately 10-15% of physicians will misuse or abuse alcohol or drugs.1 Unfortunately, Emergency Physicians (EPs) are not immune to this phenomenon, and although EPs make up only 4.
Headache is a common episodic and chronic pain syndrome in adolescents. Evaluation of headaches in primary care requires a comprehensive assessment including lifestyle behaviors and physical examination, as well as an understanding of when to pursue appropriate testing. Primary headache disorders seen in adolescents include migraine and tension-type headache.
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