[Therapeutic effect of a nasal swab: an accidental vagal manoeuvre in a patient with supraventricular tachycardia].

Background: The case gives the reader a valuable insight in pathophysiology and treatment in atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia (AVNRT) and vagal manoeuvres available to treat this phenomenon.

Case Description: A 85-year-old woman with a medical history of heart failure and aortic valve stenosis presents herself on the Emergency Department with cardiac shock and cardiac asthma. The ECG showed an AVNRT with 170 beats per minute (bpm) and a left bundle branch block (LBBB).

Accuracy of conventional imaging of penetrating torso injuries in the trauma resuscitation room.

Objectives: Chest X-ray (CXR), abdominal ultrasound, cardiac ultrasound, and abdominal X-ray are the most frequently used imaging modalities to radiologically evaluate patients with penetrating torso trauma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of these imaging modalities.

Methods: From January 2001 until January 2005, all consecutive patients with penetrating torso injuries presenting at the emergency department of a level 1 trauma center were included.