Use of Long Spinal Board Post-Application of Protocol for Spinal Motion Restriction for Spinal Cord Injury.

Introduction: Historically, prehospital care of trauma patients has included nearly universal use of a cervical collar (C-collar) and long spine board (LSB). Due to recent evidence demonstrating harm in using LSBs, implementation of new spinal motion restriction (SMR) protocols in the prehospital setting should reduce LSB use, even among patients with spinal cord injury. Our goal in this study was to evaluate the rates of and reasons for LSB use in high-risk patients-those with hospital-diagnosed spinal cord injury (SCI)-after statewide implementation of SMR protocols.

Prehospital Protocols Reducing Long Spinal Board Use Are Not Associated with a Change in Incidence of Spinal Cord Injury.

Many emergency medical services (EMS) agencies have de-emphasized or eliminated the use of long spinal boards (LSB) for patients with possible spinal injury. We sought to determine if implementation of spinal motion restriction (SMR) protocols, which reduce LSB use, was associated with an increase in spinal cord injury (SCI). This retrospective observational study includes EMS encounters from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015 submitted by SMR-adopting ground-based agencies to a state EMS database with hospital discharge data.

Diagnosis of Lemierre syndrome by bedside emergency department ultrasound.

Oropharyngeal infections such as pharyngitis and odontogenic abscess are routinely encountered in emergency and primary care medical practice. Lemierre syndrome is a rare but serious complication of such infections. This syndrome is characterized by penetration of the primary infection into the lateral pharyngeal space, suppurative thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein, and metastatic infections resulting from septic emboli.

Efficacy of low-dose acetazolamide (125 mg BID) for the prophylaxis of acute mountain sickness: a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of low-dose acetazolamide (125 mg twice daily) for the prevention of acute mountain sickness (AMS). The design was a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in the Mt. Everest region of Nepal between Pheriche (4243 m), the study enrollment site, and Lobuje (4937 m), the study endpoint.