Emergency department orthopedics observation unit as an alternative to admission.

Objectives: Inclusion of select orthopedic problems in the orthopedics observation unit (OOU) may reduce hospital admissions. Our system allows OOU status for 24 hours, but the effect on admissions is unknown. Our primary hypothesis was that we could predict which OOU patients required admission based on the presence of uncontrolled pain.

Results of medical countermeasure drills among 72 cities readiness initiative metropolitan statistical areas, 2008-2009.

Objective: The Cities Readiness Initiative is a federally funded program designed to assist 72 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in preparing to dispense life-saving medical countermeasures within 48 hours of a public health emergency. Beginning in 2008, the 72 MSAs were required to conduct 3 drills related to the distribution and dispensing of emergency medical countermeasures. The report describes the results of the first year of pilot data for medical countermeasure drills conducted by the MSAs.

Unusual cause of neck pain: septic arthritis of a cervical facet.

Neck pain is a common cause for presentation to an emergency department. Most causes are benign and often secondary to arthritis or injuries. We present a case of septic cervical facet arthritis, a very rare cause of neck pain.

Trends in smoking before, during, and after pregnancy - Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), United States, 31 sites, 2000-2005.

Problem: Smoking among nonpregnant women contributes to reduced fertility, and smoking during pregnancy is associated with delivery of preterm infants, low infant birthweight, and increased infant mortality. After delivery, exposure to secondhand smoke can increase an infant's risk for respiratory tract infections and for dying of sudden infant death syndrome. During 2000-2004, an estimated 174,000 women in the United States died annually from smoking-attributable causes, and an estimated 776 infants died annually from causes attributed to maternal smoking during pregnancy.