The Pattern and Influencing Factors of Opioid-Prescribing Behavior Among Emergency Physicians: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.

Background In the last two decades, drug overdose has globally become a major player in patients' morbidity and mortality events. Opioids, in particular, have been always the main part of this equation in different communities as they correspond, for instance, to one-third of poisoning deaths in The United States of America (USA).  Aim This study aimed to measure the variation in opioid-analgesia (OA) prescription behavior among emergency medicine (EM) physicians working in different hospitals in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.

The Use of Inflammatory Markers to Rule Out Acute Appendicitis in Pediatrics.

Background Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency in pediatric patients. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pediatrics is challenging and requires an accurate physical examination, laboratory study, and imaging. The aim of this study was to determine the benefits of using three inflammatory markers, white blood count (WBC), neutrophils percent (NE%), and C-reactive protein (CRP), in ruling out appendicitis in pediatric patients.