Retrobulbar hematoma from warfarin toxicity and the limitations of bedside ocular sonography.

The following case describes a 26-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with a nontrauamtic retrobulbar hematoma associated with warfarin toxicity. The application and limitations of focused bedside ocular sonography for this condition are discussed.

Intranasal naloxone delivery is an alternative to intravenous naloxone for opioid overdoses.

Introduction: This study proposes that intranasal (IN) naloxone administration is preferable to intravenous (IV) naloxone by emergency medical services for opioid overdoses. Our study attempts to establish that IN naloxone is as effective as IV naloxone but without the risk of needle exposure. We also attempt to validate the use of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in opioid intoxication.

External blood loss estimation using the MAR Method.

Background: An element lacking in medical education is training to estimate blood volumes. Therefore, health care workers currently use visual estimation as their only means of determining blood volumes, which has shown to be highly inaccurate. This study proposes and tests a new method using one's fist to determine external blood loss.

Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on the stethoscopes of emergency medical services providers.

Objective: The investigation seeks to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on the stethoscopes of emergency medical services (EMS) providers. While stethoscopes are known fomites for MRSA, the prevalence of MRSA in the prehospital setting is not well documented in the literature.

Methods: This was a prospective, observational cohort study of 50 stethoscopes provided by consecutive, consenting EMS providers at our academic emergency department (ED).