Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog
Emergency Medicine education blog
Thanks to Scalpels Edge who has just given me the Kreativ Blogger Award! Each winner of the award gets to list six things he or she is happy about. Kids – when everything around you falls apart, they stand by you – resolute to the end Literature – collated ramblings assist to disambiguate The end [...]
Epidemiology Incidence: 3 cases per 100 000 people per year; up to 25% missed diagnosis ante-mortem. ‘Typical’ case 60-80 years old M>F. Overall in-hospital mortality 27%. Risk factors: Inherited disease (especially younger patients < 40 yrs) – Marfan’s syndrome (fibrillin gene mutations), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV (collagen defects), Turner syndrome, annulo- aortic ectasia and familial [...]
Aetiology: Venous Thromboembolism Acute provoking risk factors: hospitalisation, surgery, trauma or fracture of lower limbs or pelvis, immobilisation incl plaster cast, long haul travel, recent oestrogen therapy in last 2 weeks, IV device such as cannula. Chronic predisposing factors: Inherited: Protein C, S, antithrombin III deficiency, Factor V Leiden, Prothrombin gene 20210A mutation. Chronic predisposing [...]
Clinical Recognition of Severe / Critical Asthma Severe asthma indicated by any one of (admit every patient with severe): PEFR (or FEVI) >33≤50% predicted or best, or < 100 L/min (or I L for FEVI). Unable to complete sentences in one breath. Respiratory Rate ≥ 25 / min. Pulse > 120 / min (≥110 / [...]
Latest Guidelines International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). 2005 International Consensus Conference on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiac Care Science with Treatment Recommendations. Resuscitation 2005; 67: 157-342. [Reference] European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2005. Adult, paediatric and neonatal resuscitation, and much more (see later). Resuscitation 2005; 67 (Suppl 1):S1-S190. [
A large six and a half year population study has just been published in the MJA. Frequent attenders at emergency departments: a linked-data population study of adult patients. The study looked at all the adults attending the nine emergency departments in Perth, Western Australia with a view to better understanding the type of patients who frequently attend ED’s (> 5 times annually) – the frequent flyers (FF)
