PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

H R Guly

Publications and source records attributed to H R Guly.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The effect of pre-hospital administration of intravenous nalbuphine on on-scene times.

The use of intravenous nalbuphine in pre-hospital settings by paramedics has been demonstrated to be safe and effective. We assessed the effect of this additional intervention by comparing the time spent on-scene by ambulance crews treating patients with fractures of the tibia and fibula who received intravenous nalbuphine with those who had placement of an intravenous cannula alone and those who had neither cannula nor nalbuphine. The mean on-scene times were 17.1 min without cannulation, 29.9 min for cannulation without nalbuphine and 37.5 min for cannulation and administration of nalbuphine. The benefits of effective pre-hospital analgesia thus have a cost in terms of time. Continued audit of interventions and on-scene times is important to prevent inappropriate delays in pre-hospital care which may cause clinical and operational problems.

Adolescent

Prehospital intravenous nalbuphine administered by paramedics.

One-hundred sixteen patients were given nalbuphine by 10 specifically trained ambulance paramedics over a 9-month period. Forty-seven had suspected myocardial infarction and 69 had sustained trauma or burns. The mean pain score measured by a 10-cm visual analogue scale fell from 8 before analgesia to 3. This was highly significant. There were no serious side effects. We conclude that nalbuphine can be safely administered by trained paramedics to provide effective analgesia to those in pain in a prehospital setting.

Allied Health Personnel

Acute calcific periarthritis outside the shoulder: a frequently misdiagnosed condition.

Thirteen patients presented to an accident and emergency (A&E) department with acute calcific periarthritis of joints other than the shoulder. In only three patients was the correct diagnosis made on the initial attendance with inappropriate treatment and delay in recovery as a result. The specific features and guidelines for management of this condition are reviewed.

Acute Disease

Patients who attend two accident and emergency departments.

Forty-six patients were identified who attended an accident and emergency (A&E) department having previously attended a different A&E department in the same city for the same problem. Of these patients, 20% had been referred to the second department by the general practitioner (GP) or practice nurse. A diagnostic error had been made in 17.5% of patients at their first visit and some management errors were discovered. Eleven per cent of patients had an unnecessary second set of radiographs taken. A review of unplanned reattenders to an A&E department is an important opportunity for audit and normally an error will not be discovered if a patient attends a different department. We recommend that in cities where there is more than one A&E department a system should be set up whereby if a patient attends one department having previously attended another, the first department should be informed of the patients reattendance, especially if any diagnostic or management error has been discovered. Patients should be educated that if they have sought medical help for any problem and the condition does not improve, then they should return to see the same doctor or A&E department for continuity of care and avoidance of unnecessary duplication of investigations including exposure to X-rays.

Diagnostic Errors

The need for better pre-hospital analgesia.

Many patients arrive at the accident and emergency (A&E) department in pain. To quantify this problem a retrospective analysis was performed of the clinical records of 502 consecutive patients arriving by ambulance at the A&E department over a 20-day period. A total of 273 (54%) of the patients had pain as a symptom on arrival and 69 (14%) were given opioid analgesia in the A&E department. Sixty of those given opioids had a single limb fracture. A survey of all ambulance services in the U.K. was conducted by means of a postal questionnaire sent to chief ambulance officers. Only five out of 65 services give any analgesia other than Entonox (B.O.C.). There were wide variations in the attitudes of services around the country to future developments. The authors suggest that paramedics should be trained to administer intravenous opioid analgesia.

Ambulances

Fractures of the terminal phalanx presenting as a paronychia.

Three fractures at the base of the terminal phalanx of the finger and one at the base of the terminal phalanx of the tow were initially misdiagnosed as paronychias. If a 'paronychia' follows trauma, the possibility of a fracture should be considered and radiographs taken of the digit.

Adolescent

Do accident and emergency patients collect their prescribed medication?

One month's prescriptions from an accident and emergency department were examined. Of these 16% were found not to have been dispensed by the chemist. The commonest drugs prescribed were antibiotics (60%) and analgesics (22%). Most age groups were guilty of failing to collect drugs--primary non-compliance.

Adolescent

Missed diagnoses in an accident & emergency department.

The diagnoses which were missed at patients' first attendance at an A & E Department over a 6-month period were noted and investigated. The most common cause of missed diagnosis was failure to interpret X-ray findings correctly; this and other causes are discussed. Recommendations as to how this can be improved are made.

Diagnostic Errors

Traumatic hernia.

Traumatic herniae are uncommon. We describe two patients with traumatic herniae and review the literature. Operative treatment may be early or late. It is mandatory that traumatic herniae be differentiated from hematomata. Diagnosis is usually clinical but X-rays including barium studies, may be useful.

Abdominal Muscles

Pisotriquetral arthritis: a case report.

We describe a case of pisotriquetral arthritis associated with ulnar nerve paraesthesiae. We briefly review the literature and discuss the aetiology of this particular case.

Humans