Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to V Markovchick.
Proper wound closure necessitates a familiarity with the various types of materials and the indications and contraindications of the many techniques available. Proper wound dressing and after-care instruction ensure optimal results and help minimize complications.
A progressive color-coded light activation panel is described that enhances in-hospital activation of the trauma team. This communication system creates a network among the resuscitation suite of the emergency department, the operating room, the anesthesiology department, and the surgery department.
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During a 12-month period, 20,838 patients with acute traumatic injuries were seen in the Emergency Department (ED) of Denver General Hospital. Of these patients, 520 (2.5%) were admitted to the ED Observation Unit, a seven-bed acute care unit situated within the ED and sufficient data were available on 485 (93%) for inclusion into the study. Fifty-three (15.4%) of these observation unit patients required subsequent admission, 389 (80%) were discharged, and 16 (4%) left against medical advice. There were no observation unit deaths. These groups of patients were analyzed and compared with regard to severity of injury, length of stay, and discharge diagnosis. The observation unit is useful in the evaluation of blunt chest or abdominal trauma when work-up, including chest x-ray studies and peritoneal lavage, is initially negative and when drug or alcohol ingestion obscures the initial evaluation in the ED. An observation unit within the ED is cost-efficient and has proven very useful in the management of trauma victims.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Prehospital care has undergone a significant evolution during the past two decades and has been transformed from a transportation service into an advanced life support (ALS) delivery system. Crucial to the quality of such a program is physician knowledge and medical control. We describe a formal, one-month prehospital rotation for emergency medicine residents. The resident physician is exposed to a number of varying emergency medical services (EMS) systems, administrative experiences, and most uniquely, functions as a paramedic within our own ALS EMS system. In this manner, we believe the resident best obtains an understanding of the environment, attitudes, and behavior of prehospital personnel.
The use of phentolamine (Regitine) as a specific competitive antagonist of epinephrine by virtue of its alpha-blocking properties is well known. Its use via digital nerve block infiltration has been described in cases of IV infiltration of sympathomimetics. We discuss a recent case of local and direct infiltration of phentolamine along the course of the digital arteries and directly into the thumb tuft to reverse the local ischemic effects of epinephrine.
Nontraumatic spinal cord compression can have very dramatic clinical presentations with rapid onset of symptoms and quickly ensuing paralysis. The manifestations may be much more subtle. This text will discuss the four most common causes of myelopathy, including spinal canal hemorrhage, spinal abscess, compression by tumor, and skeletal disease. Compressive lesions to the spinal cord from other than these etiologies are rare.