Background Unless emergency departments have adequate capacity to meet demand, they will fail to meet clinical and performance standards and will be operating in the ‘coping zone’. This carries risks ...

Background ABG samples are often obtained in trauma patients to assess shock severity. Venous blood gas (VBG) sampling, which is less invasive, has been widely used to assess other forms of shock. The ...

Background/aim In ED chest pain patients, a 0-hour/1-hour protocol based on high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) tests combined with clinical risk stratification in diagnosing acute coronary ...

Background Establishing intravenous access is often vital in an acute hospital setting but can be difficult. Ultrasound-guided cannulation increases success rates in prospective studies. However, ...

Background To describe the epidemiological profile and clinical manifestations of liquid ecstasy (GHB) poisonings. Methods All cases of GHB poisoning or overdose admitted to the Emergency Department ...

Imperial College, Emergency Department, St Mary’s Campus, London W2 1NY, UK I Maconochie, Imperial College, Emergency Department, St Mary’s Campus, Praed Street, Paddington, London W2 1NY, UK; ...

Objectives: Activated charcoal is now the mainstay of non-specific treatment for self poisoning in accident and emergency (A&E) departments and should be administered within one hour of ingestion of ...

Background The number of ambulance service-employed paramedic practitioners moving to work in primary care is increasing. Several Health Education England-supported pilot rotational programmes are ...

A male in his sixties with no history of cardiac chest pain awoke with chest pain following an afternoon sleep. The patient did not self medicate. The patient’s observations were within normal limits, ...

Prolongation of the QT interval is a serious electrocardiogram finding because of its association with torsades de pointes and sudden cardiac death.1 Both congenital and acquired factors can lead to ...

Data on cost-effectiveness and outcomes are required before physician extenders can become an integral part of the ED team in the UK health service Smith and Tevis have provided a helpful comparative ...

Injuries to the foot are a common cause for presentation to the ED, and imaging is often used to aid in the diagnosis. The foot can be divided into three distinct anatomical regions: the forefoot, ...