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 ...

NHS England report that the ambulance services attempt to resuscitate approximately 28 000 people from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year (approximately 1 per 2000 inhabitants per year).1 The ...

Objective: : In 2002 a new protocol was introduced based on the Canadian CT rules. Before this the Royal College of Surgeons “Galasko” report guidelines had been followed. This study evaluates 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 ...

Early assessment and management of poisoning constitutes a core emergency medicine competency. Medical and psychiatric emergencies coexist; the acute poisoning is a dynamic medical illness that ...

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 Despite concerns that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) contribute to acute kidney injury (AKI), up to 75% of ultramarathon runners ingest these during competition. The effect ...

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 ...