2 years ago
Longer ambulance journeys boost death risk for seriously ill patients
The further seriously ill patients have to travel by ambulance to reach emergency care, the more likely they are to die, reveals research in Emergency Medicine Journal.People with respiratory problems seem to be at greatest risk, the study indicates.The findings have implications for the UK government’s proposals to close local emergency care departments in favour of fewer more specialised centres ... read more

2 years ago
UK junior doctors gaining less experience of common procedures
UK trainee doctors working in emergency care claim they are gaining less experience of common practical procedures, suggests a small study in Emergency Medicine Journal.A shortened training programme for UK doctors was introduced in 2005, amid fears that it would lead to a reduction in competence and confidence among trainees.Seventeen trainee doctors working in the emergency care department of on ... read more

2 years ago
UK licensing law changes have trebled overnight alcohol related visits to emergency care
Changes to the UK licensing laws have trebled the number of overnight visits to emergency care for alcohol related problems, reveals research in Emergency Medicine Journal.The new licensing law, which allows alcohol to be available around the clock, took effect in November 2005. The legislation was introduced in a bid to curb the amount of binge drinking and associated crime and disorder, and boos ... read more

2 years ago
Severe human bite wounds are 12 times more common in men
Men are 12 times more likely than women to sustain severe human bite injuries for which surgery may be necessary, according to a study published in the July issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal. Injuries are most likely to occur during brawls at weekends or public holidays and in most cases alcohol is involved.The researchers reviewed the 92 patients requiring assessment for human bite wounds b ... read more

3 years ago
'Egg on your face' may be more dangerous than you think
As the party conference season gets under way in the UK, research in Emergency Medicine Journal shows that lobbing raw eggs at people as a harmless form of protest or prank can actually result in serious eye injury. Between November 2004 and December 2005 researchers at one specialist department monitored more than 18,000 patients requiring eye treatment.Of these, 13 patients had sustained injurie ... read more

3 years ago
UK hospitals poorly prepared for a 'major incident,' say researchers
UK hospitals are poorly prepared to cope with a major incident, such as an act of terrorism, say doctors in Emergency Medicine Journal.Prompted by the events of July 7 2005, in which 52 people lost their lives following acts of terrorism on public transport in London, the authors set out to discover if emergency care departments across the country were any better prepared than in 1996, when they w ... read more

3 years ago
100 percent plus increase in illegal blood alcohol levels in emergency care pati
Blood alcohol levels well above the legal limit have soared 113 per cent among emergency care patients in just five years, reveals a study at one major urban hospital, published in Emergency Medicine Journal.Men consistently outnumbered women over this period, but the absolute numbers of intoxicated women doubled, the findings show.The authors base their findings on the results of lab tests for bl ... read more

4 years ago
Rochester researchers delve into concussions
In fact, when doctors examine the nerve cells of concussion patients the pattern of brain injury is identical for mild and severe concussions, said lead author Jeffrey J. Bazarian, M.D., a brain injury expert and an attending physician in the Emergency Department at Strong Memorial Hospital, of the University of Rochester Medical Center.In an article in the February Academic Emergency Medicine jou ... read more