Differences in the Risk Associated with Head Injury for Pediatric Ice Skaters, Roller Skaters, and In-Line Skaters Citation: Knox CL, Comstock RD, McGeehan, et al. Pediatrics. 2006;118:549-554. URL: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/-abstract/118/2/549?etoc Key point: Ice skating carries a greater risk of head and facial injuries than roller or in-line skating. The goals were to describe the epidemiologic features of pediatric skating-related injuries sustained from 1993 to 2003 and to compare ice skating-related injuries with roller skating- and in-line …
Read MoreThe Power of Research
Medical progress is driven by research. Opinions must be continuously challenged in order to assure the greatest likelihood of efficacy, quality, and safety. Over the last century, research has focused on examining the innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to disease and prevention that form the backbone of clinical medicine as we know it today. While science continues to make expansive strides along multiple clinical fronts, a new area of research interest evolves: Let’s call it …
Read MoreUrticaria and Angioedema
Urgent message: Patients often present to urgent care with symptoms associated with urticaria and angioedema. Identifying the probable cause can provide relief of symptoms and abate patient concerns. Kent A. Knauer, MD, Director, Allergy and Asthma Center, University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH Urticaria and angioedema are rarely life threatening, but they are extremely disruptive to quality of life and sleep. In addition, hives may be alarming and lead patients to wonder if something serious is afoot. …
Read MoreClinical Challenge: December, 2006
The Power of Research
Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP Medical progress is driven by research. Opinions must be continuously challenged in order to assure the greatest likelihood of efficacy, quality, and safety. Over the last century, research has focused on examining the innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to disease and prevention that form the backbone of clinical medicine as we know it today.
Read MoreUrticaria and Angioedema
Urgent message: Patients often present to urgent care with symptoms associated with urticaria and angioedema. Identifying the probable cause can provide relief of symptoms and abate patient concerns. Urticaria and angioedema are rarely life threatening, but they are extremely disruptive to quality of life and sleep. In addition, hives may be alarming and lead patients to wonder if something serious is afoot. Swelling of the tongue or throat is particularly likely to be the source …
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Syncope-Evaluation and Management in an Urgent Care Setting
Urgent message: When a patient presents to urgent care after a syncopal event, the clinician’s charge is to determine whether the episode was of benign or potentially life-threatening etiology and whether the patient should be transferred for further evaluation. Introduction Syncope is a sudden, transient loss of consciousness with a loss of postural tone (typically, falling). It results from an abrupt, transient, and diffuse cerebral malfunction and is quickly followed by spontaneous recovery. The term …
Read MorePneumomediastinum with No Pneumothorax
Mr. J.V. is a 28-year-old white male who presented to urgent are with a six-hour history of chest pain described as pressure in the sternal area radiating to the left shoulder; back pain was a 5/10 at time of visit, and constant with no accompanying nausea, dizziness, vomiting, or diaphoresis. The patient described an inability to breathe deeply and a sensation of water stuck in the mid esophagus when drinking. Of note, he had similar …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care October 2006
Each month, Dr. Nahum Kovalski will review a handful ofabstracts from, or relevant to, urgent care practices and practitioners. For the full reports, go to the source cited under each title. Dexamethasone Has Advantage Over Prednisolone in Children with Croup Citation: Sparrow A, Geelhoed G. Arch Dis Child. 2006;91:580-583. Children with croup who are treated with prednisolone are more likely than those treated with dexamethasone to return for additional medical care, researchers in Australia reported …
Read MoreThe Evolution of a Specialty
Evolution, by definition, is a process in which something passes by degrees to a more advanced stage. This inaugural issue of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine (JUCM) represents an important milestone in the evolution of urgent care medicine as a discipline. Our intent, and one of my key objectives as Editor-in-Chief, is to make JUCM a forum for the sharing of ideas, trends, clinical content, original research, and industry news unique to the practice …
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