Emergency Medicine

Professor Anthony F.T. Brown, MB ChB, FRCP, FRCS(Ed), FRCEM, FACEM, professor of emergency medicine, Discipline of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, School of Medicine, University of Queensland; and senior staff specialist, Department of Emergency Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, AustraliaMike Cadogan, MA(Oxon), MB ChB (Ed), FACEM, staff specialist in emergency medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital, Perth, Australia; and chief medical editor and co-founder of Lifeinthefastlane.com.

• Preface. Acknowledgements. SECTION I. CRITICAL CARE EMERGENCIES. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Acute Upper Airway Obstruction. Shocked Patient. Unconscious Patient. Anaphylaxis. Severe Head Injury. Critical Care Areas Drug Infusion Guidelines. Further Reading. SECTION II. GENERAL MEDICAL EMERGENCIES. Chest Pain. Cardiac Arrhythmias. Breathless Patient. Acute Gastroenterology Conditions. Diabetic Coma and Pre-Coma. Altered Conscious Level. Acute Neurological Conditions. Headache. Allergic or Immunological Conditions. Skin Disorders. Elderly Patient. Further Reading. SECTION III. ACID–BASE, ELECTROLYTE AND RENAL EMERGENCIES. Acid–Base Disturbances. Electrolyte Disorders. Acute Renal Failure. Further Reading. SECTION IV. INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND FOREIGN TRAVEL EMERGENCIES. Febrile Neutropenic Patient. Hepatitis. Gastrointestinal Tract Infection. Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Needlestick and Sharps Incidents. Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection. Tuberculosis. Bites with Rabies or Other Lyssavirus Risk. Common Imported Diseases of Travellers. Pandemic Influenza. Further Reading. SECTION V. SURGICAL EMERGENCIES. Multiple Injuries. Further Diagnosis and Management of Multiple Injuries: Definitive Care. Head and Facial Injuries. Neck Injuries. Chest Injuries. Abdominal and Pelvic Trauma. Additional Orthopaedic Injuries in Multiple Trauma. Head Injury. Burns. Acute Abdomen. Further Reading. SECTION VI. ORTHOPAEDIC EMERGENCIES. Injuries to the Shoulder and Upper Arm. Injuries to the Elbow and Forearm. Injuries to the Wrist and Hand. Cervical Spine Injuries. Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Injuries. Pelvic Injuries. Injuries to the Hip and Upper Femur. Injuries to the Lower Femur, Knee and Upper Tibia. Injuries to the Lower Tibia, Ankle and Foot. Further Reading. SECTION VII. MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SOFT-TISSUE EMERGENCIES. Soft-Tissue Injuries. Acute Arthropathy. Non-Articular Rheumatism. Back Pain. Further Reading. SECTION VIII. PAEDIATRIC EMERGENCIES. General Assessment. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Breathless Child. Stridor. Abdominal Pain, Diarrhoea and Vomiting. Febrile Child. Seizures and Febrile Convulsions. Acute Poisoning. Limping Child. Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy. Child Abuse (Non-Accidental Injury). Further Reading. SECTION IX. OBSTETRIC AND GYNAECOLOGICAL EMERGENCIES. Gynaecological Assessment and Management. Gynaecological Causes of Acute Abdominal Pain. Bleeding in Early Pregnancy. Conditions in Late Pregnancy. Women’s Medicine Crises. Further Reading. SECTION X. OPHTHALMIC EMERGENCIES. Visual Acuity. Topical Ophthalmic Preparations. Traumatic Conditions of the Eye. Conditions Affecting the Eyelids. Painful, Red Eye. Sudden Loss of Vision in the Uninflamed Eye. Further Reading. SECTION XI. ENT EMERGENCIES. Traumatic Conditions of the Ear. Non-Traumatic Conditions of the Ear. Traumatic Conditions of the Nose. Non-Traumatic Conditions of the Nose. Traumatic Conditions of the Throat. Non-Traumatic Conditions of the Throat. Further Reading. SECTION XII. MAXILLOFACIAL AND DENTAL EMERGENCIES. Traumatic Conditions of the Face and Mouth. Non-Traumatic Conditions of the Mouth. Further Reading. SECTION XIII. PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCIES. Deliberate Self-Harm. Violent Patient. Alcohol and Drug Dependency and Abuse. Involuntary Admission. Further Reading. SECTION XIV. TOXICOLOGY. Acute Poisoning: General Principles. Specific Poisons. Chemical Burns. Further Reading. SECTION XV. TOXINOLOGY EMERGENCIES. Snake Bites. Spider Bites. Marine Envenomation. Bee and Wasp Stings. Further Reading. SECTION XVI. ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES. Heat, Cold and Drowning. Sports-Diving Accidents. Electrocution and Lightning Strike. Further Reading. SECTION XVII. ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL ISSUES. Habits of a Good Emergency Department Doctor. Triage. Consent, Competence and Refusal of Treatment. Police, Coroner and Attending Court. Retrieval and Inter-Hospital Transfer. Major Incident. Further Reading. SECTION XVIII. PRACTICAL PROCEDURES. Endotracheal Intubation. Rapid Sequence Induction Intubation. Cricothyrotomy. Needle Thoracentesis. Intercostal Catheter Insertion. DC Cardioversion. Pericardial Aspiration. Central Line Insertion. Intraosseous Line Insertion. Lumbar Puncture. Indwelling Urethral Catheter Insertion. Nasogastric Tube Insertion. Bier’s Intravenous Regional Block. Femoral Nerve Block. Digital Nerve Ring Block. Knee Aspiration. Further Reading. Glossary. Appendix: Normal Laboratory Values. Index.