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Sports Medicine for Emergency Medicine Physicians, Too Few to Maintain the Fellowship in Emergency Medicine

Sports medicine (SM) is a clinical subspecialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illnesses sustained both in and out of the athletic arena. Historically, orthopedic surgeons provided the bulk of care for the athlete. Since the majority of issues with athletes are nonoperative musculoskeletal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, or general medical conditions, primary care providers have developed…

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Ultrasound-Guided Hip Arthrocentesis in a Child with Hip Pain and Fever

Children presenting to the emergency department with hip pain and fever are at risk for significant morbidity due to septic arthritis. Distinguishing between septic arthritis and other causes of hip pain may be challenging. Sonographic visualization of the hip with real-time ultrasound-guided arthrocentesis may allow faster differentiation between etiologies, hastening definitive therapy and improving analgesia. This report describes the use of hip sonography in a case of Lyme arthritis. The authors review the medical literature in support of bedside hip sonography and discuss how to perform ultrasound-guided hip arthrocentesis. Clinical findings in septic and Lyme arthritis are also described.

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Emergency Ultrasound Identification of a Cornual Ectopic Pregnancy

Typically, clinicians think of ectopic pregnancies as occurring outside of the uterus. This case is important in underscoring the fact that there are variants of ectopic pregnancies that exist within the uterus. One classic type is the cornual ectopic pregnancy, which occurs in a congenital bicornate uterus. The shape of this uterus may allow for implantation to occur high in one of the cornual limbs.

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Tuberculous Pleural Effusion

Pleural effusions are a common finding in emergency departments, with cytologic analysis traditionally required for definitive diagnosis. This article describes a classic sonographic appearance of tuberculous pleural effusion.

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Sonographic Identification of Tube Thoracostomy Study (SITTS): Confirmation of Intrathoracic Placement

Thoracostomy tubes (TT) are commonly placed in the management of surgical, emergency, and trauma patients and chest radiographs (CXR) and computed tomography (CT) are performed to confirm placement. Ultrasound (US) has not previously been used as a means to confirm intrathoracic placement of chest tubes. This study involves a novel application of US to demonstrate chest tubes passing through the pleural line, thus confirming intrathoracic placement.

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Emergency Physician Estimation of Blood Loss

Emergency physicians (EP) frequently estimate blood loss, which can have implications for clinical care. The objectives of this study were to examine EP accuracy in estimating blood loss on different surfaces and compare attending physician and resident performance.

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Evaluation of Breast Disorders with Ultrasound

This case demonstrates that the potential use of bedside ultrasound by emergency physicians can be a rapid and helpful diagnostic tool in differentiating an uncomplicated infectious condition, mastitis, from more complex pathology, such as breast cancer, that was ultimately diagnosed in this patient.

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Contact Information

WestJEM/ Department of Emergency Medicine
UC Irvine Health

3800 W Chapman Ave Ste 3200
Orange, CA 92868, USA
Phone: 1-714-456-6389
Email: editor@westjem.org

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WestJEM
ISSN: 1936-900X
e-ISSN: 1936-9018

CPC-EM
ISSN: 2474-252X

Our Philosophy

Emergency Medicine is a specialty which closely reflects societal challenges and consequences of public policy decisions. The emergency department specifically deals with social injustice, health and economic disparities, violence, substance abuse, and disaster preparedness and response. This journal focuses on how emergency care affects the health of the community and population, and conversely, how these societal challenges affect the composition of the patient population who seek care in the emergency department. The development of better systems to provide emergency care, including technology solutions, is critical to enhancing population health.