Key Concepts NEXUS or CCR decision rules may be used to determine the need for radiographic imaging in the awake, evaluable trauma patient. CT scanning is preferred over plain radiography in the evaluation of the trauma patient with potential spinal…
Key Concepts The face is central to the patient’s ability to breathe, eat, and communicate. Injuries to the face can have serious psychological and psychosocial consequences. Facial injuries may be prevented by the appropriate use of safety devices including motor…
Key Concepts Head trauma is a broad term describing an external trauma to the craniofacial area of the body from blunt, penetrating, blast, rotational, or acceleration-deceleration forces. The term head injury refers to a clinically evident injury on physical examination,…
Key Concepts Immediately after a trauma patient arrives the emergency department (ED), the primary survey should be performed in a standardized fashion. The goal of the primary survey is to rapidly identify and initiate the treatment of critical, and life-threatening…
Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Roy Hatch for his invaluable assistance in preparing this chapter. Key Concepts Acute low back pain is a common, costly, recurring and painful condition that often has no recognizable or dangerous cause. While…
Key Concepts Pregnancy status is the single most important determination to make in evaluating a patient with vaginal bleeding. The use of the term dysfunctional uterine bleeding is no longer recommended, and the term abnormal uterine bleeding is preferred. The…
Key Concepts Acute pelvic pain in women is often from a gynecologic source, but urinary and intra-abdominal sources are also common. Less frequently, the pain may arise from vascular, musculoskeletal, neurologic, or psychiatric disorders. Potentially lethal diagnoses associated with acute…
Key Concepts Constipation is a variable term used by patients and may refer to straining with defecation, hard or infrequent stools, pain with a bowel movement, a sensation of incomplete evacuation, or abdominal bloating. Primary constipation is caused by functional…
Key Concepts Hospital-acquired Clostridioides difficile and norovirus infection are the most prevalent causes of fatal illness from diarrhea in the United States. Key elements of the history in the patient with diarrhea include recent travel, hospitalization or antibiotic use, dietary…
Key Concepts Routine placement of a nasogastric tube in patients with suspected upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is not recommended, because this procedure fails to reliably provide useful data to guide management and is associated with unnecessary patient discomfort and potential…