Essentials 1 The high-altitude syndromes—acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude cerebral oedema (HACE) and high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE)—are all clinical diagnoses, where management may need to be undertaken without access to diagnostic testing. 2 AMS and HACE represent stages along a…
Essentials 1 Death from electric shock is due to ventricular fibrillation, the lethal arrhythmia occurring at the time of the exposure. Routine admission for ECG monitoring is unnecessary. 2 Most deaths are caused by low-voltage (<1000 V) exposures. 3 The…
Essentials 1 The incidence of non-fatal drownings requiring medical assessment to fatal drownings is around 2 to 20 times greater than fatal drowning. 2 The highest rates of drowning occur in children from 1 to 4 years of age and…
Essentials 1 Radiation accidents are rare but require well-planned protocols for successful management. The principal challenge will be managing large numbers of people who have concerns about their exposure to radiation, or contamination with radioactive material as a result of…
Essentials 1 Dysbarism is the term given to medical complications of exposure to gases at higher than normal atmospheric pressure. It includes barotrauma and decompression illness. 2 An understanding of the pathophysiology of dysbarism requires an understanding of the gas…
Essentials 1 Hypothermia is categorized into mild (32°C to 35°C), moderate (29°C to 32°C) and severe (<29°C) on the basis of a rectal or other core temperature reading. 2 Moderate-to-severe hypothermia produces progressive delirium and coma, hypotension, bradycardia and failure…
Essentials 1 Exercise-associated collapse is the most common heat- and exercise-related illness. It is due to an impaired compensation for the drop in blood pressure that occurs when muscle pumping ceases and venous return drops at the cessation of exercise.…
Essentials 1 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is becoming more readily available in Australian hospitals and is becoming part of many imaging diagnostic algorithms. 2 The most common indication for MRI in the emergency department (ED) is suspected acute spinal cord…
Essentials 1 Computed tomography (CT) scans are a major diagnostic modality in emergency medicine. 2 Emergency physicians are ordering CTs more frequently than previously for a variety of reasons. 3 Artefacts are occasionally encountered in CT scans, and clinicians should…
Essentials 1 Ultrasound examination, interpretation and clinical correlation should be available in a timely manner 24 hours a day for emergency department patients. 2 Emergency physicians providing emergency ultrasound services should possess appropriate training and hands-on experience to perform and…