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Managing Sexual Assault in the Emergency Department

Managing Sexual Assault in the Emergency Department
This review will address patient stabilization, provide recommendations for obtaining a medical and assault history, and detail pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prophylaxis. An in-depth discussion of the forensic examination will be omitted, as requirements regarding healthcare provider training, tools contained within forensic collection kits, time allotted between alleged assault and court admissible evidence collection, and chain of custody legislation vary according to individual state law.

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The Bleeding Pregnant Patient in the Third Trimester: Pearls and Pitfalls

Third trimester pregnant patients are not seen commonly in the emergency department, but when they are, they have the potential for severe complications such as hemorrhagic shock. This article reviews the most serious causes of bleeding in the third trimester of pregnancy and also discusses management options.

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Unstable Sepsis: Airway First? Not Always

Intubation, especially in the septic and critically ill patient, can, by itself, cause hemodynamic abnormalities and/or hypoxemia and hypercapnea. In some situations, it may be important to make sure that the patient is adequately prepared for intubation, both from hemodynamic and pre-oxygenation standpoints. This is a brief review of some suggestions when intubating the very ill patient in the emergency department.

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