Main description:

Current and concise, the updated and revised 2nd Edition of this pocket-sized reference reflects the substantial changes shaping the evaluation and treatment of many emergency conditions today. Its unique "signs and symptoms" approach offers the quickest possible way to diagnose critical conditions in an emergency situation. Organized around presenting symptoms, it can be used in real time to answer patient care questions. Diagnoses are listed in order of their severity in each chapter, with the symptoms, signs, suggested workup, and patient disposition given for each diagnosis.

Uses a symptom-based approach for quick diagnosis.
Features an outline format for real-time reference.
Focuses on the 200 conditions most frequently encountered in the emergency room.
Presents a useful tool for evaluating the likelihood that a specific symptom - or symptoms - denotes a particular disease, and allows the reader to initiate an appropriate treatment.

Includes new chapters on emergency situations involving biological, chemical, and radiation terrorism * chapters devoted to the challenges presented by patients with AIDS and those with organ transplants * two chapters on environmental emergencies * one chapter examining heat illness, hypothermia, and submersion injury * and a chapter on envenomations.
Features expanded "Treatment Considerations" sections.

Contents:

1. Abdominal Pain

2. Agitation and Psychosis

3. AIDS

4. The Alcoholic Patient

5. Back Pain, Lower

6. Back Pain, Upper

7. Biological Terrorism

8. Bleeding

9. Chemical Terrorism

10. Chest Pain

11. Dizziness (Vertigo)

12. Ear Pain

13. Envenomations

14. Extremity Pain and Numbness

15. Eye Pain and Redness

16. Fever (Elevated Temperature)

17. Fever in Children Under 2 Years of Age

18. Fractures Not to Miss

19. Headache

20. Heat Illness, Hypothermia, and Submersion Injury

21. Hypotension

22. The Irritable Child and Vomiting

23. Jaundice

24. Joint Pain

25. Limping Child/Child Won't Walk

26. Mental Status Change and Coma

27. Neck Pain and Stiffness

28. Organ Transplantation

29. Palpitations and Tachycardia

30. Radiation Terrorism

31. Rash

32. Scrotal Pain

33. Seizure, Adult

34. Seizure, Pediatric

35. Shortness of Breath

36. Sore Throat

37. Syncope and Near-Syncope

38. Toxic Ingestion, Approach to

39. Trauma and Burns, Approach to

40. Vaginal Bleeding

41. Vision, Change in

42. Weakness and Fatigue

Appendixes

A. World Wide Web Resources and Decision Support

B. Emergency Drug Treatments

C. Pediatric Emergency References and Defibrillation and Cardioversion

Code Blue "Unstable"/"Stable" Reference Card