Should etomidate be used for emergency intubation in patients with sepsis?

From the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants:

The emergency medicine community has traditionally preferred etomidate for intubation because of its reduced hemodynamic effects, and based on current evidence, it is not possible to say whether etomidate increases mortality compared with other agents. The data do, however, suggest that etomidate is associated with an increased length of hospital stay and with a definite increase in adrenal suppression. Since decreased adrenal function has been demonstrated to increase mortality in patients with sepsis, this remains a concern in the critical care community.

Partner Violence Victims Not Identified in Emergency Room

From Doctor’s Lounge:

Although most victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) present to the emergency department (ED), they are not usually identified and may not receive interventions, according to a study published online March 15 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Karin V. Rhodes, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues investigated ED case findings and responses in a population of female victims of IPV. Police, prosecutor, and medical record data from 1999 to 2002 were reviewed to examine the ED responses to 993 IPV victims.

The investigators identified 4,306 ED visits by 79 percent of the IPV victims, which occurred after the date of a documented assault. Only 9 percent of these visits occurred within a week of the reported incident.

Family tells its side of ER assault case

From DL-Online (Detroit Lakes, MN):

The family of a man who assaulted an emergency room doctor in Detroit Lakes says they’re sorry that he was hurt, but they wish the hospital had handled things differently prior to the assault.

Val Rusness said her brother, Greg Rusness, has been struggling with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia since he was 17 years old. He is now 46.

Greg assaulted emergency room doctor Mark Lindquist shortly before noon on Saturday, March 5.

Lindquist said he was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, a broken rib, cuts, abrasions and bruises in the attack, which was ended by a quick police response.