A 9-year-old boy with a history of oppositional defiant disorder, as well as prior admissions to a psychiatric hospital for behavioral concerns, presents to the Emergency Department (ED) of an academic children’s hospital with acute agitation. The patient is brought to the ED via ambulance by emergency medical services and police...
Read MoreA female in her 30’s presents to the emergency department for acute onset of facial swelling, shortness of breath and a change to the sound of her voice. Although she denied any known allergic exposures, she self-administered an epi-pen at home with little improvement in her symptoms…
Read MoreEmergency medicine practitioners commonly care for acutely violent or agitated patients, some of whom may be psychotic, intoxicated, or affected by another pathology. Consequently, medical personnel are more likely to experience work-place violence than police officers or prison guards, with a full 100% of ED staff experiencing verbal violence, and 35-80% reporting a history of physical violence while at work. While it is critical to initiate a work-up to diagnose the underlying cause of a patient’s behavioral dysregulation, it is of primary importance to control the patient’s behavior both for their safety and the safety of the patient’s caregivers…
Read More
