We are reporting a case of missed blunt traumatic aortic injury (BTAI). A 28 year male presented with chest pain following a motor vehicle accident. He was discharged following normal clinical signs and chest radiograph. The following day he complained of lower limb weakness. Traumatic aortic dissection was revealed via computer tomography (CT) of the thorax. BTAI cannot be ruled out with normal clinical signs and chest radiograph alone. CT thorax is mandatory to rule out BTAI in high impact chest injury.

Objective: To determine the correlation between central venous pressure (CVP) measured by conventional central venous access and ultrasonographic measurement of internal jugular vein (IJV) height and inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, convenience sampling observational study. Results: 25 patients from the Emergency Department (ED) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) were studied between 1st March and 30th April 2013. The median age was 63 years (95% CI 54-67). There was a significant correlation between IJV height and CVP using central venous access (r=0.64 p<0.001). Correlation between IVC diameter in end expiration and CVP was 0.74 (p<0.001). An IJV height measurement >8cm predicted a CVP >8cm H2O (sensitivity 71.4%, specificity of 83.3%). Conclusion: Measurement of IJV height and IVC diameter by ultrasonography correlates well with invasive CVP and is useful for the assessment of volume status in critically ill patients in the ED.
Central Venous Pressure

Aluminium phosphide (ALP) is highly toxic and poisoning can result in high mortality rates. A 26-year-old female who allegedly ingested a toxic dose of ALP presented with vomiting and diarrhoea. She developed cardiac arrest with refractory pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Despite aggressive resuscitation, she succumbed to death seven hours following ingestion. In cases like this, a better outcome can be achieved with early arrival, prompt diagnosis, aggressive resuscitation and intensive monitoring.

Introduction: This study evaluates factors that influence door to operation theatre (OT) time in a tertiary referral centre following activation of trauma team. Specific factors observed in this study were association of the injury severity score (ISS), activation of trauma team and the number of referred specialty to door to operation theatre time. Methods: Retrospective chart review that evaluates all trauma patients which required immediate operative intervention from January 2011 to December 2015. Trauma patients were selected from the resuscitation log book and data were collected by chart review of selected patients. Results: Only 5 out of 279 patients (1.8%) achieved optimal door to OT time. (<60 minutes) Mean door to OT time was 299.27 minutes (95% CI: 280.52, 318.52). Trauma team activation has shown significant improvement in door to OT time (p=0.047). Time of multiple team referrals (p=0.023) and time of operative decision (p<0.001) both had significant impact on door to OT time. Other factors included were demographics, ISS score, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), mechanism of injury and systolic blood pressure on arrival all which showed no significance.

Introduction: Haze imposes a substantial health burden especially in Southeast Asia where occurrences are frequent. Reduction in air quality levels has resulted in an increase in healthcare utilization, especially to the front door of healthcare, the emergency department (ED). Data on ED utilization during haze period is lacking. Methods: This is a retrospective study aimed to determine the association between haze and ED utilization of haze-related acute respiratory illnesses between April 2013 to September 2013. The study period was divided into haze/ non-haze period. Clinical data was collected from the registration book and patients’ case notes. Environmental data was obtained from Institute of Environment and Development Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Results: Total number of patients presented to ED during the study was 32,661. Fifteen percent (n= 5177) presented with acute respiratory symptoms. Total Emergency Department visits during haze period reduced due to emergency declaration, hence reducing non-emergency visits. However, there was a significant increase in hospital admission (p=0.0015) and infective respiratory illnesses (p=0.001) during haze which correlates with increase air pollutant. Patients with chronic respiratory illnesses were more affected by haze (p = 0.001). PM10 and ozone were the main pollutant during the haze period. Conclusion Increasing pollutant levels from the haze significantly increases ED hospital admission. Evidence from this study can influence policymakers to prepare and allocate resources to hospitals in response to haze-related illnesses.