BACKGROUND Topical anesthetics, such as eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream, can be applied to reduce pain before minor procedure. This trial evaluated EMLA as pretreatment for facial lacerations and compared pain, discomfort and overall satisfaction. METHODS This trial included consecutive emergency department patients ≥16 years of age who presented with simple facial lacerati...

BACKGROUND Lacerations account for a large number of ED visits. Is there a "golden period" beyond which lacerations should not be repaired primarily? What type of relationship exists between time of repair and wound infection rates? Is it linear or exponential? Currently, the influence of laceration age on the risk of infection in simple lacerations repaired is not clearly defined. We conducted...

Our aim was to compare the biomechanical properties of suturing methods to determine a better method for the repair of lacerated skeletal muscle. We tested Kessler stitches and the combination of Mason-Allen and perimeter stitches. Individual stitches were placed in the muscle belly of quadriceps femoris from a pig cadaver and were tensioned mechanically. The maximum loads and strains were meas...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to identify the healing process and outcome of hymenal injuries in prepubertal and adolescent girls. METHODS This multicenter, retrospective project used photographs to document the healing process and outcome of hymenal trauma that was sustained by 239 prepubertal and pubertal girls whose ages ranged from 4 months to 18 years. RESULTS The injuries ...

PURPOSE Surgeons have noticed an increased incidence of finger lacerations associated with arthroscopic knot tying with solid-core suture material. This study examines glove perforations and finger lacerations during arthroscopic shoulder surgery. METHODS We collected 400 surgical gloves from 50 consecutive arthroscopic shoulder repair procedures using No. 2 solid-core sutures. Two surgeons u...

OBJECTIVE To determine the point prevalence of urine bilirubin, urine hemoglobin and urobilinogen in blunt trauma patients, and to evaluate its utility as a screening tool for intra-abdominal injury. METHODS Data analysis of 986 consecutive trauma patients of which 698 were adult blunt trauma patients. Five-hundred sixteen subjects had a urinalysis and a CT scan of the abdomen/pelvis or explo...

STUDY OBJECTIVE We evaluate a new technique of treating scalp lacerations, the hair apposition technique (HAT). After standard cleaning procedures, hair on both sides of a laceration is apposed with a single twist. This is then held with tissue adhesives. HAT was compared with standard suturing in a multicenter, randomized, prospective trial. METHODS All linear lacerations of the scalp less t...