Urgencias por drogas de síntesis

La expansión del consumo de drogas, especialmente relacionada con el ocio y la diversión, es un hecho incontestable y al que deben enfrentarse los profesionales que trabajan en los servicios de urgencias prehospitalarias y hospitalarias, los médicos de familia, los internistas, los intensivistas, los cardiólogos, los neurólogos, los psiquiatras, etc. El consumo de psicoestimulantes y otros productos durante los fines de semana supone actualmente un problema de salud pública (AU)

[Demographic characterization, consultation reasons and prevalent morbidity in the African immigrating community of the Maresme district]. / Caracterización demográfica, motivos de consulta y morbilidad prevalente en la comunidad de inmigrantes africanos de la comarca del Maresme.

BACKGROUND: To know the demographic condition, main symptoms and diagnosis in adult African immigrants from a reference Hospital. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A prospective protocol between 1984-1994. RESULTS: 1,321 immigrants were considered. Most of them had an unstable job and illegal situation and they did not speak any European language. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom. The most frequent diagnoses were parasitic/infections and digestive and haematological diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Immigration is not a risk for public health. The illegal situation carries poor sanitary conditions. The clinical protocols help to overcome cultural and idiomatic barriers.

[A multicenter study of emergencies in basic general hospitals in Catalonia]. / Estudio multicéntrico de las urgencias en hospitales generales básicos de Catalunya.

The demand of the hospital emergency services was evaluated by the analysis of 11650 emergencies seen during one week in 22 county hospitals. A modified ICHPPC-2 was used for the codification of diagnoses. The mean age of the patients was 30.6 years. The distribution through the days of the week was homogeneous and the duration of the hospital stay was lower than 2 hours in 85%. 80% of the patients went to the hospital by their own decision. The emergency cases were considered as non-justified in 22.4%, mild emergencies in 56.5%, and severe emergencies in 17%. 75.9% of patients were sent back to their homes, and 11.8% were admitted to the hospital. The predominant groups of emergencies were trauma (33.9%), respiratory diseases (11.8%), ill-defined signs and symptoms (9.3%), and osteomuscular (6.7%), digestive (5.8%) and infective (4.7%) diseases. The indispensable requirements to be collected for a better knowledge of emergency services are evaluated.