Pitfalls in the management of headache in the emergency department

Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America
Stuart P Swadron

Abstract

Headache is the fifth most common primary complaint of patients presenting to an emergency department (ED) in the United States. The emergency physician (EP) plays a unique role in the management of these patients, one that differs from that of the primary care physician, the neurologist, and other specialists. Diagnostic nomenclature used in the ED is necessarily less specific, as care is more appropriately focused on the relief of symptoms and the identification of life-threatening causes. By seeking a limited number of specific critical features on history and physical examination, the EP can minimize the risk of overlooking one of these dangerous causes of headache. When certain features are present, empirical therapies and diagnostic testing should be initiated in the ED. The most frequently encountered pitfalls in the management of patients with headache in emergency medicine practice, and those with the greatest likelihood to adversely affect patient outcomes, are discussed.

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Citations

Feb 1, 2012·Headache·Howard Jacobs, Jack Gladstein
Apr 26, 2015·Annals of Emergency Medicine·Paul JhunMel Herbert
Jan 29, 2013·The Journal of Emergency Medicine·Ali FarzadMichael D Witting
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Mar 6, 2017·Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine·Christine Carroll, Mark Riddle
Aug 28, 2021·Acta neurologica Belgica·Antonio GranatoPaolo Manganotti

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