Our hospitals are suffering from an increasing run of “minor emergency cases”. Those are simple medical or surgical ailments that could be taken care of by a general practitioner's office in a competent and cost efficient way. Because of the ever growing ...

Telephone consultations are part of GP's daily routine. The patients appreciate the quick and uncomplicated access to consultations via phone and therefore the demand for telephone consultations is increasing steadily. Nevertheless, telephone ...

Fever is one of the most common reasons for encounter in pediatrics. This article gives information on how to judge the condition of a feverish child or infant correctly: Special emphasis should be put on the general condition of the patient and the ...

This article point out guidelines for the general practitioner when he can manage himself ophthalmic emergencies, which patients an ophthamologist should see on the same day and when an immediate intervention by an ophthalmologist is necessary.

In rheumatology there may occur emergencies especially in the field of inflammable diseases, the sudden occlusion of the central retinal artery in temporal arteritis as an example. Such incidents are rare. The general practitioner is more often confronted ...

Frequent emergencies in patients with dementia include aggressiveness, screaming, day/night reversal, other behavioral disorders, and falls. They are often caused by delirium, especially if there has been a rapid change in the patient's state of health. ...

Heart failure is a frequent diagnosis in both in- and outpatients. Despite advances in therapy during the past two decades, prognosis is still serious with a mortality rate of 30 % in the first year after diagnosis. Echocardiography is the important ...

Acute urinary retention is a common emergency condition in elderly men. Transurethral and suprapubic catheterization are easy and safe procedures provided that a few simple rules are followed. Primarily, a transurethral catheter is placed if there is no ...

This text gives advice on how to take a history of present illness, do a mental status examination and come to a correct diagnosis in psychiatric emergencies. Certain syndromes are described that form the most common energency situations: suicidal ...

Ankle sprains, burns, cuts and lacerated wounds, ingrowing toenail – topics, that are common in the general practitioner's office. Just peanuts? If they are correctly treated, yes, maybe. But if poorly diagnosed and badly treated they turn out to be ...

In over 95 % of shoulder dislocations, the humerus is displaced anteriorly, a trauma regularly seen in skiing- and mountainresorts. All physicians should be trained to diagnose and relocate a dislocated shoulder. A variety of techniques exist, but some ...

Frostbite is most likely to happen in combination with accidents, intoxications or psychiatric emergencies and typically affects smaller, more exposed areas of the body, such as fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin. The preclinical treatment ...

treptising with an glowing spike or paperclip can be performed everywhere without local anesthesia and even by non-professionals. Evacuation of hematoma with a Insulin-Syringe/Needle in small nails (children, toe 2 – 5) is an interesting alternative.

In Switzerland 10'000 people are bitten by a dog annualy. Dog bites are notifiable incidents. Defensive and offensive aggression of dogs (why does a dog bite?), history, signs, treatment and prevention are discussed. Finally a short psychogram of dog ...

Chest pain in ambulatory setting is predominantly not heart-associated. Most patients suffer from muskuloskeletal or functional (psychogenic) chest pain. Differential diagnosis covers aortic dissection, rib-fracture, shingles, GERD, Tietze-Syndrome, ...

Patients with fever and rash/exanthema generally are “small emergencies”, rarely needing emergency transport or intensive care in a hospital. Low experience of most parents and doctors (who never have seen Measles, Rubella or Varicella) result in non-...

Fractures, especially in elder persons after falls, get more frequent and lead to immens costs. Facts about risks at home and in public areas as well as caused by illness and medicaments are discussed. Some ideas and hints for prevention by family ...