The American journal of medicine
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Multicenter Study
Syncope in acute aortic dissection: diagnostic, prognostic, and clinical implications.
Syncope is a well-recognized symptom of acute aortic dissection, often indicating the development of dangerous complications such as cardiac tamponade. ⋯ Patients with dissections complicated by cardiac tamponade or stroke are significantly more likely to present with syncope. If these complications are excluded, syncope alone does not appear to increase the risk of death independently.
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Multicenter Study
A prospective multicenter study of factors associated with hospital admission among adults with acute asthma.
We sought to determine patient characteristics associated with hospital admission after emergency treatment for asthma, and whether disposition guidelines are followed. ⋯ Associations between patient characteristics and disposition were similar across sites. Despite guidelines to the contrary, half of patients with final peak flow <50% were discharged. After emergency department treatment and discharge, short-term relapse was uncommon among patients with asthma, suggesting that strict peak flow cutoffs may be unnecessary if risk factors in patients with mild or moderate exacerbations are considered.