Annals of emergency medicine
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Although clinical guidelines recommend oral anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation patients at high risk of stroke, emergency physicians inconsistently prescribe it to patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation. We interview emergency physicians to gain insight into themes influencing prescribing of oral anticoagulation for patients discharged from the ED with new-onset atrial fibrillation. ⋯ The decision to prescribe oral anticoagulation in the ED is complex. Improving guideline adherence will require a multifaceted approach inclusive of system-level improvements, physician education, and the development of ED-specific tools and guidelines.
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Cardiac arrest and resuscitation of the pregnant woman at gestational term is rare. Depending on the circumstances of cardiac arrest and its timing, options are limited for allowing successful resuscitation of both mother and neonate. Herein, we describe the use of tandem perimortem cesarean section and thoracotomy for open-chest cardiac massage in a young woman with newly diagnosed peripartum cardiomyopathy. We used goal-directed resuscitation including diagnostic ultrasonography and capnography to assist in decision making and successfully resuscitated both mother and neonate to hospital discharge without discernable long-term complications.