Annals of emergency medicine
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To determine patient-specific socioeconomic and health status characteristics for patients arriving by ambulance at an emergency department. ⋯ Ambulance use varies by age, clinical severity, income, patient-specific characteristics of physical function, and type of health insurance. Medicaid coverage and frequent ED use are not predictive of increased ambulance use.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of intravenous ketorolac, meperidine, and both (balanced analgesia) for renal colic.
To compare the analgesic efficacy and safety of IV ketorolac, the only nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug indicated for parenteral use in acute pain in the United States, with IV meperidine and with a combination of the two agents in renal colic. ⋯ IV ketorolac, alone or in combination with meperidine, was superior to IV meperidine alone in moderate and severe renal colic. Because many subjects in all three treatment groups received supplemental meperidine and because response to ketorolac alone cannot be predicted, clinicians may choose to initiate treatment with a ketorolac-meperidine combination.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Forced air speeds rewarming in accidental hypothermia.
To compare the rates of rewarming of forced-air and passive insulation as a treatment for accidental hypothermia. ⋯ Forced air accelerated the rate of rewarming without producing apparent complications in hypothermic patients.
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To determine the correlates of compliance with follow-up appointments and prescription filling after an emergency department visit. ⋯ Not having an appointment made before leaving the ED was an independent correlate of missing follow-up appointments. Lack of insurance and dissatisfaction with discharge instructions were independent correlates of not filling prescriptions.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Effect of a patient's sex on the timing of thrombolytic therapy.
We sought to determine whether a patient's sex independently influences the interval from emergency department arrival to the initiation of thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). ⋯ We infer that a patient's sex may play a significant role in the observed delay in treatment for women. Our data, coupled with previously published work, strongly suggest a systematic negative effect for women in their interaction with the health care system during AMI. We suggest that variables other than systems issues affect the time elapsed before thrombolytic therapy.