The American journal of emergency medicine
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The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of Friday the 13th on hospital admission rates and emergency department (ED) visits. ⋯ Although the fear of Friday the 13th may exist, there is no worry that an increase in volume occurs on Friday the 13th compared with the other days studies. Of 13 different conditions evaluated, only penetrating traumas were seen more often on Friday the 13th. For those providers who work in the ED, working on Friday the 13th should not be any different than any other day.
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Olanzapine (Zyprexa; Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, IN) is an antipsychotic medication that has been useful in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In cases of overdose, cardiovascular and neurologic changes are seen. ⋯ Treatment with lipid emulsion resulted in amelioration of the symptoms. Inadvertent discontinuation of a lipid emulsion infusion led to recurrence of symptoms, which quickly resolved with an additional loading dose of lipid emulsion.
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In 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services created a measure known as "diagnostic uncertainty" in emergency department (ED) pneumonia admissions. This documentation excludes the antibiotic timing measure, as pressure to quickly diagnose pneumonia may serve to reduce overall accuracy. ⋯ Correlation between ED and discharge diagnosis of pneumonia was limited. Use of diagnostic uncertainty documentation decreased the likelihood of a hospital discharge diagnosis of pneumonia. Further analysis of the effects of artificially imposed time constraints on ED diagnoses appears warranted.
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Unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning is preventable. Severe cases are often referred for hyperbaric oxygen treatment. To guide prevention efforts and treatment practices, this study provides some of the most detailed current information about patients with carbon monoxide poisoning who have been treated at hyperbaric facilities across the United States and the circumstances surrounding their exposures. This study can help improve efforts to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and enhance treatment practices. ⋯ The findings in this report expand the knowledge about patients with carbon monoxide poisoning. These results suggest that prevention efforts, such as educating the public about using carbon monoxide alarms and targeting the most at-risk populations, may help reduce the number of exposures, the number of persons with chronic cognitive sequelae, and the resulting burden on the health care system.
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Case Reports
Resolution of left ventricular thrombus with lepirudin after failed treatment with heparin.
A 49-year-old man was admitted with high-risk left ventricular thrombosis and systemic embolization. Prompt and complete resolution of the thrombus was achieved under intravenous lepirudin administration but not under full-dose heparin treatment. Medical physicians, including emergency medicine physicians, cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and hematologists, should become more aware of these alternative anticoagulant treatments, especially in cases when other therapeutic options (such as thrombolysis or cardiac surgery) may be associated with high morbidity or mortality.