The American journal of emergency medicine
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Observational Study
Determination of a predictive cutoff value of NT-proBNP testing for long-term survival in ED patients with acute heart failure.
The main objective of this study was to determine a predictive cutoff value for plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) that could successfully predict the long-term (4-year) survival of patients with acute heart failure (HF) at the time of admission to the emergency department (ED). To our best knowledge, our study is the first research done to identify a predictive cutoff value for admission NT-proBNP to the prescriptive 4-year survival of patients admitted to ED with acute HF diagnosis. ⋯ Elevated NT-proBNP levels at the time of admission are a strong and independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with acute HF 4 years after admission. Furthermore, the optimal cutoff level of NT-proBNP used to predict 4-year survival had high sensitivity. However, especially in the case of long-term survival, additional prospective, large, and multicenter studies are required to confirm our results.
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Observational Study
Rest myocardial perfusion imaging: a valuable tool in ED.
Acute chest pain is a frequent cause of emergency department (ED) visits. Rest myocardial perfusion imaging (RMPI) during or immediately after an episode of chest pain can provide diagnostic and prognostic information concerning acute coronary syndromes. ⋯ In a low- to intermediate-risk group of patients with suspected acute myocardial ischemia, RMPI gives not only diagnostic information but adds prognostic value to the traditional ED risk stratification tools.
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Review Case Reports
Short series of upper limb acute arterial occlusions in 4 different etiologies and review of literature.
Upper limb acute arterial occlusions are uncommon, and when compared with lower limb occlusions, only a few cases have been reported. Although atrial fibrillation is the most common cause, many conditions may lead to ischemia. In this article, 8 cases of upper limb arterial ischemia due to 4 different etiologies were reported (7 brachial, 1 axillary), and the literature was reviewed.
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Observational Study
A simplified ultrasound-based edema score to assess lung injury and clinical severity in septic patients.
Lung ultrasound (US) is an excellent tool to assess lung edema in a myriad of different clinical situations. We hypothesized that lung US might also be a good prognostic and management instrument in septic patients, regardless of disease severity. ⋯ The SLESS is an easy and practical scoring system. It might be a useful tool to predict severity of disease in sepsis patients. The SLESS might also be able to be correlated with the oxygen exchange.