The American journal of emergency medicine
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The aim of this study is to describe the outcome changes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Gothenburg, Sweden, after introduction of mechanical chest compression (MCC). ⋯ Survival to 1 month after implementation of MCC was higher than before introduction. However, patients receiving MCC had low survival. Although case selection might play a role, results do not support a widespread use of MCC after OHCA.
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Clinical Trial
Assessment of using fingerstick blood sample with i-STAT point-of-care device for cardiac troponin I assay.
The purpose of this study is to compare fingerstick point-of-care (POC) testing for cardiac troponin I to conventional venipuncture POC testing using the i-STAT device. ⋯ Fingerstick cTnI testing using the i-STAT device is not accurate enough to determine the exact troponin level without the application of a corrective term. Fingerstick testing is, however, accurate in qualifying troponin levels as negative, borderline, or positive and is, therefore, capable of providing clinical information that may guide diagnostic and therapeutic decision making.
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The main objective of this study was to determine a cutoff level of plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) that could successfully predict the short- and long-term prognosis of patients with acute heart failure at the time of admission to the emergency department. The results of our study are presented in context with previously published literature. We believe that the present study will be useful and salutary for the progress of literature. ⋯ Elevated NT-proBNP levels at the time of admission are a strong and independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with acute heart failure at 30 days and 1 year after admission. Furthermore, the optimal cutoff level of NT-proBNP used to predict 30-day and 1-year mortality had high sensitivity.
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The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic value of initial arterial lactate level and 12-hour lactate metabolic clearance rate (MCR) in patients with acute paraquat poisoning. ⋯ The initial arterial lactate level and 12-hour lactate MCR had good predictive powers in evaluating the prognosis of patients with acute paraquat poisoning, which may prove to be simpler and more practical tools in assessing the severity of paraquat poisoning.