The American journal of emergency medicine
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Review
Resolution of sonographic B-lines as a measure of pulmonary decongestion in acute heart failure.
Objective noninvasive measures of dyspnea in patients with acute heart failure are lacking. In this review, we describe lung ultrasound as a tool to estimate the degree of pulmonary congestion in patients presenting with acute heart failure and to monitor therapeutic efficacy. ⋯ These scores provide prognostic information for short-term clinical outcomes. Lung ultrasound has the potential to measure changes in pulmonary edema during acute heart failure management and improve risk stratification.
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Emergency physicians must be masters of the airway. The patient with tracheostomy can present with complications, and because of anatomy, airway and resuscitation measures can present several unique challenges. Understanding tracheostomy basics, features, and complications will assist in the emergency medicine management of these patients. ⋯ Tracheostomy patients can present unique challenges for emergency physicians. Knowledge of the basics and features of tracheostomy tubes can assist physicians in managing life-threatening complications including tube obstruction, decannulation, bleeding, stenosis, and fistula.
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Review Meta Analysis
Meta-analysis of outcomes of the 2005 and 2010 cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines for adults with in-hospital cardiac arrest.
The post-cardiac arrest survival rate has remained low since the 2010 cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines were published. The present study aimed to review the 2010 vs 2005 CPR guideline outcomes in adults with in-hospital cardiac arrest. ⋯ The 2010 CPR guidelines emphasized that high-quality chest compressions can increase the ROSC rate but did not show to improve long-term results.
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Patients with implantable cardiac defibrillators not infrequently present to the emergency department after experiencing an implantable cardiac defibrillator shock. This review considers the management of such patients in the emergency department, including appropriate, inappropriate, and phantom shocks as well as electrical storm.