The American journal of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of head position on the success rate of blind intubation using intubating supraglottic airway devices.
To evaluate the effect of head position on the performance of intubating supraglottic airway devices, we compared the success rate of blind intubation in the head-elevated and the pillowless head positions with the LMA Fastrach and the air-Q, and the change of glottic visualization through the air-Q. ⋯ Although the head-elevated position improved glottic visualization in the air-Q, the head position had minimal influence on the success rate of blind intubation with either the Fastrach or the air-Q.
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Observational Study
Cardiovascular responses to energy drinks in a healthy population: The C-energy study.
Energy drink consumption has increased significantly over the past decade and is associated with greater than 20,000 emergency department visits per year. Most often these visits are due to cardiovascular complaints ranging from palpitations to cardiac arrest. ⋯ Energy drinks increased systolic blood pressure, altered electrolytes, and resulted in repolarization abnormalities. These physiological responses can lead to arrhythmias and other abnormal cardiac responses highlighting the importance that emergency room personnel assess for energy drink consumption and potential toxicity.
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The Bacterial Meningitis Score classifies children with meningitis and none of the following high-risk predictors at very low risk for bacterial meningitis: positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Gram stain, CSF protein ≥80mg/dL, CSF absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1000 cells/mm(3), peripheral ANC ≥10,000 cells/mm(3), and seizure at or prior to presentation. Although extensively validated in children, the Bacterial Meningitis Score has not been rigorously evaluated in adults. ⋯ The Bacterial Meningitis Score accurately identified patients at low risk for bacterial meningitis and could assist clinical decision-making for adults with meningitis.
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Observational Study
Prevalence of strangulation in survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Both sexual assault (SA) survivors and domestic violence (DV) survivors are populations at risk of strangulation injury. Our goal was to identify the prevalence of strangulation in patients who are survivors of SA and DV, identify presence of lethality risk factors in intimate partner violence, and assess differences in strangulation between SA and DV populations. ⋯ Patients presenting to our forensic nurse examiner program who were survivors of DV were more likely than SA patients to sustain strangulation. Lethality risk factors were common.