The American journal of emergency medicine
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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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Pre-hospital airway management is complex and complications occur frequently. Guidelines advice using waveform capnography to confirm correct tube position, but in the emergency setting this is not universally available. Continuous visualization of the airway with a video tube (VivaSight SL™) could serve as an alternative confirmation method, provided that airway structures are properly recognized. With this study we wanted to investigate whether airway management practitioners were able to recognize anatomical structures both in a circulated and in a non-circulated airway. ⋯ Pictures of a circulated airway were more often recognized than of a non-circulated airway and personnel with a daily routine in airway management performed better than personnel with less frequent exposure. Future research should determine whether continuous visualization of the airway with a video tube could reduce the number of misplaced tracheal tubes in pre-hospital airway management.
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We identify and characterize the most highly cited articles related to ultrasonographic evaluations occurring in the emergency department. ⋯ The most frequently cited studies conducted in the emergency department pertaining to the use of ultrasonography included a wide range of topics, and approximately half of the primary authors of these studies were emergency medicine specialists.