The American journal of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Ability of paramedics to perform endotracheal intubation during continuous chest compressions: a randomized cadaver study comparing Pentax AWS and Macintosh laryngoscopes.
The aim of the trial was to compare the time parameters for intubation with the use of the Macintosh (MAC) laryngoscope and Pentax AWS-S100 videolaryngoscope (AWS; Pentax Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) with and without chest compression (CC) by paramedics during simulated cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a cadaver model. ⋯ The Pentax AWS offered a superior glottic view as compared with the MAC laryngoscope, which was associated with a higher intubation rate and a shorter intubation time during an uninterrupted CC scenario. However, in the scenario without CC, the results for AWS and MAC were comparable.
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Previous studies have confirmed that low serum albumin levels in acute ischemic stroke patients increased the risk for poor outcome and death, demonstrating the neuroprotective role of albumin. However, there are few studies investigating the relationship between albumin levels and recurrence of stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of serum albumin level on the risk of recurrence in patients with acute ischemic stroke. ⋯ Lower serum albumin level increases the risk of recurrence in patients with acute ischemic stroke, suggesting that serum albumin level might be used as an indicator for stroke recurrence.
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Emergency Department (ED) service evaluations are typically based on surveys of discharged patients. Physicians/administrators benefit from data that quantifies system-based factors that adversely impact the experience of those who represent the survey cohort. ⋯ Prolonged ED stays for admitted patients were associated with prolonged throughput times for patients discharged home from the ED.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A comparison of direct laryngoscopic views in different head and neck positions in edentulous patients.
Proper head and neck positioning is an important factor for successful direct laryngoscopy, and the optimum position in edentulous patients is unclear. We compared direct laryngoscopic views in simple head extension, sniffing, and elevated sniffing positions in edentulous patients. ⋯ The sniffing and elevated sniffing positions provide better laryngeal views during direct laryngoscopy compared to simple head extension in edentulous patients.
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There is growing evidence to suggest the use of urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) test to help with the diagnosis of appendicitis. The aim of our study was to establish whether urinary 5-HIAA could be used as an effective diagnostic test for acute appendicitis. ⋯ Urinary 5-HIAA is not an ideal test for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.