The American journal of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized comparison of three guidewire insertion depths on incidence of arrhythmia during central venous catheterization.
Guidewire-induced arrhythmias that occur during central venous catheterization can progress to malignant arrhythmias in rare cases. This study compared the incidence of arrhythmia during central venous catheterization using three different depths of guidewire insertion into the right internal jugular vein. ⋯ During central venous catheterization through the right internal jugular vein, inserting guidewires to depths of 15 or 17.5cm before tissue dilation reduced the incidence of arrhythmic episodes compared to a depth of 20cm.
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Non-traumatic cardiac arrest is a major public health problem that carries an extremely high mortality rate. If we hope to increase the survivability of this condition, it is imperative that alternative methods of treatment are given due consideration. Balloon occlusion of the aorta can be used as a method of circulatory support in the critically ill patient. ⋯ Animal research has demonstrated improvements in cerebral and coronary perfusion pressure during ACLS that lead to statistically significant differences in mortality. Several case series in humans have replicated these findings, suggesting the efficacy of this procedure. The objectives of this review are to: 1) introduce the reader to REBOA 2) review the physiology of NTCA and examine the current limitations of traditional ACLS 3) summarize the literature regarding the efficacy and feasibility of aortic balloon occlusion to support traditional ACLS.
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Clinical Trial
Utility of point of care assessment of platelet reactivity (using the PFA-100®) to aid in diagnosis of stroke.
Rapid and accurate diagnosis of patients presenting with symptoms of stroke is needed to facilitate the timely delivery of proven effective treatment for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The aim of this study was to determine whether early assessment of platelet reactivity in patients presenting with symptoms of AIS was associated with a diagnosis of AIS, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or stroke mimic. ⋯ Closure time was not found to be a clinically reliable differentiator of patients with a diagnosis of AIS, TIA, or stroke mimic in the ED.
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We present an acute apixaban overdose without reported coingestants; it is the first such case report associated with multiple serum drug levels to assist in determining overdose kinetics. A 62 year old female presented to an emergency department (ED) 2 hours after ingesting sixty 5 mg tablets (5mg/kg) of her spouse's apixaban medication. She denied coingestants, and did not take her prescribed medications that day. ⋯ There was no utilization of blood products or factor replacement. There was never any bleeding, and her hemoglobin did not decrease. This case demonstrates that a single ingestion of apixaban can occur without any complications occurring.
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The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score in predicting in-hospital mortality and neurological outcome of patients resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). ⋯ GRACE risk score may predict the in-hospital mortality and neurological outcome associated with resuscitated patients with OHCA and shockable initial cardiac rhythm, regardless of the cause of arrest.