The American journal of emergency medicine
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Observational Study
FDP/fibrinogen ratio reflects the requirement of packed red blood cell transfusion in patients with blunt trauma.
To find factors that predict the requirement of packed red blood cells (pRBC) transfusion in patients with blunt trauma on arrival at the hospital. ⋯ The FDP/Fib ratio can be easily measured and may be a predictor of the need for pRBC transfusion.
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Observational Study
Medical expulsive therapy use in emergency department patients diagnosed with ureteral stones.
Recent studies have clarified the role of alpha-blockers, such as tamsulosin, for patients diagnosed with ureteral stones <10mm not requiring an urgent intervention. Prior studies have reported low rates of use of MET by emergency physicians. We sought to describe patterns of alpha-blocker use and to determine factors associated with utilization in patients diagnosed with ureterolithiasis in the ED. ⋯ Alpha-blockers were prescribed in more than two-thirds of patients with a distal ureteral stone on imaging, a much higher prevalence than previously reported. There was substantial variability in alpha-blocker use based on ED site.
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Case Reports
Cardiac tamponade secondary to purulent pericarditis diagnosed with the aid of emergency department ultrasound.
Purulent pericarditis is a rare but devastating disease process and even when treated, carries a poor prognosis. Cardiac tamponade is the most severe complication of purulent pericarditis and without acute surgical intervention, is often fatal. Diagnosis requires pericardiocentesis; however, early consideration of the disease and its complications in the emergency department (ED) can be life-saving. ⋯ Both blood and pericardial cultures grew methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. Despite a complicated hospital course, with appropriate antibiotic coverage and surgical intervention, the patient was discharged in good neurologic condition. This rare case of purulent pericarditis underscores the utility of bedside ultrasound in the ED and the complicated nature of altered mental status in intravenous drug users.
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Risk factors for unplanned transfer to the intensive care unit after emergency department admission.
Unplanned Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission has been used as a surrogate marker of adverse events, and is used by the Australian Council of Healthcare Accreditation as a reportable quality indicator. If we can identify independent variables predicting deterioration which require ICU transfer within 24h after emergency department (ED) admission, direct ICU admission should be considered. This may improve patient safety and reduce adverse events by appropriate disposition of patients presenting to the ED. ⋯ In patients presenting to the ED, hypercapnia was a predictor for deterioration which requires ICU transfer within 24h after ED admission. Additional predicting factors in patients with sepsis or pneumonia were respectively tachypnea and low oxygen saturation. For these patient groups direct ICU admission should be considered to prevent unplanned ICU admission. This data emphasizes the importance of measuring the vital signs, particularly the respiratory rate.