The American journal of emergency medicine
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To determine the rate of patients visiting the emergency department who are at risk of opioid overdose. ⋯ The rate of patients visiting the emergency department at risk of opioid overdose increased significantly from 2013 to 2016. Naloxone was not routinely prescribed to this patient cohort.
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An intubation in the Emergency Department (ED) would never occur without suction set up and tested. However, due to the complexity and inherent failure potential of these devices, even checked suction devices can fail at a crucial juncture. We present a case report of suction that worked properly during pre-intubation preparation, but critically failed due to inappropriate set up. This situation is an example of a dangerous dormant failure that can easily reoccur in any ED.
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Dysphagia is a common problem for patients after an acute stroke which can lead to hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP) increasing morbidity and mortality. The Joint Commission has directed that stroke certified hospitals perform a dysphagia screen at the time of initial presentation. We sought to evaluate if our ED dysphagia screen was correlated with lower rates of pneumonia in acute stroke patients. ⋯ The use of our ED dysphagia screen was associated with a significant reduction in the rates of HAP in both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients. Given the high rates of dysphagia and significant comorbidity and complications for these stroke patients, the use of a screen is warranted.