The American journal of emergency medicine
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Drug overdoses are the most common cause of accidental death in the United States, with the majority being attributed to opioids. High per capita opioid prescribing is correlated with higher rates of opioid abuse and death. We aimed to determine the impact of sharing individual prescribing data on the rates of opioid prescriptions written for patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Our study demonstrates the sharing of individual opioid prescribing data was associated with a reduction in opioid prescribing at a single institution.
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Case Reports
Anterior wall ventricular pseudoaneurysm presenting as dizziness and syncope: A case report.
Ventricular pseudoaneurysm rupture is a rare finding in emergency departments in the era of percutaneous coronary intervention. It is an infrequent complication after acute myocardial infarction. We present a case of ventricular pseudoaneurysm rupture and examine current literature on the pathophysiology and imaging guidelines on the topic. ⋯ He was treated surgically. Ventricular pseudoaneurysm rupture is an uncommon finding in medicine and the emergency department. Point-of-care ultrasound is an important diagnostic modality to identify this critical complication and prompt surgical management.
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Hydrocephalus carries significant morbidity in the infant population. Although clinical symptoms are often nonspecific, hydrocephalus is easily identified using transfontanellar sonography. In this review, we provide the emergency physician with a succinct overview of infant hydrocephalus and the point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) technique for identification of this pathology.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
D-dimer levels in VTE patients with distal and proximal clots.
There is growing evidence that venous thromboembolism (VTE) patients with distal clots (distal calf deep vein thrombosis [DVT] and sub-segmental pulmonary embolism [PE]) may not routinely benefit from anticoagulation. We compared the D-dimer levels in VTE patients with distal and proximal clots. ⋯ VTE patients with proximal clots had higher D-dimer levels than patients with distal clots. However, D-dimer levels cannot be used alone to discriminate between VTE patients with distal or proximal clots.
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Short-distance air medical transport for adult emergency patients does not significantly affect patients' body temperature and outcomes. This study aimed to examine the influence of long-distance air medical transport on patients' body temperatures and the relationship between body temperature change and mortality. ⋯ Physicians should consider body temperature change during long-distance air transport in patients with not only hypothermia but also normothermia or hyperthermia before air transport, especially in winter.