The American journal of emergency medicine
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Observational Study
High risk clinical characteristics for pyogenic spinal infection in acute neck or back pain: Prospective cohort study.
To identify clinical characteristics associated with pyogenic spinal infection among adults presenting to a community emergency department (ED) with neck or back pain. A secondary objective was to describe the frequency of these characteristics among patients with spinal epidural abscess (SEA). ⋯ Male sex, fever, and recent soft tissue infection or bacteremia were associated with pyogenic spinal infection in this prospective ED cohort.
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Caring for suicidal patients can be challenging, especially in emergency departments without easy access to mental health specialists. The American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention appointed a working group to create an easy-to-use suicide prevention tool for ED providers. ⋯ The ICAR2E mnemonic may be a feasible way for practicing ED clinicians to provide evidence-based care to suicidal patients. However, further research is needed.
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Observational Study
Protocolized use of Factor Eight Inhibitor Bypassing Activity (FEIBA) for the reversal of warfarin induced coagulopathy.
Coagulopathy due to warfarin in patients with major bleeding was traditionally reversed with fresh frozen plasma and intravenous (IV) vitamin K, but prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC) are increasingly used in the treatment of these patients. Factor Eight Inhibitor Bypassing Activity (FEIBA) is an activated four-factor PCC most commonly used in patients with hemophilia. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of FEIBA and IV vitamin K for the reversal of warfarin-associated coagulopathy in patients with major bleeding, by measuring the percentage of patients who achieved target INR ≤ 1.5 and the incidence of thrombotic adverse events (TAE). ⋯ A protocolized use of FEIBA and IV vitamin K resulted in the efficacious reversal of warfarin-induced coagulopathy in patients with major bleeding. TAEs occurred in 14% of patients and were attributed to FEIBA in 5% of patients.
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The most recent guidelines on prescribing opioids from the United States Centers for Disease Control recommend that clinicians not prescribe opioids as first-line therapy for chronic non-cancer pain. If an opioid prescription is considered for a patient already on opioids, prescribers are encouraged to check the statewide prescription drug monitoring database (PDMP). Some additional guidelines recommend screening tools such as the Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM) which may also help identify drug-aberrant behaviors. ⋯ The PDMP alone is a more useful as a screening instrument than either the COMM or the combination of the PDMP plus COMM in patients already taking opioids at time of ED presentation. However, the PDMP misses a majority of patients with documented drug-aberrant behaviors in the EMR, and should not be used in isolation to justify whether a particular opioid prescription is appropriate.
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Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States, with many occurring out of the hospital. Immediate response by bystanders, through the initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), leads to increased survival; however, many do not respond due to lack of training and education. This study sought to determine the efficacy of a training model developed to rapidly and effectively train large numbers of individuals on hands-only CPR. ⋯ Faculty then went on to train their respective students. Ninety-six faculty and staff and 1615 students were trained within 3 weeks, demonstrating this model was effective in rapidly training large numbers of individuals in a short period of time while increasing CPR knowledge and confidence. This method may be effective in other community settings.