The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Examining emergency medical services' prehospital transport times for trauma patients during COVID-19.
Longer prehospital times were associated with increased odds for survival in trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected emergency medical services (EMS) prehospital times for trauma patients. ⋯ The median transportation time for trauma patients was marginally significantly shorter during COVID-19; otherwise, EMS prehospital times were not significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Multicenter Study
Treatment of suspected sepsis and septic shock in children with chronic disease seen in the pediatric emergency department.
Research demonstrates that timely recognition and treatment of sepsis can significantly improve pediatric patient outcomes, especially regarding time to intravenous fluid (IVF) and antibiotic administration. Further research suggests that underlying chronic disease in a septic pediatric patient puts them at higher risk for poor outcomes. ⋯ Study findings suggest pediatric patients with chronic disease with suspected sepsis or septic shock in the PED have a slower time to IVF administration but equivocal use of sepsis recognition tools compared to patients without chronic disease.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
High early phase hemoglobin level is associated with favorable neurological outcome in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
The appropriate hemoglobin (Hb) level threshold for the early phase (i.e. from Emergency Department to ICU admission) in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is still unknown. Therefore, we aimed to examine the association between Hb levels during the early phase and neurological outcomes in patients with severe TBI using data from the Brain Hypothermia (B-HYPO) Study Group. ⋯ High early phase Hb levels are associated with favorable neurological outcomes after severe TBI.
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Multicenter Study
Diagnostic accuracy of combined WBC, ANC and CRP in adult emergency department patients suspected of acute appendicitis.
To assess the sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value (NPV) of normal total white blood cell count (WBC) and normal absolute neutrophil count (ANC) combined with a normal proprietary C-reactive protein (pCRP) level in adult emergency department (ED) patients with abdominal pain suspected of possible acute appendicitis. ⋯ The combination of normal WBC and ANC with normal pCRP levels exhibited high sensitivity and negative predictive value for acute appendicitis in this prospective adult patient cohort. Confirmation and validation of these findings with further study using commercially available CRP assays is needed.