The American journal of emergency medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluation of digital otoscopy in pediatric patients: A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.
Acute otitis media is often misdiagnosed. Pediatric trainees learn otoscopy from supervisors who cannot concurrently view the eardrum. Digital, smartphone otoscopes show promise to improve the visibility and learning due to a concurrent view by trainees and supervisors. We aimed to determine whether use of digital otoscopes improved accuracy of the ear exams between medical trainees and their supervisors, compared to using traditional otoscopes. Secondarily, we evaluated whether the use of digital otoscopes reduced the number of repeat ear examinations by supervisors, changed the trainee's confidence in their exam findings, and led to differences in the rate of antibiotics prescribed. ⋯ Utilization of a digital otoscope resulted in increased accuracy of the ear exam between trainees and supervisors, and fewer total number of examinations performed on a given child. Compared to a traditional otoscope, a digital otoscope may be a more efficient and effective diagnostic tool.
-
Controlled Clinical Trial
A multifaceted intervention improves antibiotic stewardship for skin and soft tissues infections.
Assess the effectiveness of a multifaceted stewardship intervention to reduce frequency and duration of inappropriate antibiotic use for emergency department (ED) patients with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). We hypothesized the antibiotic stewardship program would reduce antibiotic duration and improve guideline adherence in discharged SSTI patients. ⋯ A multifaceted intervention resulted in modest improvement in adherence to guidelines compared to a control site, driven by treatment duration reductions.
-
to compare the antipyretic effects of ibuprofen in febrile children with serious bacterial infections (SBI), and children with a presumed viral infection. ⋯ Fever response to Ibuprofen administration is not indicative of serious bacterial infections in children under 4 years of age. Larger prospective studies are required to define whether the lack of response to Ibuprofen has any impact on the management of febrile children.
-
Sunitinib-associated hyperammonemic encephalopathy has not been previously reported in the emergency medicine literature. As newer treatments for cancer become more widespread and patients live longer, the emergence of previously unreported or rare adverse effects is expected to increase. Here we report the case of a 71-year-old woman with infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast with metastasis to the liver who developed hyperammonemic encephalopathy after taking sunitinib for 12 days. ⋯ The patient was followed for three months post hospitalization without recurrence of symptoms. Patients on sunitinib should have their ammonia levels checked when presenting to the ED with altered mentation for early identification of hyperammonemic encephalopathy and its potential complications, such as seizures, brain edema, and death. Emergent management in the ED should include initiation of lactulose and consultation with the gastroenterology team.