The American journal of emergency medicine
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Observational Study
Evaluating malnutrition in cancer patients in the emergency department.
Malnutrition is an important contributing factor to mortality in cancer patients. Several scoring systems can be used to evaluate malnutrition in cancer patients. We hypothesized that one or more of these scoring systems should be used to assess malnutrition in emergency departments (EDs). ⋯ Malnutrition is common in cancer patients. These patients may be malnourished even if their BMI is within normal limits. Malnutrition can be detected and evaluated in the ED using instruments such as the PG-SGA. We suggest that evaluation for malnutrition should be a standard component of patient care in the ED.
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Comparative Study
Comparative prevalence of anogenital injury following sexual assault in women who have had recent consensual sexual contact.
The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency and types of anogenital trauma in rape victims as a function of the time interval between the assault and recent (72 h) consensual sexual intercourse. ⋯ This is the first clinical study to systematically compare the prevalence and typology of anogenital injuries in sexual assault victims who have had consensual intercourse within four days before a forensic exam. The frequency, type or location of anogenital trauma did not vary significantly based on the time interval from last consensual intercourse to the forensic examination.
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Time is a critical metric in the emergency department (ED) for acute ischemic stroke and thrombolytic therapy. National guidelines have emphasized tracking time from stroke onset to treatment and decreasing door to needle (DTN) time [1, 2]. Multidisciplinary teamwork is encouraged but, there is limited evidence demonstrating the value of the pharmacist on the stroke response team. The goal of this study is to compare DTN times in the ED with or without a pharmacist at bedside and examine the impact on subsequent patient outcomes. ⋯ Patients with an emergency medicine pharmacist as part of their stroke response team had significantly lower DTN times. A higher proportion of these cases met benchmark DTN times less than 45 min and 30 min. An emergency medicine pharmacist on a stroke response team has the potential to improve patient care.
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The HEART score is a widely used clinical decision tool that provides emergency providers with objective risk stratification for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with undifferentiated chest pain (CP). There is no data as to which patients undergo formal risk stratification with a HEART score, and whether patient demographics influence decisions to apply the HEART score. Our objective was to determine if sex or race independently predict documentation of patients' HEART scores in CP patients. ⋯ Women and non-white patients are less likely to receive HEART score risk stratification when presenting with undifferentiated CP, even when controlling for patient age. Further studies should address whether this influences patient centered outcomes.
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The Covid-19 pandemic has had dramatic consequences on the progression of numerous pathologies, especially neoplastic ones. The orientation of hospital activities toward the care of patients with SARS-Cov2 infection has caused significant delays in the diagnosis and therapy of many other pathologies. What about severe hypercalcemia? The aim of this work was to determine the clinical and biological presentation, etiologies, mortality, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on severe hypercalcemia. ⋯ The Covid-19 pandemic caused an increase in both the incidence and severity of hypercalcemia and the hemodialysis practiced in this context remains efficient and safe.