The American journal of emergency medicine
-
This study aims to investigate the diagnostic value of End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) measured non-invasively at the bedside in order to distinguish between unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and non-cardiac chest pain among patients who present to the emergency department with chest pain without a history of cardiac pathology. ⋯ ETCO2, a non-invasive parameter that can be measured immediately at the bedside, may be proposed as a potential biomarker for differentiating patients with UAP from those with non-cardiac chest pain.
-
In many communities, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival outcomes decreased after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to identify and compare the impacts of each survival chain factor on the change of survival outcomes after COVID-19. ⋯ The effort to create a rapid response system for OHCA patients could have priority for the recovery of survival outcomes in OHCA patients in the post-COVID-19 period. Further studies to recover survival outcomes of OHCA are warranted.
-
Administration of 3% sodium chloride through a peripheral venous catheter is associated with risk of infusion-related adverse events (IRAE) due to its high osmolarity. Given this concern and the paucity of data regarding these events, many hospitals have policies that require central line administration of 3% sodium chloride. ⋯ These data suggest that IRAE occurred more frequently when 3% sodium chloride was administered over a longer duration and the majority of events were mild with no permanent tissue injury. It may be reasonable to consider peripheral administration of 3% sodium chloride in the acute care setting for a short duration, although additional studies are needed to continue to evaluate its safety.
-
Alcohol intoxication is a significant public health concern and is commonly seen among emergency department (ED) patients. This study was undertaken to identify the accuracy of clinician assessment of blood alcohol levels among emergency department patients. ⋯ Clinicians' estimates of BAC were often inaccurate, and often overestimated the BAC.