The American journal of emergency medicine
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Comparative Study
Comparison of EPs' and psychiatrists' laboratory assessment of psychiatric patients.
EPs frequently transfer psychiatric patients to psychiatric hospitals with the approval and acceptance of a psychiatrist. EPs and psychiatrists have an unknown set of testing routines and requirements that are used to determine medical clearance of the psychiatric patient. The purpose of this study was to compare the routine and required testing performed by EPs as compared with psychiatrists. ⋯ It is unknown if the psychiatrists influenced the ordering behavior of the EPs. However, this study does demonstrate a difference in the routine test ordering, implying that these is a difference in the approach to the patient in the ED. Further means to obtain congruence in the testing protocol of psychiatric patients would be a valuable endeavor.
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QTc dispersion in the electrocardiogram (ECG) is a new important prognostic factor for many diseases, but its role in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is not clear. This study was performed to investigate the prognostic significance of QTc dispersion in the acute ICH patients. We studied the differences of QTc dispersion from the initial ECG in the ED between the survival to discharge and nonsurvival patients retrospectively. ⋯ The QTc dispersion and GCS were the statistically significant independent predictors in the multiple logistic analyses. Increased QTc dispersion in the initial ED electrocardiograph is an important prognostic factor for ICH patients. More attention to the disposition and intensive care should be given for these patients.