The American journal of emergency medicine
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People who use substances increasingly access healthcare primarily through emergency medical services (EMS) and emergency departments (EDs). To meet the needs of these patients, EMS and EDs have become access points for medications for opioid use disorder (OUD), specifically buprenorphine. This systematic review aimed to quantify the efficacy of these programs, examining retention in treatment for OUD, rates of re-presentation to ED or EMS, and rates of precipitated withdrawal, as well as summarise clinician and patient perspectives on buprenorphine initiation in these settings. ⋯ The initiation of buprenorphine in the ED setting is associated with higher odds of short and medium-term treatment engagement. Further research is required into EMS-initiated buprenorphine, as well as patient perspectives of ED- and EMS-initiated buprenorphine.
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Early recognition of sepsis is essential for timely initiation of adequate care. However, this is challenging as signs and symptoms may be absent or nonspecific. The cascade of events leading to organ failure in sepsis is characterized by immune-metabolic alterations. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are metabolic byproducts released in expired air. We hypothesize that measuring the VOC profile using electronic nose technology (eNose) could improve early recognition of sepsis. ⋯ The study is embedded in the Acutelines data-biobank (www.acutelines.nl), registered in Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04615065).
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Multicenter Study
Pediatric firearm injuries and socioeconomic vulnerability before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pediatric firearm injuries disproportionately affect groups experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage. Firearm injuries increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the impact on communities by degree of socioeconomic disadvantage is unknown. We examined the association between socioeconomic vulnerability and change in pediatric firearm injuries before versus during the pandemic. ⋯ The increase in pediatric firearm injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted youth in all but the lowest deprivation quartile. Efforts at curbing gun violence should identify and amplify protective effects in under-resourced communities.
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Observational Study
Pragmatic evaluation of point of care lung ultrasound for the triage of COVID-19 patients using a simple scoring matrix: Intraclass-classification and predictive value.
The value of routine bedside lung ultrasound (LUS) for predicting patient disposition during visits to the Emergency Department (ED) is difficult to quantify. We hypothesized that a simplified scoring of bedside-acquired LUS images for the triage of acute respiratory symptoms in the ED would be associated with patient disposition. ⋯ A simplified scoring of bedside-acquired LUS images from patients with acute respiratory symptoms at the emergency department reliably predicts patient disposition.
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Crystalloid administration during early resuscitation of bleeding trauma patients is recommended by current guidelines, yet evidence supporting this practice is limited. We aimed to evaluate the trends in the utilization of crystalloids during the last decade and to determine the threshold crystalloid volume independently associated with mortality risk in trauma patients at risk of or experiencing shock. ⋯ The administration of ≥2 liters of crystalloids during the initial phase of care was independently associated with increased mortality in hemodynamically compromised trauma patients. These findings support the judicious and goal-directed use of crystalloids in the resuscitation of trauma patients.