The American journal of emergency medicine
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Current protocols which include the administration of a single dextrose dose concomitantly with insulin are inadequate as hypoglycemia commonly occurs 60 min after insulin administration and may persist for up to two hours post-insulin administration. To prevent delayed hypoglycemic events, our institution revised our adult acute hyperkalemia order set to include hypoglycemic preventative measures not currently described in the literature. ⋯ Our study found that our approach of additionally administering a 250 mL dextrose 10% solution upon therapy initiation is associated with significantly lower rates of hypoglycemia. Our findings indicate that hypoglycemia rates can be significantly reduced in vulnerable populations if additional preventative measures are employed.
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The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) is the most commonly used system in over 70% of all U.S. emergency departments (ED) that uses predicted resource utilization as a means to triage [1], Mistriage, which includes both undertriage and overtriage has been a persistent issue, affecting 32.2% of total ED visits [2]. Our goal is to develop a machine learning framework that predicts patients' resource needs, thereby improving resource allocation during triage. ⋯ This study shows the high accuracy in predicting resource needs for patients in the ED using a machine learning model. This can greatly improve patient flow and resource allocation in already resource limited emergency departments.
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Observational Study
The benefits of a virtual emergency department observation unit for hospital observation patients.
The benefit of virtual emergency department observation unit (EDOU) care relative to traditional observation care in an inpatient bed is unknown. ⋯ Management of observation patients in a virtual-EDOU setting is superior to care in a traditional inpatient setting in terms of costs, length of stays, inpatient admission and adverse events rates.
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A nomogram is a visualized clinical prediction models, which offer a scientific basis for clinical decision-making. There is a lack of reports on its use in predicting the risk of arrhythmias in trauma patients. This study aims to develop and validate a straightforward nomogram for predicting the risk of arrhythmias in trauma patients. ⋯ The nomogram developed in this study is a valuable tool for accurately predicting the risk of post-traumatic arrhythmias, offering a novel approach for physicians to tailor risk assessments to individual patients.
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Low back pain (LBP) is ranked in the top 10 conditions presenting to emergency departments (ED) in Australia. We aimed to investigate ED re-presentation rates and length of stay (LOS) of patients with LBP, including associated factors. ⋯ A re-presentation within 12 months occurs in 7.7% of episodes of LBP in ED. Over one-quarter of patients stayed longer than 4 h.