Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound performed by novice versus advanced sonographers for pneumonia in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Childhood pneumonia is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Growing evidence suggests that lung ultrasound (LUS) may be a reliable diagnostic alternative to chest x-ray for childhood pneumonia. However, it is unclear whether sonographer experience affects the diagnostic accuracy of LUS. We summarize the diagnostic accuracy of LUS for pneumonia and compare the performance between novice and advanced sonographers with a systematic review and meta-analysis. ⋯ LUS can accurately diagnose pneumonia in children. However, this test demonstrates operator-dependent variability, with more experienced sonographers having higher diagnostic accuracy. Further work on evidence-based educational methods to train novice sonographers in LUS is required.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Benefits of Rhythm Control and Rate Control in Recent-onset Atrial Fibrillation: The HERMES-AF Study.
Although rhythm control has failed to demonstrate long-term benefits over rate control in longstanding episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF), there is little evidence concerning recent-onset ones. We analyzed the benefits of rhythm and rate control in terms of symptoms alleviation and need for hospital admission in patients with recent-onset AF. ⋯ In our study, recent-onset AF patients in whom rhythm control was attempted in the ED had a high rate of symptoms' alleviation and a reduced rate of hospital admissions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Subdissociative Dose Ketamine Is Effective for Treating Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Pain.
Subdissociative-dose ketamine (SDDK) is used to treat acute pain. We sought to determine if SDDK is effective in relieving acute exacerbations of chronic pain. ⋯ Ketamine infusions at both 0.5 and 0.25 mg/kg over 20 minutes were effective in treating acute exacerbations of chronic pain but resulted in more adverse effects compared to placebo. Ketamine did not demonstrate longer-term pain control over the next 24 to 48 hours.
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The goal of our study was to determine whether prehospital double sequential defibrillation (DSD) is associated with improved survival to hospital admission in the setting of refractory ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/pVT). ⋯ Our matched case-control study on the prehospital use of DSD for refractory VF/pVT found no evidence of associated improvement in survival to hospital admission. Our current protocol of considering prehospital DSD after the third conventional defibrillation in OHCA is ineffective.
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Each year, more than 30 million children visit U. S. emergency departments (EDs). Although the number of pediatric emergency medicine specialists continues to rise, the vast majority of children are cared for in general EDs outside of children's hospitals. ⋯ Through the iterative process culminating with the 2018 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, we have identified five key research themes and prioritized a specific research agenda. These themes represent critical gaps in our understanding of the development and maintenance of the pediatric emergency care workforce and allow for a prioritization of future research efforts. Only by more fully understanding the gaps in workforce needs, and the necessary steps to address these gaps, can outcomes be optimized for children in need of emergency care.