Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Patient Experiences of a Care Transition Intervention for Veterans to Reduce Emergency Department Visits.
Care transition interventions (CTIs) are used to improve outcomes after an emergency department (ED) visit. A recent randomized controlled trial of a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) CTI titled Discharge Information and Support for Patients receiving Outpatient care in the ED (DISPO ED) demonstrated no difference in repeat ED visits. However, changes in health care utilization are not the only measures of a CTI worth evaluation, and there is interest in using patient-centered outcomes to assess CTIs as well. To inform future CTI design and outcome measure selection, the study aims were to understand how patients experienced the CTI and what elements they valued. ⋯ Intervention users described assistance with care coordination as well as clinical concerns. We identified aspects that were highly valued by the participants, such as interpersonal support and empathy from the interventionist. These findings suggest the need for more comprehensive nonutilization outcome measures for CTIs to capture the patient's perspective.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Point-of-Care Echocardiography of the Right Heart Improves Acute Heart Failure Risk Stratification for Low-Risk Patients: The REED-AHF Prospective Study.
Validated acute heart failure (AHF) clinical decision instruments (CDI) insufficiently identify low-risk patients meriting consideration of outpatient treatment. While pilot data show that tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is associated with adverse events, no AHF CDI currently incorporates point-of-care echocardiography (POCecho). We evaluated whether TAPSE adds incremental risk stratification value to an existing CDI. ⋯ TAPSE increased detection of low-risk AHF patients, after use of a validated CDI, at risk thresholds more conservative than standard of care.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Periosteal Block versus Intravenous Regional Anesthesia for Reduction of Distal Radius Fractures: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
We compare periosteal block and intravenous regional anesthesia (IVRA) as anesthetic techniques for reduction of distal radius fractures when performed by emergency department (ED) clinicians following brief training. ⋯ When performed by a diverse group of ED clinicians periosteal block provided inferior analgesia to IVRA but may provide an alternative when IVRA cannot be performed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Restrictive Fluids Versus Standard Care in Adults with Sepsis in the Emergency Department (REFACED) - a Multicenter, Randomized Feasibility Trial.
Fluid treatment in sepsis is a challenge and clinical equipoise exists regarding intravenous (IV) volumes. We aimed to determine whether a 24-h protocol restricting IV fluid was feasible in adult patients with sepsis without shock presenting to the emergency department (ED). ⋯ A protocol restricting IV crystalloid fluids in ED patients with sepsis reduced 24-h fluid volumes compared to standard care. A future trial powered toward patient-centered outcomes appears feasible.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Intravenous acetaminophen does not reduce morphine use for pain relief in emergency department patients: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Pain is one of the main reasons to present to emergency departments (EDs). Opioids are indispensable for acute pain management but are associated with side effects, misuse, and dependence. The aim of this study was to test whether a single dose of intravenous (IV) acetaminophen (paracetamol) can reduce the use of morphine for pain relief and/or morphine-related adverse events (AEs). ⋯ In ED patients, acetaminophen had no additional effect on pain control or morphine-sparing effect at the time of first morphine administration. Titrated morphine with the algorithm used was highly effective, with 80% of all patients reporting pain relief within 60 min of starting therapy.