Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Meta Analysis
Clinical Examination for Acute Aortic Dissection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Acute aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition due to a tear in the aortic wall. It is difficult to diagnose and if missed carries a significant mortality. ⋯ Suspicion for acute aortic dissection should be raised with hypotension, pulse, or neurologic deficit. Conversely, a low AHA ADD score decreases suspicion. Clinical gestalt informed by high- and low-risk features together with an absence of an alternative diagnosis should drive investigation for acute aortic dissection.
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This retrospective cohort study examined the rate of survival to hospital discharge among adult patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, comparing patients who received care only from basic cardiac life support (BCLS)-trained emergency medical service (EMS) crews to patients who had an advanced cardiac life support (ACLS)-trained EMS crew on scene at some point during the resuscitation. There was no difference in the primary outcome of rate of survival to hospital discharge (10.9% with ACLS care and 10.6% with BCLS care, p = 0.67).
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The objective was to develop a patient decision aid (DA) to promote shared decision making (SDM) for stable, alert patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with syncope. ⋯ We iteratively developed an evidence-based DA to facilitate SDM for alert syncope patients after an unremarkable ED evaluation. Further testing is required to determine its effects on patient care. This DA has the potential to improve care for syncope patients and promote patient-centered care in emergency medicine.
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While sex differences in the treatment and outcomes of subjects with acute coronary syndromes are well documented, little is known about the impact of cardiac troponin (cTn) levels obtained in the emergency department (ED) on the observed sex differences. We sought to determine whether cTn levels by chest pain features modify sex differences in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes in patients presenting with chest pain suggestive of ischemia. ⋯ Sex differences in diagnosis and treatment after presentation to the ED with chest pain are not explained by differences in chest pain features or levels of cTn. Even when females have cardiac chest pain and cTn levels > 99th percentile, they are less likely to be diagnosed with MI, less likely to undergo diagnostic cardiac catheterization within 7 days, and less likely to use evidence-based cardiac medications, but they have the highest 1-year MACE rate. The higher MACE rate appears to be driven by the higher burden of comorbid conditions.