Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Ultrasound vs Landmark Guided Medium Sized Joint Arthrocentesis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Arthrocentesis is commonly performed in the emergency department, but success rates vary based on location. Presently, there is a paucity of data assessing the utility of ultrasound-guided (USG) medium-sized joint arthrocentesis. The objective of this study was to compare the success of USG and landmark-guided (LMG) medium-sized joint arthrocentesis. ⋯ Ultrasound guidance improved first-pass and overall successful arthrocentesis of medium-sized joint effusions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Ketamine Administration for Acute Painful Sickle Cell Crisis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
The objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of single-dose ketamine infusion in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) who presented with acute sickle vasoocclusive crisis (VOC). ⋯ Early use of ketamine in adults with VOC resulted in a meaningful reduction in pain scores over a 2-h period and reduced the cumulative morphine dose in the ED with no significant drug-related side effects in the ketamine-treated group.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of a Care Transitions Intervention for Older Adults Discharged Home from the Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Improving care transitions following emergency department (ED) visits may reduce post-ED adverse events among older adults (e.g., ED revisits, decreased function). The Care Transitions Intervention (CTI) improves hospital-to-home transitions; however, its effectiveness at improving post-ED outcomes is unknown. We tested the effectiveness of the CTI with community-dwelling older adult ED patients, hypothesizing that it would reduce revisits and increase performance of self-management behaviors during the 30 days following discharge. ⋯ The CTI did not reduce 30-day ED revisits but did significantly increase key care transition behaviors (outpatient follow-up, red flag knowledge). Additional research is needed to explore if patients with different conditions benefit more from the CTI and whether decreasing ED revisits is the most appropriate outcome for all older adults.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Enrollment with and without Exception from Informed Consent in a Pilot Trial of Tranexamic Acid in Children with Hemorrhagic Injuries.
Federal exception from informed consent (EFIC) procedures allow studies to enroll patients with time-sensitive, life-threatening conditions when written consent is not feasible. Our objective was to compare enrollment rates with and without EFIC in a trial of tranexamic acid (TXA) for children with hemorrhagic injuries. ⋯ In a multicenter trial of severely injured children, the use of EFIC procedures greatly increased the enrollment rate and was well accepted by guardians. Initiating the trial without EFIC procedures led to a significant delay in enrollment.