Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Comparative Study
Intermethod reliability of real-time versus delayed videotaped evaluation of a high-fidelity medical simulation septic shock scenario.
High-fidelity medical simulation (HFMS) is increasingly utilized in resident education and evaluation. No criterion standard of assessing performance currently exists. This study compared the intermethod reliability of real-time versus videotaped evaluation of HFMS participant performance. ⋯ Real-time and videotaped-based evaluations of resident performance of both technical and nontechnical skills during an HFMS septic shock scenario provided equally reliable methods of assessment.
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Factors that affect success on the national paramedic certification examination have been identified. However, there are no known studies that have examined success on the paramedic exam with respect to either Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) examination score or length of EMT-B certification (which may reflect field experience gained prior to enrolling in paramedic training). The objectives of this study included assessing the relationship of EMT-B examination score and length of EMT-B certification to success on the national paramedic certification examination. ⋯ Both EMT-B examination score and ength of EMT-B certification are associated with success on first attempt at the cognitive portion of the national paramedic certification exam. Educators may wish to consider these two factors when determining paramedic program admission standards and/or consider these variables when determining how to allocate program resources.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized clinical trial of propofol with and without alfentanil for deep procedural sedation in the emergency department.
The objectives were to compare the efficacy, occurrence of adverse events, and recovery duration of propofol with and without alfentanil for use in procedural sedation in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ The use of supplemental alfentanil with propofol for procedural sedation did not result in a difference in reported pain or recall immediately after the procedure. There was an increase in the proportion of patients who required stimulation to induce respiration during the procedure in patients who received propofol with supplemental alfentanil. The addition of supplemental opioid to procedural sedation with propofol does not appear beneficial.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Randomized double-blind placebo controlled crossover study of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, acetaminophen/hydrocodone, and placebo for the relief of pain from a standard painful stimulus.
The objective was to compare subjects' change in perceived acute pain from an identical painful stimulus after receiving three separate, commonly used pain medications and placebo. ⋯ There was a wide range of changes in pain scores from this identical painful stimulus after receiving the study medications. Acetaminophen and acetaminophen/hydrocodone resulted in a similar decrease in pain (10.2 and 9.5%), while ibuprofen and placebo had a similar lack of effect (-6.6 and -6.9%). Forty-four percent of subjects receiving acetaminophen/hydrocodone reported mild side effects; no other side effects were seen. In this noninflammatory pain model, the VAS is not able to distinguish differences in pain relief between acetaminophen and acetaminophen/hydrocodone or ibuprofen and placebo.
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Review
Intravenous lipid emulsion as antidote beyond local anesthetic toxicity: a systematic review.
The objective was to asses the efficacy of lipid emulsion as antidotal therapy outside the accepted setting of local anesthetic toxicity. ⋯ Management of overdose with highly lipophilic cardiotoxic medications should proceed in accord with established antidotal guidelines and early poisons center consultation. Data from animal experiments and human cases are limited, but suggestive that ILE may be helpful in potentially lethal cardiotoxicity or developed cardiac arrest attributable to such agents. Use of lipid emulsion as antidote remains a nascent field warranting further preclinical study and systematic reporting of human cases of use.