Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
-
Prior research suggests that, in patients with empty uteri at ultrasonography, endometrial stripe thickness may be predictive of ectopic pregnancy or the likelihood of obtaining chorionic villi after a dilatation and evacuation procedure (D+E). However, it is unclear whether the predictive value of endometrial stripe thickness is confined to patients with low beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) values. ⋯ Endometrial stripe thickness may be predictive of the risk of ectopic pregnancy and the likelihood of obtaining chorionic villi at D+E. However, its predictive value appears to be confined to patients with beta-hCG values < or =1,000 mIU/mL.
-
Adrenal failure, a treatable condition, can have catastrophic consequences if unrecognized in critically ill ED patients. The authors' objective was to prospectively study adrenal function in a case series of hemodynamically unstable (high-risk) patients from a large, urban ED over a 12-month period. ⋯ Adrenal dysfunction is common in high-risk ED patients. Overall, it has a frequency of 19% among a homogeneous population of hemodynamically unstable vasopressor-dependent patients. The effect of physiologic glucocorticoid replacement in this setting remains to be determined.
-
Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
A comparison of two automated external defibrillator algorithms.
To compare the interval to delivery of the first shock by first responders in mannequin-based cardiac arrest scenarios using two automated external defibrillator (AED) algorithms. ⋯ A-II reduced the interval from mannequin contact to the first shock in standard training scenarios.