European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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To evaluate the interrater reliability and parallel forms reliability of transcutaneous Doppler ultrasonography (TCDU) and impedance cardiography (ICG) in clinically and hemodynamically stable emergency department patients. ⋯ Both TCDU and ICG have fair interrater reliability of SV independent of operator experience. A statistically significant relationship exists between the two devices but this does not produce predictable values in SV. Over time comparative results become less biased but remain limited by a great degree of variability.
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Patients with undifferentiated acute abdominal pain (AAP) frequently present to the Emergency Department (ED). The most common diagnosis is the nonspecific abdominal pain although missed occult surgical pathology in the haemodynamically stable patient with equivocal symptoms and signs is a potential source of morbidity. The objectives of this study were two-fold. Firstly, to ascertain the accuracy of ED clinicians in the diagnosis of AAP, and to delineate if there was a population of patients who would normally require admission to hospital that would be suitable to be managed on a Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) protocol. Secondly, to prospectively evaluate such a strategy by way of a pilot study. ⋯ The management of stable AAP within the ED environment on a well-defined CDU pathway is feasible and can facilitate safe, efficient and effective care with early discharge and an increase in the accuracy of the final diagnosis.
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When managing airways in a prehospital setting, emergency physicians have to deal with difficult intubation (DI), which increases morbidity and mortality. The primary goal of this study was to determine predictors of DI in the out-of-hospital field faced by the French physician-staffed Emergency Medical Service. ⋯ For prehospital orotracheal intubation, independent risk factors of DI are a mental-thyroid distance less than three fingers, a patient on the floor, and a superior airways obstruction. Anticipation of DI could result in fewer attempts, and fewer complications, as the rate of complication increases with the difficulty of intubation.
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Comparative Study
Using age on clothes size label to estimate weight in emergency paediatric patients.
To study formulae that estimate children's weight using their actual age. ⋯ In emergencies where a child's age is unknown, use of the age on their clothes label in weight-estimating formulae yields acceptable weight estimates. Even in situations where a child's age is known, the age on their clothes label may provide a more accurate and precise weight estimate than the actual age.
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Comparative Study
Accuracy of prehospital diagnoses by emergency physicians: comparison with discharge diagnosis.
A correct prehospital diagnosis of emergency patients is crucial as it determines initial treatment, admitting specialty, and subsequent treatment. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of emergency physicians. ⋯ Medical history, physical examination, ECG, and blood glucose enabled a correct diagnosis in most cases, but some were impossible to resolve without further technical and laboratory investigations. Only a few were definitively incorrect. A detailed medical history is essential. Neurological disorders can present with misleading symptoms and when the diagnosis is not clear it is better to assume the worst case.