European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Comparative Study
The acute sick and injured patients: an overview of the emergency department patient population at a Norwegian University Hospital Emergency Department.
There is a lack of knowledge of the emergency department (ED) population in Norway; hence, the aim of this study was to describe the ED patient population at a Norwegian University Hospital. ⋯ ED patients have a diverse spectrum of presenting complaints and the majority of patients present with symptoms rather than a defined medical diagnosis.
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Observational Study
Impact of the diagnostic process on the accuracy of source identification and time to antibiotics in septic emergency department patients.
Timely administration of effective antibiotics is important in sepsis management. Source-targeted antibiotics are believed to be most effective, but source identification could cause time delays. ⋯ Diagnostic tests are associated with delayed administration of antibiotics to septic ED patients while increasing the diagnostic accuracy to only 68-85%. In one-third of septic ED patients, the choice of antibiotics could have been accurately determined solely on the basis of patient history and physical examination.
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Comparative Study
Bag-mask ventilation and direct laryngoscopy versus intubating laryngeal mask airway: a manikin study of hands-on times during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The percentage of hands-on time during cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a major determinant of patient outcome. We hypothesized that airway management with the intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA) would give greater hands-on time than with bag-mask ventilation (BMV), followed by direct laryngoscopy (DL), particularly in difficult-to-manage airways. ⋯ In this manikin-based study, hands-on time was greater with the ILMA than with BMV+DL. The ILMA was particularly useful in increasing hands-on times in the difficult-to-manage airway.