European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Observational Study
The 7-day mortality associated with an early warning score varies between age groups in a cohort of adult Danish emergency department patients.
Early warning scores are designed for monitoring hospitalized patients and enable a timely response to deviating vital signs. The aim of this study was to examine whether 7-day mortality, associated with an initial early warning score, differs between age groups. Our hypothesis was that elderly patients are at greater risk of dying compared to a younger patient with a similar early warning score. ⋯ Our findings show that the oldest emergency department patients (80+ years) have a higher 7-day mortality compared to young patients (16-59 years) with a similar initial early warning score.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Superior performance of National Early Warning Score compared with quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment Score in predicting adverse outcomes: a retrospective observational study of patients in the prehospital setting.
Early intervention and response to deranged physiological parameters in the critically ill patient improve outcomes. A National Early Warning Score (NEWS) based on physiological observations has been developed for use throughout the National Health Service in the UK. The quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment Score (qSOFA) was developed as a simple bedside criterion to identify adult patients outwith the ICU with suspected infection who are likely to have a prolonged ICU stay or die in hospital. We aim to compare the ability of NEWS and qSOFA to predict adverse outcomes in a prehospital population. ⋯ Our study shows qSOFA can identify patients at risk of adverse outcomes in the prehospital setting. However, NEWS is superior to qSOFA in a prehospital environment at identifying patients at risk of adverse outcomes.
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Observational Study
End tidal carbon dioxide monitoring in acute asthma: a prospective pilot study in emergency department patients.
The peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) is the gold standard for monitoring asthmatic patients. However, its measurement requires understanding and active participation. End tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) may be considered an accurate surrogate for PaCO2, a severity marker in acute asthma. We studied the use of EtCO2 as a monitoring tool in acute asthma.