European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Optimising emergency weight estimation in underweight and obese children: the accuracy of estimations of total body weight and ideal body weight.
During medical emergencies, underweight and obese children are at a higher risk of weight-estimation errors than 'average' children, which may lead to poorer outcomes. In obese children, optimum drug dosing requires a measure of both total body weight (TBW) and ideal body weight (IBW) for appropriate scaling. We evaluated the ability of the Broselow tape, the Mercy method and the PAWPER XL tape to estimate TBW and IBW in obese and underweight children. ⋯ The Broselow tape predicted IBW, but not TBW, accurately. The Mercy method estimated TBW very accurately, but not IBW. The PAWPER XL tape estimated both TBW and IBW accurately. The PAWPER XL tape should be considered when choosing a weight-estimation strategy for obese and underweight children.
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The aim of this study was to determine the impact of abdominal prehospital ultrasound (PHUS) on patient care in a Dutch physician-staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and to determine its diagnostic performance. ⋯ Abdominal PHUS in our setting impacts treatment decisions significantly. Therefore, it is a valuable tool in the Dutch HEMS setting and probably beyond.
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Comparative Study
Better compliance with triage criteria in trauma would reduced costs with maintained patient safety.
To evaluate trauma triage criteria in terms of compliance, undertriage, and overtriage and identify risk factors for mistriage. ⋯ The overtriage and undertriage in this study is in line with the recommendations of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. However, better compliance with trauma alert criteria would result in fewer trauma team activations without affecting patient safety.
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On 13 November 2015, Paris was the target of multiple terrorist attacks responsible for a massive influx of casualties in emergency departments (EDs). Because of the activation of a local crisis plan and the arrival of extra staff, our capacities increased markedly. Our aim was to analyze whether our center, in this challenging context, efficiently managed this massive influx of patients. ⋯ Faced with an unusual event and thanks to the increase in staff, our operating capacities increased. Our center took charge of almost all victims. Patient diversion concerned only three patients transferred to a nearby hospital for minor orthopedic surgery.