European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a rapid cardiothoracic ultrasound protocol (CaTUS), combining echocardiographically derived E/e' and lung ultrasound (LUS), for diagnosing acute heart failure (AHF) in patients with undifferentiated dyspnea in an emergency department (ED). ⋯ CaTUS, combining E/e' and LUS, provided excellent accuracy for diagnosing AHF.
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The objective of this study was to effectuate a consensus of emergency physicians on minimum requirements for facility, diagnostic, and medical specialist availability as a first step toward minimum operational standards for 24/7 available emergency departments (EDs) in the Netherlands. ⋯ An expert panel agreed upon minimum operational standards for EDs in the Netherlands. These results are helpful as a first step toward a more widely supported standard for future 24/7 available EDs in the Netherlands and in addition to this other urgent care facilities.
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Equestrian-related injuries (ERIs) are relatively severe compared with injuries in other popular sports. Previous studies on epidemiology of ERIs vary widely and mainly focus on incidence instead of severity of the injury. ⋯ Horseback riding is a risky activity. Prior studies particularly studied admitted patients in level 1 trauma centers outside of Europe and demonstrated a high risk of significant injury. However, our study demonstrates that these studies in selected groups might have overestimated the severity of ERIs in the general population.
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Intraosseous (IO) access is used widely as an optional vascular route for critically ill patients. It is still unclear whether the IO access can be used as a source for emergency blood samples. The aim of this study was to systematically review the existing literature on the usability of IO blood samples for analysing the parameters relevant to emergency care. ⋯ The results of specific laboratory parameters were scarce and discordant. The evidence on the agreement between IO and arterial and venous samples is still weak. Existing studies with healthy volunteers and animal models provide important insight into the analyses of IO samples, but more evidence, especially from haemodynamically unstable patients, is needed for wider implementation of IO blood sampling in critically ill patients.