European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
The association between cardiac risk factors and the probability of acute myocardial infarction in the emergency department: analysis from a multicentre prospective observational study in the high sensitivity troponin era.
Hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking and family history are established risk factors for coronary artery disease. This study sought to determine the diagnostic value these factors have in patients presenting to an emergency department (ED) with suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI). ⋯ Traditional cardiac risk factors have limited association with AMI in the ED, but an increasing risk factor burden is associated with increasing prevalence of AMI. These findings suggest that future work to refine existing decision aids used in this patient group may be of value.
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Healthcare personnel working in the emergency department (ED) is at risk of acquiring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2). So far, it is unknown if the reported variety in infection rates among healthcare personnel is related to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) or other factors. ⋯ In this cross-sectional study, the use of high-level PPE (FFP2 or equivalent and eye protection) by ED personnel during all contacts with patients with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 does not seem to be associated with a lower infection rate of ED staff compared to lower level PPE use. Attention should be paid to ED layout and social distancing to prevent cross-contamination of ED personnel.