Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Objective: To inform the future development of a pediatric prehospital sepsis tool, we sought to 1) describe the characteristics, emergent care, and outcomes for children with septic shock who are transported by emergency medicine services (EMS) and compare them to those self-transported; and 2) determine the EMS capture rate of common sepsis screening parameters and the concordance between the parameters documented in the EMS record and in the emergency department (ED) record. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of children ages 0 through 21 years who presented to a pediatric ED with septic shock between 11/2013 and 06/2016. Data, collected by electronic and manual chart review of EMS and ED records, included demographics, initial vital signs in both EMS and ED records, ED triage level, site of initial ED care, ED disposition, ED therapeutic interventions, outcomes, and times associated with processes. ⋯ Interrater reliability was highest for heart rate. Conclusions: Children presenting to the ED with septic shock transported by EMS represent a critically ill subset of modest proportions. Realization of a sepsis screening tool for this vulnerable population will require both creation of a tool containing a limited subset of objective parameters along with processes to ensure capture.
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We present an illustrative case of a 24-year old male who developed cardiovascular and multi-organ system toxicity after inhaling a keyboard dust cleaner containing a halogenated hydrocarbon. In the field, the patient demonstrated neurotoxic effects in addition to electrocardiographic changes concerning for toxic myocarditis. We discuss the types of hydrocarbons, methods of abuse, and toxic effects of their inhalation including "sudden sniffing death" from myocardial sensitization.
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Comparative Study
Evaluation and Comparison of Different Prehospital Triage Scores of Trauma Patients on In-Hospital Mortality.
Introduction: Several prehospital major trauma patient triage scores have been developed, the triage revised trauma score (T-RTS), Vittel criteria, Mechanism/Glasgow Coma Scale/Age/Systolic blood pressure score (MGAP), and the new trauma score (NTS). These scoring schemes allow a rapid and accurate prognostic assessment of the severity of potential lesions. The aim of our study was to compare these scores with in-hospital mortality predictions in a cohort of consecutive trauma patients admitted in a Level 1 trauma center. ⋯ Only Vittel's criteria allowed undertriage below 5% as recommended by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT). Conclusion: The comparison of these different triage scores concluded with a superiority of the MGAP and NTS scores compared with the T-RTS. Including the calculation of MGAP or NTS scores with the Vittel criteria would reduce the risk of overtriage in the Level 1 trauma centers by further directing patients at low risk of death to a lower-level trauma facility.
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Introduction: Following life-threatening junctional trauma, the goal is to limit blood loss while expediting transfer to operative rescue. Unfortunately, life-threatening abdominal-pelvic or junctional hemorrhage is often not amenable to direct compression and few temporizing strategies are available beyond hemostatic dressings, hypotensive resuscitation, and balanced transfusion. Objectives: In this study, we evaluated proximal external aortic compression to arrest blood flow in healthy adult men. ⋯ No complications or negative sequelae were reported. Conclusion: This trial suggests that it may be reasonable to attempt temporization of major abdominal-pelvic and junctional hemorrhage using bimanual proximal external aortic compression. In the absence of immediate alternatives for this dangerous and vexing injury pattern, there appear to be few downsides to prehospital proximal external aortic compression while concomitantly expediting definite care.