Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is a common manifestation of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but delayed diagnosis can increase mortality. In this proof of principle study, the emergency physician performed transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) on scene to determine whether NSTEMI could be correctly diagnosed pre-hospitalization. This could expedite admission to the appropriate facility and reduce the delay until initiation of correct therapy. ⋯ Pre-hospital transthoracic echocardiography by the emergency physician can correctly diagnose NSTEMI in more than 90% of cases. This can expedite the initiation of appropriate therapy and could thereby conceivably reduce morbidity and mortality.
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The usefulness of the quick Sequential (Sepsis-related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score in providing bedside criteria for early prediction of poor outcomes in patients with suspected infection remains controversial. We investigated the prognostic performance of a positive qSOFA score outside the intensive care unit (ICU) compared with positive systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria. ⋯ A positive qSOFA score had high specificity outside the ICU in early detection of in-hospital mortality, acute organ dysfunction, and ICU admission, but low sensitivity may have limitations as a predictive tool for adverse outcomes. Because between-study heterogeneity was highly represented among the studies, our results should be interpreted with caution.