J Emerg Med
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Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a potentially life-threatening complication of thyrotoxicosis, characterized by hypokalemia and muscle paralysis. ⋯ TPP should always be considered as a differential in patients, especially in young males of Asian descent with lower-limb paralysis or weakness. We present this case, followed by a review of the literature.
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Association of Emergency Department and Hospital Characteristics with Elopements and Length of Stay.
As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) core measures in 2013 compare Emergency Department (ED) treatment time intervals, it is important to identify ED and hospital characteristics associated with these metrics to facilitate accurate comparisons. ⋯ Higher-volume EDs are associated with higher LBTC and LOS, and for-profit hospitals appear more favorably in these metrics compared with their nonprofit counterparts. It is important to appreciate that hospitals have different baselines for performance that may be more tied to volume and capacity, and less to quality of care.
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Due to temporal variations in completed suicides, it has been suggested that impulsivity and environmental factors may influence suicide. ⋯ The beginning of the week, spring and fall, and New Year's Day were associated with higher numbers of ingestions with suicidal intent. This has implications for clinicians advising potential victims and providing emergency care for these patients.
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Observational Study
Adverse Drug Event Nonrecognition in Emergency Departments: An Exploratory Study on Factors Related to Patients and Drugs.
Many adverse drug events (ADEs) are not identified by emergency physicians. Research has been done to study risk factors for ADEs and help emergency physicians diagnose ADEs. However, no research has specifically examined the causes underlying a lack of attribution of ADEs to medications in emergency department (ED) patients. ⋯ Our results emphasize the importance of searching for ADEs in patients with daily polypharmacy or whose chief complaint does not seem to be drug related.