J Emerg Med
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Few data exist regarding the train vs. pedestrian (TVP) injury burden and outcomes. ⋯ TVP is associated with a significant injury burden. These patients have a significantly higher need for immediate operation and more complicated hospital course.
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Medical supplies and equipment are unevenly distributed throughout the world. ⋯ We present a novel approach to decreasing waste and recovering usable medical supplies, in which we found that substantial, valuable medical supplies can be recovered in two urban EDs.
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Case Reports
Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Following Intramuscular Diclofenac: A Case of Kounis Syndrome.
Kounis syndrome (allergic myocardial infarction) is the rare occurrence of systemic anaphylaxis with spontaneous electrocardiographic changes in response to an exogenous agent. Often the syndrome is caused by a drug reaction involving drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, or opioids. There are a few reported cases in the literature regarding diclofenac-induced Kounis syndrome, and little is known about the management of this clinical entity. ⋯ A case of Kounis syndrome with ST-elevation myocardial infarction secondary to intramuscular (i.m.) diclofenac in a patient with prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery is described in this report. Additionally, we discuss the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of this rare clinical entity. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: As i.m. diclofenac is a commonly used drug in the emergency department, we urge emergency physicians to be aware of the existence of this potentially fatal diclofenac-related adverse drug effect. If Kounis syndrome is suspected, the emergency physician is advised to balance the benefit of epinephrine for the treatment of anaphylaxis with the small theoretical risk of increasing coronary vasospasm.
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Multicenter Study
Patients Who Leave the Emergency Department Without Being Seen and Their Follow-Up Behavior: A Retrospective Descriptive Analysis.
Past studies suggest that patients who leave without being seen (LWBS) by a physician from a hospital's emergency department (ED) represent a quality and safety concern, and thus LWBS rates have often been used as an ED performance metric. There are few recent studies, however, that have examined the characteristics of the LWBS population at hospitals in the United States. ⋯ LWBS patients are high ED utilizers who may be effectively targeted by "hotspotting." Our 11.5% admission rate at return after LWBS compares favorably with the overall 20.9% admission rate at the study EDs and represents a small minority of all LWBS visits. Given the paucity of return ED visits after interval clinic encounters, our data suggest that patients who were seen in clinic had their medical complaint adequately resolved on a non-emergent outpatient basis, and that increased LWBS rates may reflect poor access to timely clinic-based care rather than intrinsic systemic issues within the ED.
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Hypertensive urgency is a clinical scenario that may be associated with herbal supplement use and that requires special consideration with regard to emergency department management. ⋯ A 49-year-old man presented to the emergency department with palpitations and severely elevated blood pressure without evidence of end organ dysfunction. Hypertension failed to be controlled with multiple doses of oral clonidine and intravenous labetalol. The patient later admitted to using an herbal supplement containing yohimbine, a selective ⍺2-adrenoreceptor antagonist specifically linked to cases of refractory hypertension. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Between 17-35% of the U.S. adult population may use herbal supplements on a sporadic or regular basis; pharmacologically active agents in herbal supplements may affect both a patient's presentation and response to treatment. Most patients do not mention over-the-counter and herbal products in their medication profile unless specifically asked, and therefore it is important for emergency physicians to be aware of the pharmacologic effects of herbal supplements in the evaluation and treatment of refractory severe hypertension.