J Emerg Med
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Advance care planning (ACP) benefits emergency department (ED) patients with advanced illness. Although Medicare implemented physician reimbursement for ACP discussions in 2016, early studies found limited uptake. ⋯ Given the low uptake of ACP discussions in ED patients with advanced illness, the ED may be an underused setting for interventions to increase ACP discussions and documentation.
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Criteria for trauma determination evolves. We developed/evaluated a Rapid Trauma Evaluation (RTE) process for a trauma patient subset not meeting preestablished trauma criteria. ⋯ Patients > 65 years with a ground level fall or in a MCC arriving via EMS not meeting ACS trauma criteria may benefit from RTE.
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Mayo Clinic's virtual hybrid hospital-at-home program, Advanced Care at Home (ACH) monitors acute and post-acute patients for signs of deterioration and institutes a rapid response (RR) system if detected. ⋯ The use of an ACH RR team was effective at limiting both escalations back to an ED and hospital readmissions, as 83% of deteriorating patients were successfully stabilized and managed in their homes. Implementing a hospital-at-home RR team can reduce the need for ED use by providing critical resources and carrying out required interventions to stabilize the patient's condition.
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Organic acidemias are rare genetic mutations, most commonly identified in the newborn period. Late-onset presentations present a diagnostic conundrum. Early identification and appropriate management can be lifesaving. ⋯ We describe the case of a 3-year-old boy who presented to urgent care with 2 days of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea followed by respiratory distress, shock, and encephalopathy. Brisk recognition of his shock state led to an urgent transfer to a tertiary care pediatric emergency department by air where his shock was treated and hyperammonemia was uncovered, leading to the diagnosis of late-onset propionic acidemia, which was subsequently managed with a good outcome. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Late-onset presentations of inborn errors of metabolism, including organic acidemias, represent one of the most challenging pediatric cases an emergency physician can encounter. This case reviews the management and diagnosis of a late-onset inborn error of metabolism and emphasizes how prompt diagnosis and treatment can lead to a favorable outcome.
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Spit restraint devices, also referred to as spit hoods, spit masks, or spit socks, are used by law enforcement and medical personnel to minimize transmission of communicable disease from bodily fluids from agitated individuals. Several lawsuits have implicated spit restraint devices as contributing to the death of individuals who are physically restrained by means of asphyxiation due to saturation of the mesh restraint device with saliva. ⋯ In healthy adult subjects, there were no statistically or clinically significant differences in ventilatory or circulatory parameters while wearing the saturated spit restraint.