Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomised controlled crossover trial of the effect on PtCO2 of oxygen-driven versus air-driven nebulisers in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The comparative safety of oxygen versus air-driven nebulised bronchodilators in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is uncertain. A randomised controlled trial was performed to assess the effect on the arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide of nebulised bronchodilator driven with oxygen versus air in stable severe COPD. ⋯ The study was registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12610000080022).
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Emergency department (ED) crowding has been associated with a number of negative health outcomes, including unnecessary deaths, increased waiting times and a decrease in care quality. Despite the seriousness of this issue, there is little agreement on appropriate crowding measures to assess crowding effects on ED operations. The objective of this study was to prioritise a list of quantified crowding measures that would assess the current state of a department. ⋯ This study resulted in the identification of eight quantified crowding measures, which present a comprehensive view of how crowding is affecting ED operations, and highlighted areas of concern. These quantified measures have the potential to make a considerable contribution to decision making by ED management and to provide a basis for learning across different departments.
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To map interruptions encountered by a senior physician performing a variety of everyday tasks on an emergency department (ED) 'shop floor' in the UK in order to identify tasks most likely to be interrupted, modes of interruption and those interruptions most likely to result in breaks as suspension of the original task. ⋯ Overt electronic communication systems may have a disproportionate impact in determining the likelihood for successful interruptions. Formal consideration of how to prioritise and manage interruptions from various channels could be usefully added to emergency medicine education and training.
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To determine whether acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) should be combined with the trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) to predict outcome in severe trauma patients and investigate effects of the change in coagulation state during early resuscitation on the actual survival rate. ⋯ ATC decreased actual survival more than expected. ATC should be combined with TRISS to predict trauma outcome in severely injured patients. Improvement in coagulopathy during resuscitation may reduce the incidence of preventable death after trauma.
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To investigate the safety and effectiveness of dexmedetomidine for sedating patients in whom previous attempts at sedation in the emergency department have failed. ⋯ Intravenous dexmedetomidine for difficult-to-sedate patients with acute behavioural disturbance is not safe in the emergency department setting.