Articles: hospital-emergency-service.
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Caring for older adults in the Emergency Department demands compassion, expertise, and adaptability to address the intricate medical and emotional needs of this vulnerable population. Key geriatric emergency medicine articles from 2023 highlight the evolving landscape of this field: updates to the Beers Criteria for potentially inappropriate medications, medications most implicated in causing delirium, geriatric trauma centers, behavioral problems in persons with dementia, geriatric syndrome detection, and emergency department (ED) process outcomes in geriatric EDs. As healthcare organizations shift to focus on the larger continuum of care that extends beyond the ED visit, we also highlight a novel program from the Veterans Affairs bringing former military medics to the home to improve outcomes after ED discharge. This review highlights practice-changing updates to improve the management of older adults in the ED.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Characteristics of emergency department patients with confirmed diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease vs patients with respiratory symptoms and a suspected diagnosis.
To describe differences in patient characteristics and case management between patients attended in emergency departments (EDs) with confirmed diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) vs those with respiratory symptoms in whom COPD is suspected. ⋯ Clinical characteristics and management of emergency care differ between patients with confirmed vs suspected COPD. Patients with suspected COPD had more limited access to certain diagnostic, therapeutic, and follow-up resources.
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2025
Emergency Medical Services and Police Utilization for Pediatric Mental and Behavioral Health Concerns Within a Large Hospital System.
This study aimed to compare emergency medical services (EMS) and police utilization trends, epidemiology, and emergency department (ED) outcomes between pediatric patients with mental or behavioral health (MBH) emergencies and those with non-MBH concerns transported to a large children's hospital system. ⋯ The proportion of pediatric transports for MBH emergencies by EMS is rising and comprises the majority of police transports. Distinct from non-MBH pediatric patients transported, MBH patients necessitate significant ED resources, including ED-administered restraints and admission, highlighting their unique burden on the prehospital and ED systems.
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2025
Epidemiology of Emergency Department Visits for Children With Clinically Significant Cardiovascular Disease.
The aim of the study is to determine the epidemiology, cost, and factors associated with hospital admission, deterioration if hospitalized, and mortality for children with a history of clinically significant cardiovascular disease (CVD) presenting to pediatric emergency departments (EDs). ⋯ ED visits for children with clinically significant CVD lead to substantial resource utilization, including frequent hospitalization, ICU level of care, and costs. This baseline data aids in the development of prospective studies to inform the appropriate ED management for children with clinically significant CVD.
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The diagnostic accuracy of focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) performed in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain is currently unknown. ⋯ In ED patients with chest pain and no ST elevation, the detection of regional wall motion abnormalities was a predictor of NSTE-ACS. Despite a high specificity, which indicated a possible role of FoCUS in the rule-in of NSTE-ACS, sensitivity was too low to allow a safe rule-out using FoCUS results alone.