Articles: emergency-department.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Aug 2023
Refining triage practices by predicting the need for emergent care following major trauma: the experience of a level 1 adult trauma center.
We examined the predictability of selected parameters for establishing the need for urgent care following multi-trauma as a means to warrant the highest level of trauma activation and potentially improve over- and under-triage rates. ⋯ A GCS ≤ 13, systolic BP < 110 mmHg, signs of respiratory distress, and age > 75 years best predicted the need for acute care following multisystem trauma. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm the predictability of these criteria and to assess the extent to which their implementation will refine over- and under-triage rates.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2023
24 hours - Life in the E.R.: A state-wide data linkage analysis of in-patients with prolonged emergency department length of stay in New South Wales, Australia.
Describe the characteristics and predictors of mortality for patients who spend more than 24 h in the ED waiting for an in-patient bed and compare baseline clinical and demographic characteristics between tertiary and non-tertiary hospitals. ⋯ Interventions and models of care to address ED access block need to focus on mental health patients, older patients particularly those with cardiorespiratory illness and oncology and haematology patients for whom risk of mortality is disproportionately higher.
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Comment Multicenter Study Observational Study
Minimal is not minor also in patients with mild traumatic brain injury on oral direct anticoagulant therapy.
Currently, all patients, regardless of the type of head injury, should undergo a head computerized tomography (CT) if on oral anticoagulant therapy. The aim of the study was to assess the different incidences of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) between patients with minor head injury (mHI) and patients with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and whether there were differences in the risk of death at 30 days as a result of trauma or neurosurgery. A retrospective multicenter observational study was conducted from January 1, 2016, to February 1, 2020. ⋯ Patients on MTBI (5.4%) were found to be more associated with ICH than those with mHI (0.0%, p = 0.002). also when the need for neurosurgery or death within 30 days were considered. Patients on DOACs with mHI have a lower risk of presenting with post-traumatic ICH than patients with MTBI. Furthermore, patients with mHI have a lower risk of death or neurosurgery than patients with MTBI, despite the presence of ICH.
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Ankle injuries are one of the most common presentations in the ED. Although fractures can be ruled out using the Ottawa Ankle Rules, the specificity is low, which means many patients may still receive unnecessary radiographs. Even once fractures are ruled out, assessment of ankle stability is recommended to rule out ruptures, but the anterior drawer test has only moderate sensitivity and low specificity and should be performed only after swelling has receded. Ultrasound could be a reliable, cheap and radiation free alternative to diagnose fractures and ligamentous injuries. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the accuracy of ultrasound in diagnosing ankle injuries. ⋯ CRD42020215258.
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The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the introduction of an education program familiarizing staff with the effective and appropriate use of Laceraine application to children's lacerations requiring repair at The Prince Charles Hospital Children's Emergency Department (TPCH-CED), Brisbane. ⋯ There was a significant change in practice with greater use of topical anesthetic (Laceraine) for the management of laceration repair of children, as expected, after the focused education program on its correct use. As emergency departments continue to be overwhelmed with increasing attendances and long patient wait times, a simple small intervention, such as that described, has potential to improve flow through the children's emergency department. Future research should focus on a randomized control trial to determine the contribution of the use of a topical agent, as opposed to injectable local anesthetic and/or full procedural sedation to determine the contribution to the impact of this simple change of practice on patient flow and satisfaction.