Articles: emergency-department.
-
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with chest pain (CP) should receive special attention in the emergency department (ED). Evaluating troponin levels is highly confusing. This study aims to compare Cystatin C (CysC) and creatinine on troponin results in CKD patients with CP in ED. ⋯ CysC can be preferable in CKD patients with CP due to the stage change and the decisive effect of CysC on troponin compared to creatinine in patients with and without ACS.
-
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) patient care reports (PCRs) are an important component for the transfer of patient care from EMS systems to hospitals and a foundational element of EMS quality improvement (QI). The PCR may serve as the only objective source of information for EMS patient presentation. Surprisingly little data, either objective or anecdotal, exists regarding the reliability of this process. Our objective is to describe the frequency of missing PCRs and the time of their receipt following EMS transport to hospital emergency departments (EDs). ⋯ Many PCRs are missing after EMS transport, with marked variation in submission rates and time to upload by agency and hospital. Many PCRs were infrequently available for use in a timely manner. Further assessment is needed to quantify the degree to which the lack of transfer of documentation of EMS patient care exists across emergency care systems.
-
Patients with end-of-life care (EoLC) needs present to the emergency departments (ED) frequently and at times, it can be difficult to provide a high standard of care. Within the Irish setting, there is limited literature on the provision of EoLC in EDs and this study, therefore, aimed to evaluate the perceptions of emergency medicine (EM) clinicians regarding the provision of EoLC in EDs in Ireland. ⋯ EM clinicians agree that they are comfortable breaking bad news and discussing EoLC with patients and families, but disagree that adequate resources and infrastructure are in place to provide a high standard of EoLC in Irish EDs. Challenges exist centred on training and infrastructure and addressing these may lead to enhanced EoLC in the future.
-
Background and Objectives: In patients with acute coronary syndrome, electrocardiographic parameters, including ST elevation in lead aVR (aVR-STE), ST depression (aVR-STD), and QTc prolongation, are crucial. This study aims to show the predictive value of a longer QTc in emergency department patients with acute coronary syndrome and ≥1 mm ST elevation or depression in the aVR lead in electrocardiography. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1273 patients admitted to the emergency department with a preliminary diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome between 2020 and 2023. ⋯ In the uni-multivariable regression analysis performed for both change in aVR derivation and mortality, it was determined that prolonging QTc could be a predictive value for acute coronary syndrome (p < 0.001). We found sensitivity at 99.7% and specificity at 99.2% in predicting mortality in patients with prolonged QTc (AUC: 0.983, 95% CI: 0.974-0.993, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In patients with acute coronary syndrome, a prolonged QTc is an independent predictor of short- and long-term mortality in alterations in aVR derivation.
-
Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the emergency department (ED) involve dyspnea, cough, and chest discomfort; frequent exacerbations are associated with increased mortality and reduced quality of life. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NiPPV) is commonly used to help relieve symptoms but is limited due to patient intolerance. We aimed to determine whether high-velocity nasal insufflation (HVNI) is noninferior to NiPPV in relieving dyspnea within 4 h in ED patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure. ⋯ In participants with symptomatic COPD, HVNI was noninferior to NiPPV in relieving dyspnea 4 h after therapy initiation. HVNI may be a reasonable treatment option for some patients experiencing moderate acute exacerbations of COPD in the ED.