Articles: emergency-department.
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
Occult Pneumothoraces in Children With Blunt Torso Trauma.
Plain chest x-ray (CXR) is often the initial screening test to identify pneumothoraces in trauma patients. Computed tomography (CT) scans can identify pneumothoraces not seen on CXR ("occult pneumothoraces"), but the clinical importance of these radiographically occult pneumothoraces in children is not well understood. The objectives of this study were to determine the proportion of occult pneumothoraces in injured children and the rate of treatment with tube thoracostomy among these children. ⋯ In pediatric patients with blunt torso trauma, pneumothoraces are uncommon, and most are not identified on the ED CXR. Nearly half of pneumothoraces, and most occult pneumothoraces, are managed without tube thoracostomy. Observation, including in children requiring endotracheal intubation, should be strongly considered during the initial management of children with occult pneumothoraces.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2014
Multicenter StudyListeria and Enterococcal Infections in Neonates 28 Days of Age and Younger: Is Empiric Parenteral Ampicillin Still Indicated?
Empiric parenteral ampicillin has traditionally been used to treat listeria and enterococcal serious bacterial infections (SBI) in neonates 28 days of age or younger. Anecdotal experience suggests that these infections are rare. Existing data suggest an increasing resistance to ampicillin. Guidelines advocating the routine use of empiric ampicillin may need to be revisited. ⋯ Listeria is an uncommon cause of neonatal SBI in febrile neonates who presented to the ED. Empiric use of ampicillin may need to be reconsidered if national data confirm very low listeria and enterococcal prevalence and high ampicillin resistance patterns.
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
The utility of copeptin in the emergency department as a predictor of adverse outcomes in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome: the COPED-PAO study.
To test the utility of a single copeptin determination at presentation to the emergency department (ED) as a short-term prognosis marker in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS). To compare the results with those achieved with conventional troponin. ⋯ In patients with NSTEACS, determination of copeptin at presentation to the ED is associated with risk of death during the subsequent month. This association, however, disappears after adjusting by baseline features or troponin level, so copeptin does not add complementary prognostic information over that provided by troponin.
-
J. Infect. Chemother. · Feb 2014
Multicenter Study Observational StudyA multicenter, prospective evaluation of quality of care and mortality in Japan based on the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines.
To elucidate the standard Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines-based quality of care and mortality related to severe sepsis in Japan, we conducted a multicenter, prospective, observational study using a new web-based database between June 1, 2010, and December 31, 2011. A total of 1104 patients with severe sepsis were enrolled from 39 Japanese emergency and critical care centers. All-cause hospital mortality was 29.3% in patients with severe sepsis and 40.7% in patients with septic shock. ⋯ From these results, we concluded that our prospective multicenter study was successful in evaluating SSC guidelines-based standard quality of care and mortality related to severe sepsis in Japan. Although mortality in Japan was equivalent to that reported worldwide in the above-mentioned international sepsis registry study, compliance with severe sepsis bundles was low. Thus, there is scope for improvement in the initial treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock in Japanese emergency and critical care centers.
-
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
Procalcitonin as a Marker of Serious Bacterial Infections in Febrile Children Younger Than 3 Years Old.
There is no perfectly sensitive or specific test for identifying young, febrile infants and children with occult serious bacterial infections (SBIs). Studies of procalcitonin (PCT), a 116-amino-acid precursor of the hormone calcitonin, have demonstrated its potential as an acute-phase biomarker for SBI. The objective of this study was to compare performance of serum PCT with traditional screening tests for detecting SBIs in young febrile infants and children. ⋯ Procalcitonin is a more accurate biomarker than traditional screening tests for identifying young febrile infants and children with serious SBIs. Further study on a larger cohort of young febrile children is required to definitively determine the benefit of PCT over traditional laboratory screening tests for SBIs.