Articles: emergency-services.
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Pediatric emergency care · Aug 2024
Diphenhydramine and Migraine Treatment Failure in Pediatric Patients Receiving Prochlorperazine.
The objectives are to determine whether diphenhydramine coadministered with prochlorperazine versus prochlorperazine only is associated with a difference in the risk of migraine treatment failure, as measured by the need for additional therapy, hospitalization rates, and 72-hour return rates, and to compare extrapyramidal adverse effects between groups. ⋯ There was no association between diphenhydramine coadministration and the need for additional therapy, 72-hour return visit rates or admission rates. Extrapyramidal effects did not occur in patients treated with diphenhydramine.
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Persons living with dementia (PLWD) experience frequent and costly emergency department (ED) visits, with poor outcomes attributed to suboptimal care and postdischarge care transitions. Yet, patient-centered data on ED care experiences and postdischarge needs are lacking. The objective of this study was to examine the facilitators and barriers to successful ED care and care transitions after discharge, according to PLWD and their caregivers. ⋯ ED care and care transitions for PLWD are suboptimal, and patient-level factors may exacerbate existing system-level deficiencies. Insight from patients and their caregivers may inform the development of ED interventions to design specialized care for this patient population. This qualitative study also demonstrated the feasibility of conducting ED-based studies on PLWD during their ED visit.
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Observational Study
An analytical observational study for diagnostic accuracy of volume, conductivity & scatter (VCS) indices of neutrophils for diagnosis of sepsis in an emergency hospital setting.
Background & objectives The newer technique using an innovative volume conductivity scatter (VCS) technology is emerging as a surrogate for sepsis diagnosis. The VCS technology offers a more objective method to measure cell volume (V), characterize conductivity (C) and light scatter (S) directly from more than 8,000 white blood cells (WBCs). However, diagnostic performance of VCS parameters in sepsis has not been extensively tested in routine hospital emergency settings. ⋯ Results The mean neutrophil volume (MNV) values were not significantly different between cases and controls (P 0.138) whereas mean neutrophil conductance (MNC) and mean neutrophil scatter (MNS) measurements were significantly higher among cases as compared to controls (both P-values <0.001). According to Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROCs) curve analysis, MNV in our study failed to show statistically significant discriminatory ability in sepsis (AUC 0.54) whereas MNC (AUC 0.98) and MNS (AUC 0.95) showed marked discriminatory ability in diagnosing sepsis in this study cohort. Interpretation & conclusions Among VCS parameters, MNV failed as a standalone biomarker of sepsis in routine emergency setting whereas MNC and MNS had statistically significant diagnostic and discriminatory accuracies among hospitalized affected individuals with sepsis.
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A pathway for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) with a single intravenous (IV) dose of dalbavancin was previously shown to reduce hospital admissions and shorten inpatient length of stay (LOS). ⋯ The new single-dose dalbavancin ED pathway for ABSSSI treatment, which was previously implemented at 11 U.S. EDs, offers robust cost savings compared to inpatient usual care.
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The purpose of this research was to assess overall medication adherence as an indicator for emergency room (ER) visits, hospitalizations, and mortality among elderly patients. ⋯ Better medication adherence was associated with fewer ER visits and hospitalizations among elderly patients with diabetes and hypertension and lower mortality rates. Overall medication adherence is an indicator for health outcomes unrelated to the patient's underlying health status.