Articles: emergency-services.
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Increasing the equitable distribution of take home naloxone (THN) may result in reduced deaths from opioid overdose (OD). ⋯ Demographic characteristics did not differ between those who accept versus refuse THN. Patients already receiving MOUD were more likely to refuse THN while those starting MOUD in the ED were less likely to refuse THN. Further studies are needed to determine the root causes of patients' declination of THN and develop targeted interventions to address these causes.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2024
Understanding Trends in Pediatric Drowning Injuries in North Carolina.
Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related death in the pediatric and adolescent population. This epidemiologic study describes the trends in emergency department (ED) visits for pediatric drowning injury in North Carolina and the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on incidence rate. ⋯ This study is limited by the fortunate rarity of pediatric drowning events. Injuries may be underreported because these are only ED presentations. This study relied on provider documentation in electronic health records. The definition of postpandemic is not well defined, and sequelae of the COVID-19 pandemic may not yet be fully appreciated. The incidence of North Carolina ED encounters for drowning injury in the pediatric population has decreased, and the COVID-19 pandemic had a noticeable, although not statistically significant, effect.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2024
Observational StudyThe Effect of Step Stool Use on Chest Compression Quality During CPR in Young Children: Findings From the Videography in Pediatric Emergency Research (VIPER) Collaborative.
This study aimed to determine the effect of stepstool use on chest compression (CC) quality during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in young children. ⋯ In children >1 year, stepstool use resulted in greater CC depth and more AHA-compliant CC rate. No CC segments in children >1 year achieved AHA compliance without a stepstool. These data support uniform stepstool use during pediatric CPR in children >1 year of age.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Dec 2024
Efficacy and safety of the serratus anterior plane block (SAP block) for pain management in patients with multiple rib fractures in the emergency department: a retrospective study.
Chest trauma is a severe and frequent cause of admission to the emergency department (ED). The serratus anterior plane (SAP) block seems to be an effective method of pain management; however, data on efficacy and safety of a single SAP block performed in the ED by emergency physicians (EP) are limited. This study aimed to compare SAP block performed by the EP in the ED plus standard therapy to standard therapy alone in terms of pain severity at 0-3-6-12-18 and 24 h, total opioid consumption (milligrams of morphine equivalents, MME), respiratory function (SpO2/FiO2 ratio), and adverse events (i.e. pneumothorax, infections in the site of injection, or Local Anaesthetic Systemic Toxicity syndrome due to SAP block) in the first 24 h. ⋯ The SAP block, in combination with standard therapy, appeared to be more effective in providing pain relief than standard therapy alone in patients admitted to the SICU for traumatic rib fractures.
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Hidden infections and late diagnoses are currently the main challenges of the HIV pandemic. Emergency departments (EDs) are one of the health care system's key resources addressing these challenges. In 2020, the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES) published recommendations for ordering HIV serology testing for patients with certain health conditions, and in 2021 SEMES launched the "Leave Your Mark" (Deja tu Huella - DTH) program to facilitate implementing the recommendations during emergency care. ⋯ One out of every 5 new HIV diagnoses in Spain is now made in an ED, but there is still room for improvement. To that end, this paper contributes 7 concrete proposals: 1) update the DTH program's criteria for ordering serology by including unexplained thrombocytopenia, fever with no focus of infection, and former residence in a country with endemic HIV infection; 2) include serology for hepatitis C virus infection at the time HIV testing is ordered; 3) reinforce the importance of obtaining the patient's informed consent for testing, meeting the obligation to respect the individual's rights; 4) implement educational programs; 5) develop decision-making tools (forms for ordering tests, alerts in patients' histories); 6) involve nurses in the DTH process and value their contributions; and 7) monitor quality markers to evaluate implementation of the program in all participating hospitals. The ultimate goal is to improve the DTH program and ensure its sustainability over time.