Articles: emergency-services.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2024
A descriptive study of domestic and family violence presentations to an emergency department in the Northern Territory.
Examine the nature of domestic and family violence (DFV) presentations to an ED in the Northern Territory and identify potential gaps in service delivery. ⋯ The data highlights the need for a 24 h trauma-informed, culturally safe and integrated service to support people experiencing DFV. This could be achieved by a specialist unit designed and staffed by First Nations health practitioners.
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Case Reports
Successful administration of extended-release buprenorphine in the emergency department.
The ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States has resulted in a substantial increase in overdose deaths and related morbidity and mortality. Given that emergency departments (ED) frequently serve as the initial point of contact for individuals experiencing opioid overdose or seeking treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), ED clinicians have a pivotal role to play in providing prompt and effective treatment for OUD. While ED clinicians routinely administer sublingual and other transmucosal formulations of buprenorphine, extended-release buprenorphine (BUP-XR) remains underutilized in the ED. ⋯ Our report adds to the existing limited literature on the administration of BUP-XR in the ED and highlights the need for more comprehensive clinician teaching and guidance, as well as the establishment of in-hospital protocols for BUP-XR. Despite these challenges, our case indicates that initiating BUP-XR could be a viable and effective option for ED patients with OUD.
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Pediatric emergency care · Oct 2024
From Their Perspective: Pediatric Patients With Acute Mental Health Needs and Prolonged Emergency Department Stays.
The pediatric emergency department (PED) is experiencing a rising volume of patients with mental health concerns, leading to prolonged boarding times and delays in initiating active therapeutic plans. A paucity of research exists for the self-reported pediatric patient experience during such boarding. ⋯ Patients in mental health crisis boarding in the PED have already experienced stressful life events. By listening to the personal stories of this vulnerable population, the PED can improve care delivery and design a more therapeutic environment, especially as the need for acute mental health management continues to increase.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparison of Nebulized Ketamine to Intravenous Subdissociative Dose Ketamine for Treating Acute Painful Conditions in the Emergency Department: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Double-Dummy Controlled Trial.
We aimed to assess and compare the analgesic efficacy and adverse effects of intravenous subdissociative-dose ketamine to nebulized ketamine in emergency department (ED) patients with acute painful conditions. ⋯ We found no difference between the administration of IV and nebulized ketamine for the short-term treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in the ED, with both treatments providing a clinically meaningful reduction in pain scores at 30 minutes.
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Multicenter Study
Derivation of a clinical prediction score for the diagnosis of clinically significant symptomatic carotid artery disease.
Emergent vascular imaging identifies a subset of patients requiring immediate specialized care (i.e. carotid stenosis > 50%, dissection or free-floating thrombus). However, most TIA patients do not have these findings, so it is inefficient to image all TIA patients in crowded emergency departments (ED). Our objectives were to derive and internally validate a clinical prediction score for clinically significant carotid artery disease in TIA patients. ⋯ This simple score can predict carotid artery disease in TIA patients using readily available information. It identifies low-risk patients who can defer vascular imaging to an outpatient or specialty clinic setting. Medium-risk patients may undergo imaging immediately or with slight delay, depending on local resources. High-risk patients should undergo urgent vascular imaging.