Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2009
Clinical TrialThe 10 mL syringe is useful in generating the recommended standard of 40 mmHg intrathoracic pressure for the Valsalva manoeuvre.
The Valsalva manoeuvre (VM) continues to be first-line management for haemodynamically stable supraventricular tachycardia in the acute setting. 40 mmHg of intrathoracic pressure is seen as an essential component of the VM. Anecdotally, blowing into a 10 mL syringe to move the plunger is one method of pressure generation; however, to date its effectiveness has not been tested. The objective of the present study was to assess if blowing into a syringe sufficient to move the plunger could produce the required 40 mmHg of pressure. ⋯ The present study has demonstrated that blowing into a 10 mL Terumo syringe, to move the plunger, generated 40 mmHg intrathoracic pressure, thereby meeting the recommended intrathoracic pressure for optimum VM performance.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2009
Short-term risk of adverse outcome is significantly higher in patients returning an abnormal troponin result when tested in the emergency department.
Describe short-term mortality and hospitalization outcomes in patients undergoing troponin testing in Western Australia tertiary public hospital ED. ⋯ An abnormal ED troponin result appears to be associated with increased risk of subsequent hospitalization and death within 28 days of discharge.