Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Major trauma is associated with blood loss and hypothermia. It is common to replace lost fluid with red cells stored at 2-6°C, and/or colloid/crystalloid fluid stored at ambient temperature, thus increasing hypothermia risk. At trauma and medical retrieval sites, mains electricity powered fluid warmers cannot be generally used. Latent heat provides an alternate practical method of portable temperature-controlled intravenous fluid warming. This work investigates the safety and efficacy of a fluid warmer powered by latent heat. ⋯ The latent heat fluid warmer was shown to safely warm transfused blood in a controlled clinical setting.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2020
Epidemiology and clinical features of emergency department patients with suspected COVID-19: Initial results from the COVED Quality Improvement Project (COVED-1).
The COVID-19 Emergency Department (COVED) Quality Improvement Project aims to provide regular and real-time clinical information to ED clinicians caring for patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19. The present study summarises data from the first 2 weeks of the study. ⋯ Among patients presenting to a tertiary ED with suspected COVID-19, only a small proportion tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Although the low incidence of positive cases currently precludes the development of predictive tools, the COVED Project demonstrates that the rapid establishment of an agile clinical registry for emergency care is feasible.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2020
Incidence and outcomes of aortic dissection for emergency departments in New South Wales, Australia 2017-2018: A data linkage study.
The aims of the present study were to describe the age-specific incidence and 30-day mortality of aortic dissection patients presenting to the EDs in New South Wales (NSW). ⋯ The present study found the incidence of aortic dissection within the NSW population to be 3.4 per 100 000. The incidence of aortic dissection in our population increased from 8.6 per 100 000 for people aged between 60 and 80 years to 32 per 100 000 for those aged over 80 years.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2020
Delphi assessment of audit and research priorities in an emergency department.
Audit and research projects in the ED are important to improve patient care but can be time and resource consuming. We identified and prioritised audit and research topics among multidisciplinary ED staff to fill perceived knowledge gaps, encourage engagement, reduce duplication and facilitate translation of evidence into clinical practice. ⋯ This Delphi study has provided departmental audit and research priorities that are perceived to be of importance across the multidisciplinary ED team. This methodology allows strategic allocation of limited resources and may increase staff engagement.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2020
Forecasting daily counts of patient presentations in Australian emergency departments using statistical models with time-varying predictors.
This research aimed to (i) assess the effects of time-varying predictors (day of the week, month, year, holiday, temperature) on daily ED presentations and (ii) compare the accuracy of five methods for forecasting ED presentations, including four statistical methods and a machine learning approach. ⋯ Calendar and temperature variables, not previously considered in the Australian literature, were found to significantly impact ED presentations. This study also demonstrates the potential of GAMs as a dual explanatory and forecasting method for the modelling, and more accurate prediction, of ED presentations.