Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2007
Case ReportsThe use of point-of-care ultrasound by a critical care retrieval team to diagnose acute abdominal aortic aneurysm in the field.
The potential benefit of point-of-care ultrasound by medical retrieval teams is unclear. In the present case report, the diagnosis of an abdominal aortic aneurysm by a critical care retrieval team equipped with a portable ultrasound machine resulted in significant corrective alteration in patient management and subsequent disposition at the receiving institution.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyRandomized, single blinded control trial comparing haemolysis rate between two cannula aspiration techniques.
Blood aspiration through i.v. cannulae is a common ED sampling method. It is, however, associated with increased haemolysis rates when compared with direct venipuncture. Our ED utilizes two common methods of sampling through cannulae. The aim of the present study was to examine the haemolysis rates for these two techniques. ⋯ The rate of haemolysis is unrelated to the technique of blood aspiration. However, haemolysis rates increase significantly with perceived difficulty of blood draw.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2006
Evaluation of the impact of a paediatric procedural sedation credentialing programme on quality of care.
The aim of the present study is to describe changes in documentation, risk assessment and patient care resulting from implementation of a credentialing process for medical and nursing staff in paediatric procedural sedation (PPS) in two EDs - one an urban mixed ED and the other a specialist paediatric ED. ⋯ The implementation of a PPS credentialing programme into these two EDs resulted in significant improvements in risk assessment, monitoring and documentation of important information related to safe PPS. These improvements should result in improved quality and safety of PPS.