Medicine
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Frequent emergency department (ED) users contribute to a disproportionate number of ED visits that consume a substantial amount of medical resources. Additionally, people with frequent ED visits may be at greater risks of illnesses and injury and are vulnerable to even more severe health events. We conducted, based on a nationally representative sample, a population-based study to estimate the prevalence of frequent ED users among all ED users, and to explore factors associated with frequent ED visits. ⋯ On the contrary, the significant predictors for highly frequent ED visit with greater AOR included hospitalization during the past year (AOR = 3.95), > 12 outpatient visits during the past year (AOR = 2.66), and a history of congestive heart failure (AOR = 2.64) and psychiatric disorders (AOR = 2.35). People admitted and with frequent outpatient visits were at greater risk of frequent ED visit. Because people with a history of various comorbidities were also vulnerable to become frequent ED users, careful management of those comorbidities by clinicians may help further reduce the likelihood of frequent ED visit.
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Hypertensive patients have more complex health care needs and are more likely to have poorer health-related quality of life than normotensive people. The awareness of hypertension could be related to reduce health-related quality of life. We propose the use of quantile regression to explore more detailed relationships between awareness of hypertension and health-related quality of life. ⋯ The median (IQR) of physical component summary scores: 48.20 (13.88) versus 53.27 (10.79), P < 0.01; the mental component summary scores: 50.68 (15.09) versus 51.70 (10.65), P = 0.03. adjusting for covariates, the quantile regression results suggest awareness of hypertension was associated with most physical component summary scores quantiles (P < 0.05 except 10th and 20th quantiles) in which the β-estimates from -2.14 (95% CI: -3.80 to -0.48) to -1.45 (95% CI: -2.42 to -0.47), as the same significant trend with some poorer mental component summary scores quantiles in which the β-estimates from -3.47 (95% CI: -6.65 to -0.39) to -2.18 (95% CI: -4.30 to -0.06). The awareness of hypertension has a greater effect on those with intermediate physical component summary status: the β-estimates were equal to -2.04 (95% CI: -3.51 to -0.57, P < 0.05) at the 40th and decreased further to -1.45 (95% CI: -2.42 to -0.47, P < 0.01) at the 90th quantile. Awareness of hypertension was negatively related to health-related quality of life in hypertensive patients in rural western China, which has a greater effect on mental component summary scores with the poorer status and on physical component summary scores with the intermediate status.
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The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a new approach to rewarming patients with severe hypothermia and hemodynamic instability. There are, however, many questions regarding qualification for this technique in case of suspected or confirmed trauma. A male with confirmed accidental hypothermia (25°C) and after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation from in-hospital cardiac arrest was subjected to a protocol of extracorporeal rewarming from profound hypothermia. ⋯ Based on repeated imaging and specialist consultation, no life-threatening injuries were identified and rewarming with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was safely performed. In a year follow-up, the patient was found to be alive, with no neurologic deficits. Although this case highlights the first successful utilization of extracorporeal rewarming in a trauma patient at our center there are several limitations to its widespread use.
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To examine the effect of endotoxemia on the procalcitonin (PCT) serum levels and mortality rates of adult patients with septic shock diagnosed on the day of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). A retrospective observational study was performed over a 2-year period. Levels of PCT were compared for septic shock patients with and without endotoxemia on admission to the ICU. ⋯ The median PCT level in survivors was 6.7 ng/mL (2.3-28.0), compared with 16.7 ng/mL (5.3-31.0) in nonsurvivors (P = 0.04). This observational study revealed that endotoxemia in patients with septic shock on admission to the ICU was frequently found and was associated with an elevated PCT level and a high mortality rate. Endotoxemia was a common occurrence in patients with septic shock, regardless of the infecting microorganism.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Differential Clinical Impact of Ascites in Cirrhosis and Idiopathic Portal Hypertension.
Cirrhosis and idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH) are 2 major diseases showing portal hypertension. However, characteristics and outcomes of IPH with ascites have not yet been determined. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of ascites on the long-term clinical course of IPH. ⋯ The overall survival rate appeared to favor IPH (100% at 1 year, 92.9% at 3 and 5 years; P = 0.2) more than cirrhosis (87.7% at 1 year, 75.2% at 3 years, and 63.6% at 5 years), but did not reach statistical significance. However, in patients with ascites at baseline, the survival rate was significantly better in IPH (100% at 1, 3, and 5 years, P = 0.04) than in cirrhosis (69.1% at 1 year, 43% at 3 years, 34.4% at 5 years). The presence of ascites at baseline correlated with worse survival rates in patients with cirrhosis as compared to those with IPH as the underlying etiology.