Annals of emergency medicine
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Comparative Study
An analysis of emergency department use by patients with minor illness.
To describe the motivation for emergency department use by patients with minor illnesses and compare the demographics and social class characteristics of these patients with those of the general ED population. ⋯ There are no major differences in ED use for minor illness patients from different racial, educational, and economic backgrounds. These patients tend to have a low frequency of chronic illness and often have no established health care provider. They choose the ED for its ease of access and the wide scope of care that can be delivered.
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The purpose of this study was to obtain information about how patients perceive the health care delivered in an emergency department. ⋯ The information given to patients on arrival at the ED may be important to a positive perception of the care given during their stay.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of standard external CPR, open-chest CPR, and cardiopulmonary bypass in a canine myocardial infarct model.
After cardiac arrest, open-chest CPR (OCCPR) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) have demonstrated higher resuscitation rates when compared individually with standard external CPR (SECPR). We compared all three techniques in a canine myocardial infarct ventricular fibrillation model. ⋯ OCCPR and CPB produce higher coronary perfusion pressures and improved resuscitation rates from ventricular fibrillation when compared with SECPR in this canine myocardial infarct cardiac arrest model. CPB and OCCPR yielded similar resuscitation results, although less epinephrine was required with CPB.
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A miniaturized, infrared, solid-state, end-tidal CO2 detector was used to confirm emergency endotracheal tube (ETT) placement. ⋯ This hand-held infrared capnometer reliably confirms ETT placement under emergency conditions.