Annals of emergency medicine
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To determine whether an intensive educational campaign of emergency department personnel on the organ donor and procurement process would result in both increased organ donor referrals and organs procured. ⋯ Emergency physicians are in a unique position as first caregivers to interact with both potential donors and their families. With intensive education of ED staff, proper identification and referral, as well as timely intervention by organ procurement representatives, the consent and donation rate of organs for transplantation can be increased and maintained.
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Comparative Study
Effects of adding links to "the chain of survival" for prehospital cardiac arrest: a contrast in outcomes in 1975 and 1995 at a single institution.
The concept of a "chain of survival" to improve outcome from prehospital cardiac arrest has been defined and promulgated over the last two decades. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of prehospital cardiac arrest in 1975 and 1995 at a single institution. ⋯ Survival decreased dramatically during the 20-year study period. This may be because of the high incidence of chronic disease, the greater frequency of asystole and pulseless electrical activity, and the inclusion of patients with "end-of-life" arrests in which ACLS protocol was initiated in the 1995 cohort. The patient population in which ACLS is initiated is the weakest link in the "chain of survival."
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Comparative Study
Comparison of arterial and venous blood gas values in the initial emergency department evaluation of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.
To determine whether venous blood gas values can replace arterial gas values in the initial emergency department evaluation of patients with suspected diabetic ketoacidosis. ⋯ Venous blood gas measurements accurately demonstrate the degree of acidosis of adult ED patients presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis.