The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Acoustic cardiography S3 detection use in problematic subgroups and B-type natriuretic peptide "gray zone": secondary results from the Heart failure and Audicor technology for Rapid Diagnosis and Initial Treatment Multinational Investigation.
Dyspneic emergency department (ED) patients present a diagnostic dilemma. The S3, although highly specific for acute heart failure (AHF) and predicting death and readmission, is often difficult to auscultate. The HEart failure and Audicor technology for Rapid Diagnosis and Initial Treatment (HEARD-IT) multinational trial evaluated the S3 via acoustic cardiography (Audicor). Our goal in this secondary analysis was to determine if the strength of the S3 can provide diagnostic/prognostic information in problematic heart failure subgroups. ⋯ The strength of the S3 gallop provides rapid results that assist with identification of AHF in selected populations. S3 detection complements the use of BNP in the gray zone, and its diagnostic/prognostic ability is largely unaffected by body mass index and renal function. S3 strength shows promise as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in problematic HF subgroups.
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Appendicitis is the most common emergency operation in children. The rate of perforation may be related to duration from symptom onset to treatment. A recent adult study suggests that the perforation risk is minimal in the first 36 hours and remains at 5% thereafter. We studied a pediatric population to assess symptom duration as a risk factor for perforation. ⋯ Appendiceal perforation in children is more common than in adults and correlates directly with duration of symptoms before surgery. Perforation is more common in younger children. Unlike in adults, the risk of perforation within 24 hours of onset is substantial (7.7%), and it increases in a linear fashion with duration of symptoms. In our experience, however, perforation correlates more with prehospital delay than with in-hospital delay.