The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Validation of the Vancouver Chest Pain Rule using troponin as the only biomarker: a prospective cohort study.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of the Vancouver Chest Pain Rule using troponin as the only biomarker in an emergency department (ED) setting. ⋯ The Vancouver Chest Pain Rule with troponin as the only biomarker identified a sizable low-risk cohort. However, sensitivity was lower than that identified in the original derivation study and was considered insufficient to enable safe early discharge. Modifications to the tool would be required if troponin was incorporated as the only biomarker.
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Comparative Study
Hemodynamic consequences of ketamine vs etomidate for endotracheal intubation in the air medical setting.
Recent drug shortages have required the occasional replacement of etomidate for endotracheal intubation (ETI) by helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), with ketamine. The purpose of this study was to assess whether there was an association between ketamine vs etomidate use as the main ETI drug, with hemodynamic or clinical (airway) end points. ⋯ Initial assessment of ETI success and complication rates, as well as peri-ETI hemodynamic changes, suggests no concerning complications associated with large-scale replacement of etomidate with ketamine as the major airway management drug for HEMS.
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Non-type B Haemophilus influenzae emerges as a new pathogen in the post H. influenzae serotype b vaccine era. We describe a case of polyarticular septic arthritis caused by H. influenzae serotype f in an adult. The patient was successfully treated with surgical debridement and antibiotic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fourth reported case of H. influenzae serotype f septic arthritis in adults.
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Vibrio vulnificus causes potentially life-threatening and rapidly progressing infections. Therefore, the severity-of-illness assessment appears to be important for V vulnificus-infected patients at the time of admission. The aim of our study was to evaluate the performance of the severity-of-illness scoring model on admission in V vulnificus-infected patients. ⋯ The REMS could provide clinicians with an effective adjunct risk stratification tool for V vulnificus-infected patients.
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Review Case Reports
A successful emergency management of spontaneous coronary artery dissection and review of the literature.
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare and lethal myocardial ischemic event, which usually causes acute coronary syndrome and sudden death. Emergency management of SCAD includes medical treatment, percutaneous coronary interventions, and coronary artery bypass grafting. ⋯ In another case of a 50-year-old woman who was found to have a proximal-middle spiral SCAD of the right coronary artery, she underwent coronary angioplasty. After 6 months later at follow-up, 2 patients remained stable without symptom and in recovery of the left ventricular function; angiogram showed the SCAD healed.