The American journal of emergency medicine
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Observational Study
Usefulness of the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction risk index in acute heart failure: a pilot study.
Risk stratification in acute heart failure (AHF) is vital for both physicians and paramedical personals. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk index (TRI) and modified TRI (mTRI) are novel and simple predictive risk indices that have been examined in patients with acute coronary syndrome. ⋯ The TRI is a simple and strong predictor of all-cause mortality in patients who were admitted with AHF. The current study reveals for the first time the strong predictive value of TRI in patients with AHF.
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Monitoring the partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PEtco2) has been advocated since 2010 as an index of resuscitation efforts. However, related research has largely focused on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims. In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) differs in terms of etiologies and demographics, the merit of initial PEtco2 values was explored. ⋯ In IHCA, the therapeutic threshold for initial PEtco2 should set fairly higher to encourage more pulmonary flow and increase the likelihood of sustained ROSC.
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Comparative Study
Computed tomography interpretations in multiply injured patients: comparison of emergency physicians and on-call radiologists.
In this study, emergency physicians and on-call radiologists were compared regarding identification of fatal injuries on computed tomographic (CT) scans in patients with trauma. ⋯ In this study, it was shown that emergency physicians were successful in identifying fatal injuries on trauma CT images after a short-term training on interpretation of trauma CTs.
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Comparative Study
Comparing posteroanterior with lateral and anteroposterior chest radiography in the initial detection of parapneumonic effusions.
It is unclear whether anteroposterior (AP) or posteroanterior with lateral (PA/Lat) chest radiographs are superior in the early detection of clinically relevant parapneumonic effusions (CR-PPEs). The objective of this study was to identify which technique is preferred for detection of PPEs using chest computed tomography (CCT) as a reference standard. ⋯ PA/Lat chest radiography should be the initial imaging of choice in pneumonia patients for detection of PPEs because it appears to be statistically superior to AP chest radiography.