The American journal of emergency medicine
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Observational Study
High-impact hepatitis C virus testing for injection drug users in an urban ED.
We implemented the "High-Impact Testing for Injection Drug Users", or the "HIT IDU" initiative, an emergency physician (EP)-based hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing program. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of this clinical protocol. ⋯ Although the overall number of EP-based HCV tests performed was low, high rates of infection were identified, particularly among PWID. There were significant challenges with linkage to care.
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Serum lactate clearance (LC) during initial resuscitation is a potentially useful prognostic marker in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. However, it is unclear whether LC is also associated with the outcome in septic patients with hepatic dysfunction that may impair lactate elimination, which may contribute to elevated serum lactate levels or decreased LC. ⋯ LC may be useful for predicting outcomes in septic patients with hepatic dysfunction.
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There have been sporadic case reports published focusing on myoglobin and sepsis. However, there are no systematic studies evaluating the correlation between myoglobin level and sepsis. This study investigated the correlation between the serum myoglobin level and the severity of septic patients. Next, we assessed the predictive value of the serum myoglobin level for the prognosis of septic patients. ⋯ The myoglobin level can be detected in the early stage of sepsis and may serve as a potential biomarker for evaluating sepsis severity and further prognosis.
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The elderly population in the United States is growing. This age shift has important implications for emergency departments (EDs), which currently account for more than 50% of inpatient hospitalizations. Our objective was to compare the percentage of inpatient admissions starting in the ED between elderly and younger patients. ⋯ Emergency departments are increasingly used as the gateway for hospital admission for older adults. An aging US population may increase the effect of this trend, a prospect that should be planned for. From the patient perspective, barriers to care contributing to the age-based discrepancy in the use of the ED as source of admission should be investigated.
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Recent advances in post-cardiac arrest (CA) care including therapeutic hypothermia (TH) have improved survival and favorable neurologic outcomes for survivors of CA. Survivors often present with deep coma and lack of brainstem reflexes, which are generally associated with adverse outcomes in many disease processes. Little is known regarding the role of initial emergency department (ED) neurological examination and its potential for prognostication. ⋯ In this cohort of patients treated in a comprehensive postarrest care pathway that included TH, absence of neurologic function on initial ED presentation was not reliable for prognostication. Given these findings, clinicians should refrain from using the initial ED neurological examination to guide the aggressiveness of care or in counseling of family members regarding anticipated outcome.