The American journal of emergency medicine
-
Assessment of right ventricular (RV) function in acute pulmonary embolism (PE) has prognostic significance. The aim of this study was to evaluate right atrium (RA) and RV myocardial damage with 2-dimensional speckle-tracking in patients with an acute central vs an acute peripheral PE. ⋯ This pilot study suggests that basal-/mid-segments of RA and RV free wall are more affected in patients with a PE compared with controls. Interestingly, we found no significant difference in myocardial RA and RV damage between patients with a central and a peripheral PE. We advocate that PE no matter central or peripheral is a serious condition and that a peripheral PE has to be intensively treated similar to a central PE.
-
The HEART Pathway is a diagnostic protocol designed to identify low-risk patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain that are safe for early discharge. This protocol has been shown to significantly decrease health care resource utilization compared with usual care. However, the impact of the HEART Pathway on the cost of care has yet to be reported. ⋯ Using the HEART Pathway as a decision aid for patients with undifferentiated chest pain resulted in significant cost savings.
-
Our aim was to validate the previously published claim of a positive relationship between low blood hemoglobin level (anemia) and pulmonary embolism (PE). ⋯ Our data demonstrated no relationship between anemia and PE.
-
A triage cardiology program, in which cardiologists provide consultation to the Emergency Department (ED), may safely reduce admissions. For patients with chest pain, the HEART Pathway may obviate the need for cardiology involvement, unless there is a difference between ED and cardiology assessments. Therefore, in a cohort concurrently evaluated by both specialties, we analyzed discordance between ED and cardiology HEART scores. ⋯ There is substantial discordance in HEART scores between ED physicians and cardiologists. A triage cardiology system may help refine risk stratification of patients presenting to the ED with chest pain, even when the HEART Pathway tool is used.
-
Observational Study
Diagnostic accuracy of fibrinogen to differentiate appendicitis from nonspecific abdominal pain in children.
The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the biomarker fibrinogen (FB), along with the more traditional markers white blood cell count (WBC), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), and C-reactive protein (CRP), to discriminate appendicitis from nonspecific abdominal pain (NSAP) in children. ⋯ WBC and ANC are useful inflammatory markers to discriminate appendicitis from NSAP. FB and CRP are not very useful to discriminate appendicitis from NSAP, but they discriminate properly complicated from uncomplicated appendicitis and NSAP, with a similar diagnostic accuracy. In a child with suspected appendicitis, a plasma FB level (prothrombin time-derived method) >520 mg/dL is associated to an increased likelihood of complicated appendicitis.