The American journal of emergency medicine
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The most recent joint guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) on the management of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) are a result of a substantial and considered undertaking, and those involved deserve much recognition for their efforts. However, the handling of anticoagulants seems somewhat inadequate, and this is a highly-relevant matter when managing NSTE-ACS. ⋯ Although current guidelines from the AHA and ACC suggest enoxaparin has better evidence than other anticoagulants in the setting of NSTE-ACS management, careful review of the evidence shows this is not actually clearly supported by the available evidence in the era of contemporary management. Unless and until better contemporary data emerge, emergency medicine professionals must carefully weigh the available evidence, its limitations, and the possible clinical implications of the various anticoagulant options when managing NSTE-ACS.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparison of intranasal ketamine versus intravenous morphine in reducing pain in patients with renal colic.
Various drugs have been used to relieve abdominal pain in patients with renal colic. Ketamine is a popular choice as an analgesic. ⋯ IN ketamine may be effective in decreasing pain in renal colic.
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Letter Randomized Controlled Trial
Continuous insufflation of oxygen without endotracheal intubation improves cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a manikin-based model.
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We aimed to determine the incidence of esophageal strictures in corrosive ingestions and potential predictors of severe injury. ⋯ All inpatient deaths and severe complications were apparent within hours of ingestion, and occurred with highly corrosive substances. One delayed stricture occurred, not predicted by inpatient endoscopy.
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In the early phases of resuscitation in a critically ill patient, especially those in cardiac arrest, intravenous (IV) access can be difficult to obtain. Intraosseous (IO) access is often used in these critical situations to allow medication administration. When no IV access is available, it is difficult to obtain blood for point of care analysis, yet this information can be crucial in directing the resuscitation. We hypothesized that IO samples may be used with a point of care device to obtain useful information when seconds really do matter. ⋯ IO samples can be used with a bedside point of care analyzer to rapidly obtain certain laboratory information during resuscitations when IV access is difficult.