The American journal of emergency medicine
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The CHOKAI and STONE scores are prediction models for ureteral stones. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the diagnostic performance, to examine the optimal cut-off value, and to compare the diagnostic performance of each model. ⋯ The simplified CHOKAI score is a useful tool to screen for ureteral stones in patients with renal colic.
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Case Reports
Post-cardiac injury syndrome: an atypical case following percutaneous coronary intervention.
Post-cardiac injury syndrome (PCIS) is a syndrome characterized by pericardial and/or pleural effusion, triggered by a cardiac injury, usually a myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery, rarely a minor cardiovascular percutaneous procedure. Nowadays, the post-cardiac injury syndrome, is regaining importance and interest as an emerging cause of pericarditis, especially in developed countries, due to a great and continuous increase in the number and complexity of percutaneous cardiologic procedures. ⋯ The clinical features of our case are consistent with the diagnostic criteria of PCIS: prior injury of the pericardium and/or myocardium, fever, leucocytosis, elevated inflammatory markers, remarkable steroid responsiveness and latency period. Only one element does not fit with this diagnosis and does not find any further explanation: the air accompanying the pleural effusion, determining a hydro-pneumothorax and requiring a pleural drainage catheter positioning.
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Comparative Study
Investigation of UCH-L1 levels in ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage and metabolic disorder induced impaired consciousness.
We aimed to determine the levels of ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) in patients admitted to the emergency department with impaired consciousness due to metabolic or neurological reasons. ⋯ In this study, we detected significantly higher levels of UCH-L1 in patients with IS and ICH compared to patients with MDIC and healthy volunteers.
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This is the first study to evaluate the association between the serially measured RDW values and clinical severity in patients surviving >24 h after sustaining trauma. We evaluated the serial measurement and cut-off values of RDW to determine its significance as a prognostic marker of early mortality in patients with suspected severe trauma. ⋯ An increased RDW value is an independent predictor of 28-day mortality in patients with suspected severe trauma. The RDW, routinely obtained as part of the complete blood count without added cost or time, can be serially measured as indicator of severity after trauma.
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Proper use of the metered-dose inhaler (MDI) is essential for medications to prevent and treat acute asthma exacerbations. This training video teaches children and clinicians correct technique for MDI use.