The American journal of emergency medicine
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Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) emerged in the 1980s as an important innovation in pre-hospital emergency cardiac care (ECC). In the years since, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the International Liaison Committee for Resuscitation (ILCOR) have promoted AED technology for use in hospitals as well, resulting in the widespread purchase and use of AED-capable defibrillators. ⋯ This article will discuss the issue of AEDs in the hospital using a conceptual framework provided by recent work on medical reversal. It will go on to consider the implications of the reversal for in-hospital resuscitation programs and emergency medicine more generally.
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been shown to increase survival after cardiac arrest, but is associated with the risk of acquired injuries to the patient. While traumatic chest wall injuries are most common, other injuries include upper airway, pulmonary and intra-abdominal injuries. This review discusses the risk factors and prevalence of CPR-related injuries.
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Case Reports
Metformin-Induced Lactic Acidosis (MILA): A case report and review of current diagnostic paradigm.
A new diagnostic paradigm has been proposed to better categorize causes of Metformin-Associated Lactic Acidosis (MALA). The diagnostic criteria defines a link between Metformin and lactic acidosis if lactate is >5mmol/L, Ph<7.35 and Metformin assay >5mg/L. Metformin assays are not readily available in emergency departments including nationwide Veteran's Affairs Hospitals; thereby making this proposed classification tool difficult to use in today's clinical practice. ⋯ According to the new criterion, our case would be classified as "Lactic Acidosis in Metformin-Treated Patients (LAMT)." However, the term LAMT does not distinguish between a septic patient taking Metformin with lactic acidosis, and a patient who ingested toxic amounts of Metformin and has lactic acidosis (in absence of Metformin assay). Our case highlights the importance of medication reconciliation done on arrival to emergency department. Timing and dosing of Metformin in patients who present to the emergency department with lactic acidosis may cinch the diagnosis of Metformin-Induced Lactic Acidosis (MILA) in the absence of a Metformin assay but in the right clinical context.
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Observational Study
A prospective study of ketamine as primary therapy for prehospital profound agitation.
We investigated the effectiveness of ketamine as a primary therapy for prehospital profound agitation. ⋯ In patients with prehospital profound agitation, ketamine provides rapid effective sedation when used as a primary therapy. Intubation was common but accompanied by a short duration of mechanical ventilation and appears to have been subject to individual physician practice variation.
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In cases of community acquired pneumonia (CAP), it has been known that blood cultures have low yields and rarely affect clinical outcomes. Despite many studies predicting the likelihood of bacteremia in CAP patients, those results have been rarely implemented in clinical practice, and use of blood culture in CAP is still increasing. This study evaluated impact of implementing a previously derived and validated bacteremia prediction rule. ⋯ Implementation of the bacteremia prediction rule in CAP patients reduced the blood culture rate without affecting the 30-day mortality and antibiotics regimen.