The American journal of emergency medicine
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Routine medical clearance testing of emergency department (ED) patients with acute psychiatric illnesses in the absence of a medical indication has minimal proven utility. Little is known about the variations in clinical practice of ordering medical clearance tests. ⋯ Our study demonstrated that, on a national level, 4 out of 5 ED visits resulting in a psychiatric facility admission had a medical clearance test ordered. Future research is needed to investigate the reasons underlying the discrepancies in ordering patterns across the U.S., including the effect of local psychiatric admission policies.
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Fibrinogen plays an important role in hemostasis and thrombosis and is proven to have prognostic significance in patients with cardiovascular disease. We examined the utility of fibrinogen as a prognostic indicator for patients with type A acute aortic dissection (AAD). ⋯ Low fibrinogen level on admission is an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients with type A AAD.