The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study
Emergency department boarding and adverse hospitalization outcomes among patients admitted to a general medical service.
Overcrowding in the emergency department (ED) has been associated with patient harm, yet little is known about the association between ED boarding and adverse hospitalization outcomes. We sought to examine the association between ED boarding and three common adverse hospitalization outcomes: rapid response team activation (RRT), escalation in care, and mortality. ⋯ Within the first 24h of hospital admission to a general medicine service, adverse hospitalization outcomes are rare and not associated with ED boarding.
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Review
Ventricular assist device in the emergency department: Evaluation and management considerations.
Ventricular assist devices (VAD) are being used at increasing rates in patients with severe, end-stage heart failure. Specific indications include VAD placement as a bridge to cardiac function recovery, a bridge to cardiac transplantation, or destination therapy (long-term support for patients ineligible for transplant). The assessment and management of the VAD patient is rather complex, requiring a basic knowledge of device structure and function. This article reviews the basic structure and function, discusses the approach to the VAD patient in the ED, and reviews the more common presentations and complications encountered in these technology-complex patients who are critically ill at baseline.