The American journal of emergency medicine
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Research showed that the mortality of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGH) complicated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was higher than single UGH in elderly patients. This study aimed to determine the risk factors that associated with an increased risk of ACS occurrence after UGH. ⋯ History of diabetes, vasopressin or terlipressin use, smoking, liver cirrhosis, hemoglobin level and history of ACS are risk factors to develop ACS in elderly patients with UGH. Importantly, diabetes, smoking and lower hemoglobin level are key variables for mortality.
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Multicenter Study
Prognostic factors for patients with accidental hypothermia: A multi-institutional retrospective cohort study.
In cases of severe accidental hypothermia (AH) in urban areas, the prognostic factors are unknown. We identified factors associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with moderate-to-severe AH in urban areas of Japan. ⋯ The independent prognostic factors associated with in-hospital mortality of patients with moderate-to-severe AH in urban areas of Japan were age ≥ 75 years, need for assistance with ADL, hemodynamic instability, and hyperkalemia.
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Plane blocks have become very popular in recent years with the introduction of ultrasonography into the regional anesthesia and algology practice. Erector spinae plane (ESP) block involves injection of local anesthetics between erector spinae muscles and transverse process of vertebrae and can block the dorsal and ventral rami of thoracolumbar spinal nerves. ⋯ These characteristics mean that it will in all probability be widely used in the future, not just for anesthetists, but also for emergency physicians. Here we first report a novel indication for ESP block in emergency department; renal colic.
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The aim of this study is to determine the accuracy of pre-hospital trauma notifications and the effects of inaccurate information on trauma triage. ⋯ EMS crews frequently provide inaccurate pre-hospital information or do not provide any pre-hospital notification at all, which results in over/under triage of trauma patients.
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The density ratio of gray matter (GM) to white matter (WM) on brain computed tomography (CT) (gray-to-white matter ratio, GWR) helps predict the prognosis of comatose patients after cardiac arrest. However, Hounsfield units (HU) are not an absolute value and can change based on imaging parameters and CT scanners. We compared the density of brain GM and WM and the GWR by using images scanned with different types of CT machines. ⋯ In this study, the HU values of GM and WM in the normal adult brain differed up to 23% among scanners. Unfortunately, the GWR may not compensate for the HU difference between GM and WM occurring between scanners. Therefore, rather than applying consistent GWR cut-offs, the protocol or manufacturer differences between imaging scanners should be considered.