The American journal of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
How does the side of approach impact the force delivered during external chest compression?
We investigated the biomechanics of four external chest compression (ECC) approaches involving different sides of approach and hand placement during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). ⋯ The higher differences in pressure and force under the LsLc and RsRc approaches may lead to higher risks of potential injury. When performing standard-quality ECC, the LsRc and RsLc approaches, in which compression pressure and force are better distributed, may be more suitable than RsRc or LsLc.
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Comparative Study
Clinical performance of early warning scoring systems for identifying sepsis among anti-hypertensive agent users.
Little is known about the accuracy of the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) and the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) in identifying sepsis patients with a history of hypertension on anti-hypertensive agents, which affect vital signs as components of the scoring systems. We aimed to examine the ability of qSOFA and NEWS to predict sepsis among anti-hypertensive agent users by comparing them with non-users. ⋯ The clinical performance of qSOFA and NEWS for identifying sepsis among anti-hypertensive agent users was likely lower than that among non-users.
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To determine HIV testing trends during emergency department (ED) visits among those with and without substance use disorder (SUD) and examine factors associated with test receipt. ⋯ HIV testing in the ED was rare, but slightly more common in individuals with SUD. Efforts to increase ED HIV testing among people with SUD are needed.
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Burning Hands Syndrome is an unusual variant of central cord syndrome. There have been few published reports, and none in the emergency medicine literature. We present a case of Burning Hands Syndrome in which there were no computed tomography (CT) findings of cervical spine injury and only subtle magnetic resonance (MR) abnormalities. We discuss the importance of early diagnosis, as the optimal management of these patients ultimately depends upon prompt recognition of the underlying cervical trauma and a spinal cord at risk for further injury.