The American journal of emergency medicine
-
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.
-
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective but underutilized method of HIV prevention. Emergency departments (EDs) have access to at-risk populations meeting CDC eligibility criteria for PrEP. Characterizing this population could help motivate, develop, and implement ED interventions to promote PrEP uptake. ⋯ A large subgroup of this ED population was eligible for PrEP referral. EDs are a compelling setting for development and implementation of HIV prevention interventions to assist in national efforts to expand PrEP.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Topical ketamine as a local anesthetic agent in reducing venipuncture pain: A randomized controlled trial.
Pain control is an important aspect of ED patient management, and there are many different protocols used around the world influenced by both availability of local resources as well as staff competency and experience. This study aims to evaluate the use of topical ketamine in acute pain reduction by directly comparing it to lidocaine-prilocaine (EMLA) cream. ⋯ This study showed that local cutaneous ketamine is as effective as EMLA in relieving pain during venipuncture.
-
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.