The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Pneumothorax diagnosis with lung sliding quantification by speckle tracking: A prospective multicentric observational study.
Lung ultrasound is commonly used for the diagnosis of pneumothorax. However, recognition of pleural sliding is subjective and can be difficult for novice. The primary objective was to compare a novices physician's performance in diagnosing pneumothorax from ultrasound (US) scans either with visual evaluation or with maximum longitudinal pleural strain (MLPS). The secondary objective was to compare the diagnostic relevance of US with visual evaluation or MLPS to diagnose pneumothorax with an intermediately experienced and an expert physician. ⋯ In our study, speckle tracking analysis improved the accuracy of US for the novice and the intermediate but not the expert sonographer in the diagnosis of pneumothorax.
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Acute epiglottitis is an airway emergency presenting with edema and inflammation of the epiglottis and aryepiglottic folds [1]. Infectious and other non-infectious etiologies may cause significant airway injury presenting with similar clinical symptoms and radiographic findings [1]. While many causes of thermal epiglottitis have been described in the pediatric and young adult population, we describe an unusual case of an adolescent patient with cannabis induced thermal epiglottitis. ⋯ Clinicians must consider thermal injury of the epiglottitis due to substance use, specifically marijuana in vaccinated adolescent patients presenting with positive substance use history, progressive dysphagia, odynophagia, and drooling with a muffled voice. It is essential to obtain a thorough history and physical examination and urinary drug screen in the pediatric emergency department since the clinical and radiographic findings are similar in epiglottitis due to infectious and non-infectious etiologies. Prompt management with intubation should occur to protect and maintain airway integrity.
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Multicenter Study
Forecast modeling to identify changes in pediatric emergency department utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To identify trends in pediatric emergency department (ED) utilization following the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Pediatric ED utilization has remained low following the COVID-19 pandemic, and below forecasted utilization for most diagnoses. Nearly all conditions demonstrated substantial declines below forecasted rates from the prior decade and which persisted through the end of the year. Some declines in non-communicable diseases may represent unmet healthcare needs among children. Further study is warranted to understand the impact of policies aimed at curbing pandemic disease on children.
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Clavicle fractures are common. An emergency physician needs to understand the diagnostic classifications of clavicle fractures, have a plan for immobilization, identify associated injuries, understand the difference between treating pediatric and adult patients, and have an approach to multimodal pain control. It is also important to understand when expert orthopedic consultation or referral is indicated. ⋯ When encountering a patient with a clavicle fracture in the emergency department the fracture pattern will help determine whether emergent consultation or urgent referral is indicated. Most patients can be discharged safely with sling immobilization and appropriate outpatient follow-up.
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Multicenter Study
Development and validation of a nomogram to predict in-hospital cardiac arrest among patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome.
This study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram to recognize in-hospital cardiac arrest (CA) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). ⋯ Our study generated a friendly risk score to recognize in-hospital CA with good discrimination and calibration. Further studies need to establish a pathway to guide the application of the risk score in clinical practice.