The American journal of emergency medicine
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Observational Study
Chest compressions during ventilation in out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation cause fragmentation of the airflow.
When a patient suffers an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, ventilation and chest compressions are often given simultaneously during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. These simultaneous chest compressions may cause a fragmentation of the airflow, which may lead to an ineffective ventilation. This study focusses on the occurrence and quantification of this fragmentation and its effect on ventilation. ⋯ Chest compressions during ventilation caused fragmentation of the airflow in all patients. There was wide variation in the number and volume of the fragments between patients. The importance of quantification of airflow volumes and the effect fragmentation of the airflow on the efficacy of ventilation can be essential in improving cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques and therefore needs further investigation.
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The high impulse, palm lift technique for chest compression: Prospective, experimental, pilot study.
The classic technique of high quality chest compression (HQCC) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is based on the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) guidelines which specify that the rescuer's hands should maintain constant contact with the chest surface but should not lean upon it, in order to provide full chest recoil. Since end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) values have been shown to be a reliable indicator of CPR quality, we examined a method where classic HQCC was modified by a high impulse and palm lifting (HIPL) technique which merged rapid forceful compression with disconnection of the rescuer's palm from the patient's sternum during the recoil phase. The object of the study was to detect any differences in HIPL EtCO2 values in comparison with those from classic HQCC. ⋯ The results obtained suggest that modifying HQCC with the HIPL technique led to a significant increase in EtCO2 values in comparison with classic HQCC, indicating an improvement in circulation during CPR. We think that these encouraging early results warrant a larger multi - centre study of HIPL.
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Appropriate decision of emergency department (ED) disposition is essential for improving the outcome of elderly urinary tract infection (UTI) patients. However, studies on early return visit (ERV) to the ED in elderly UTI patients are limited. Therefore, we aimed to identify factors for ERV and hospitalization after return visit (HRV) in this population. ⋯ The independent risk factors of ERV and HRV should be considered for ED disposition in elderly UTI patients; the resistance to empirical antibiotics was not found to affect ERV or HRV within 3 days.
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Case Reports
Success in early treatment with lipid emulsion for antihypertension drug overdose patient.
Intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) is typically applied as a rescue therapy after the use of conventional treatments for beta blocker (BBs) or calcium channel blocker (CCB) overdoses. We describe the case of a 72-year-old man who presented to our ED after attempting suicide by antihypertensive drug overdose. His blood pressure dropped upon arrival at the ED, and we consequently administered multitherapy including relatively early ILE to prevent prolonged hypotension. He regained stable hemodynamic status on the third day and was later discharged without major sequelae.
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Cricothyrotomy is a rare, time sensitive procedure that is more challenging to perform when anatomical landmarks are not easily palpated before the initial incision. There is a paucity of literature describing the optimal technique for cricothyrotomy in patients with impalpable airway structures, such as in morbid obesity. In this study, we used a live sheep model of morbid obesity to compare the effectiveness of two common cricothyrotomy techniques. ⋯ In this study, which simulated morbid obesity on a living animal model complete with active hemorrhage and time pressure caused by extubation before the procedure, the bougie-guided technique was faster than the traditional technique using a tracheostomy tube without a bougie.