The American journal of emergency medicine
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This study aimed to examine the use of point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) in detecting diaphragmatic dysfunction (DD) and evaluate its ability to predict noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) failure in patients presented to the emergency department with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). ⋯ DD has high sensitivity and specificity in predicting NIV failure in patients admitted to the emergency department with AECOPD. DD can be assessed by an experienced clinician noninvasively using POCUS in emergency departments.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has altered behaviors in the general population, as well as processes in the healthcare industry. Patients may be afraid to pursue care in the emergency department (ED) due to perceived risk of infection. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on ED metrics. ⋯ Despite relatively low local prevalence of COVID-19, we report decreases in ED volume for some medical diagnosis categories. A volume rebound occurred in May 2020, but did not reach 2019 levels. Public health officials should encourage local populations to seek emergency care when concerned, and could consider programs to provide transportation. Patients should continue to protect themselves with social distancing and masks.
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Measuring the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is important for improving outcomes in cardiac arrest. Cerebral perfusion pressure (CePP) could represent cerebral circulation during CPR, but it is difficult to measure non-invasively. In this study, we developed the electroencephalogram (EEG) based brain index (EBRI) derived from EEG signals by machine learning techniques, which could estimate CePP accurately in a porcine cardiac arrest model. ⋯ We developed the EBRI model using non-invasive acquisition of EEG signals to predict CePP during CPR. The accuracy the EBRI model was 0.935, 0.927 and 0.947 for each machine learning algorithm, and the EBRI could be used as a surrogate indicator for measuring cerebral perfusion during CPR.
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In this work, the survival and mortality data of 54 consecutive patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and suffering from severe respiratory insufficiency imputable to viral SARS - CoV - 2 infection were analyzed and shared, after a critical review of the evidence in order to optimize the most dedicated clinical and treatment strategy, for a future 'targeted' management in the care of the possible return flu outbreak. ⋯ In these extraordinary circumstances, our reality was among the most affected and was able to hold the impact thanks to the immediate great response set in place by the operators, although it costed us an effort especially the one to try to guarantee a high quality level of assistance and care compared to the huge wave of patients in seriously bad conditions. Further research on this heterogeneous pathology and data sharing could help identify a more dedicated clinical decision-making and treatment pathway that, together with a resource planning, would allow us to better face any new disease outbreak.
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A 72-year-old man presented to the ED following witnessed cardiac arrest. After return of spontaneous circulation, an ECG was performed which demonstrated a wide complex rhythm with "shark fin" morphology. With careful examination it is possible to identify the J point and determine that the electrocardiogram (ECG) findings actually represent massive ST-elevation indicative of occlusion myocardial infarction (OMI). ⋯ The patient was discharged home neurologically intact several days later. This case highlights the importance of careful ECG interpretation and the limitations of troponin assays in the evaluation of acute coronary syndrome. Most importantly, we demonstrate how to evaluate for ST elevation in the context of a widened QRS complex.