The American journal of emergency medicine
-
Multicenter Study
Emergency department utilization for mental health conditions before and after the COVID-19 outbreak.
The outbreak of COVID-19 disrupted lives across the United States. Evidence shows that such a climate is deleterious to mental health and may increase demand for mental health services in emergency departments. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in emergency department utilization for mental health diagnoses before and after the COVID-19 surge. ⋯ The emergency department is an important community resource for the identification and triage of mental health emergencies. This role is even more important during disasters and extended crises, making it imperative that emergency departments employ experienced mental health staff. This study provides a comparison of emergency department utilization for mental health diagnoses before the pandemic and during the spring 2020 surge and may serve as a useful guide for hospitals, health systems and communities in future planning.
-
Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparison of children receiving emergent sepsis care by mode of arrival.
To determine if differences in patient characteristics, treatments, and outcomes exist between children with sepsis who arrive by emergency medical services (EMS) versus their own mode of transport (self-transport). ⋯ Children with sepsis transported by EMS are a sicker population of children than those self-transported on arrival and had longer hospital stays. EMS transport was associated with earlier in-hospital fluid resuscitation but no difference in time to first antibiotic. Improved prehospital recognition and care is needed to promote adherence to both prehospital and hospital-based sepsis resuscitation benchmarks.
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
Accidental hypothermia: Factors related to a prolonged hospital stay - A nationwide observational study in Japan.
The incidence of accidental hypothermia (AH) is low, and the length of hospital stay in patients with AH remains poorly understood. The present study explored which factors were related to prolonged hospitalization among patients with AH using Japan's nationwide registry data. ⋯ Frailty, indoor situation, alcohol intoxication, pH value, potassium level, and DIC score were factors contributing to prolonged hospitalization in patients with AH. Preventing frailty may help reduce the length of hospital stay in patients with AH. In addition, measuring the pH value and potassium level by an arterial blood gas analysis at the ED is recommended for the early evaluation of AH.
-
Multicenter Study
Emergency department bounceback characteristics for patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
The global healthcare burden of COVID-19 continues to rise. There is currently limited information regarding the disease progression and the need for hospitalizations in patients who present to the Emergency Department (ED) with minimal or no symptoms. ⋯ COVID-19 patients diagnosed with mild symptoms on initial presentation have a 14.6% rate of bounceback due to progression of illness.