The American journal of emergency medicine
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In former studies, the arterio-alveolar carbon dioxide gradient (ΔCO2) predicted in-hospital mortality after initially survived cardiac arrest. As early outcome predictors are urgently needed, we evaluated ΔCO2 as predictor for good neurological outcome in our cohort. ⋯ ΔCO2 at admission after a successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest is associated with 30 days survival with good neurological outcome. However, a higher ΔCO2 may rather be a surrogate for unfavorable resuscitation circumstances than an independent outcome predictor.
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The nasopharyngeal swab is the gold standard collection method for COVID-19, but is invasive and painful, subsequently resulting in poor patient acceptance. This investigation explores the process of developing and validating an alternative respiratory pathogen collection device that relies on a nasopharyngeal irrigation mechanic. The primary objective was to determine if sufficient pathological sampling can be achieved by mechanism of nasopharyngeal irrigation that is proportionate to the nasopharyngeal swab method. ⋯ The importance of early diagnostic testing and its role in countermeasures for communicable diseases such as COVID-19 is well established in the literature. Innovation to bolster our testing infrastructure is more important now than ever. This study was successful in developing and validating an alternative nasopharyngeal respiratory pathogen collection device that utilizes fluid debridement as its core mechanic. Data from this pilot study demonstrated the study device was successful in producing high-quality specimens for PCR testing. Feedback from the study participants was also in favor of the study device when compared to the nasopharyngeal swab.
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Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can cause serious neurological sequelae. However, there is neither effective treatment strategy nor reliable indicators to determine the prognosis of patients with CO poisoning. The present study aimed to observe the changes of neurological function score, disease severity score, cerebral oxygen utilization (O2UCc), bispectral (BIS) index and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) concentration, and to elucidate the clinical significance of these potential indicators and the neuroprotective effect of mild hypothermia on brain injury in patients with severe acute CO poisoning. ⋯ The study protocol was granted from Qingdao University Research Ethics Committee (Clinical trial registry and ethical approval number: QD81571283).
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Earlier administration of intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rtPA) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) improves the neurological prognosis of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We introduced a new protocol that includes head and chest computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/ magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for all patients, which is quite different from previously evaluated protocols. This study aimed to examine whether this protocol could contribute to the prompt therapeutic intervention of AIS. ⋯ The introduction of a protocol, including CT/MRI imaging, significantly shortened DNT and DPT.
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Existing knowledge regarding golf-associated eye injuries (GEIs) is sparse. The purpose of this study was to characterize the types of GEIs, examine the mechanisms of injury, describe the characteristics of GEI victims, and determine the incidence of GEIs during the 2002-2021 period using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database. ⋯ Contradictory to existing literature, we show that minor GEIs are more common than severe ones. Rather than golf clubs or balls, environmental elements are the leading cause of GEIs.