The American journal of emergency medicine
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Case Reports
Delayed traumatic small bowel obstruction diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS).
Delayed small bowel obstruction is a rare complication of blunt abdominal trauma and is typically diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) imaging. A 22-year-old man initially presented to Emergency Department 12 h after a motor vehicle collision and CT imaging was unrevealing for any intra-abdominal injury. The patient returned 4 days later with new abdominal pain, vomiting, and watery stool. ⋯ A repeat CT scan of the abdomen/pelvis confirmed the presence of small bowel obstruction with a transition point at the distal ileum caused by focal mesenteric edema. This case highlights a rare complication of blunt abdominal trauma that emergency physicians should consider in their differential diagnosis and not be misled by recent negative imaging. Additionally, the case illustrates the role of POCUS in evaluating not only intra-abdominal free fluid but also alternative traumatic abdominal pathology.
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Observational Study
qSOFA predicted pneumonia mortality better than minor criteria and worse than CURB-65 with robust elements and higher convergence.
Limited data are available on the discriminatory capacity of quick sequential [sepsis-related] organ failure assessment (qSOFA) versus IDSA/ATS minor criteria for predicting mortality in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). ⋯ The qSOFA predicted mortality in CAP better than IDSA/ATS minor criteria and worse than CURB-65 with robust elements and higher convergence. qSOFA as a bedside prompt might be positioned as a proxy for minor criteria and increase the recognition and thus merit more appropriate management of CAP patients likely to fare poorly, which might have implications for more accurate clinical triage decisions.
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Serologic testing can provide a safe and fast approach for assessing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. These tests can be utilized as a complementary method in diagnosis and patients' follow-up, and can also be helpful in epidemiological studies. This study aimed to describe temporal changes in the incidence of COVID-19 IgM and IgG antibodies in emergency medical technicians (EMTs) within a specified time period. ⋯ The results of our study show that there is a significant reduction in COVID-19 antibody seropositivity over time.
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Observational Study
Association between fentanyl treatment for acute pain in the emergency department and opioid use two weeks after discharge.
Analgesia with fentanyl can be associated with hyperalgesia (higher sensitivity to pain) and can contribute to escalating opioid use. Our objective was to assess the relationship between emergency department (ED) acute pain management with fentanyl compared to other opioids, and the quantity of opioids consumed two-week after discharge. We hypothesized that the quantity of opioids consumed would be higher for patients treated with fentanyl compared to those treated with other opioids. ⋯ Patients treated with fentanyl during ED stay did not consume more opioids after ED discharge, compared to those treated with other opioids. If fentanyl does cause more hyperalgesia compared to other opioids, it does not seem to have a significant impact on opioid consumption after ED discharge.
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Observational Study
Do septic patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction require a low-volume resuscitative strategy?
Many clinicians are wary of administering 30 cc/kg of intravenous fluid (IVF) to septic patients with reduced left-ventricular ejection fraction (rLVEF), fearing volume overload. Prior studies have used history of heart failure, rather than LVEF measured at presentation, thereby potentially distorting the relationship between rLVEF, IVF, and adverse outcomes. Our goal was to assess the relationship between IVF volume and outcomes in patients with, versus without, rLVEF. ⋯ Septic patients with rLVEF at presentation received similar volume of IVF as those without rLVEF, without an increase in adverse outcomes attributable to volume overload. While validation is needed, our results suggest that limiting IVF administration in the setting of rLVEF is not necessary.