The American journal of emergency medicine
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The clinical significance of hemoglobin level and blood transfusion therapy in elderly sepsis patients remains controversial. The study investigated the relationship between mortality, hemoglobin levels, and blood transfusion in elderly sepsis patients. ⋯ A non-linear relationship between the Hb level and the 28-day mortality risk and Hb levels of <10 g/dL and > 15 g/dL may increase the mortality risk, and blood transfusion with a Hb level of <9 g/dL may minimize mortality risk in elderly sepsis patients.
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Evidence on the efficacy of sodium bicarbonate (SB) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is controversial and generally of low quality. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of SB in OHCA patients based on randomized controlled trial (RCT) and propensity score matching (PSM) cohort studies. ⋯ In patients with OHCA, sodium bicarbonate administration was associated neither with short-term survival rate nor with long-term survival rate, it may even worsen the long-term survival.
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Ultrasound-guided intravenous line placement is utilized often in the emergency department for venous access in patients whose veins are difficult to cannulate by traditional methods. This study aims to identify specific interventions that will augment venous cross-sectional area. ⋯ This study identified several potential interventions for maximizing venous cross-sectional area on ultrasound. All the tested interventions resulted in statistically significant increases in cross-sectional area. Arm positioning did not show significant changes in most interventions, with the exception of the CAT tourniquet. Further studies should be performed on how these maneuvers affect success in ultrasound-guided intravenous line placement.
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Andexanet alfa (AA) is approved for reversal of factor Xa inhibitor (FXaI) bleeds; however, there are limited reports of its use for gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in real-world populations. The objective of this study was to report real-world utilization and evaluation of the effectiveness of AA for FXaI-associated GIB. ⋯ In this multicenter, single arm, real-world observational analysis of patients with factor Xa inhibitor associated GIB most patients achieved good hemostasis following administration of AA. There was a 9% 30-day thrombotic event rate. The lack of a control group limits the strength of the conclusions that can be drawn from this study.
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Exploratory pediatric cannabis poisonings are increasing. The aim of this study is to provide a national assessment of the frequency and trends of diagnostic testing and procedures in the evaluation of pediatric exploratory cannabis poisonings. ⋯ We found no change in the proportion of encounters associated with ancillary testing, despite increases in exploratory cannabis poisonings over the study period. Given the increasing rate of pediatric cannabis poisonings, emergency providers should consider this diagnosis early in the evaluation of a pediatric patient with acute change in mental status. While earlier use of urine drug screening may reduce ancillary testing and invasive procedures, even a positive urine drug screen does not rule out alternative pathologies and should not replace a thoughtful evaluation.