The American journal of emergency medicine
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Opioid use has been increasing in adolescents; however, lacking are data describing sex, ethnicity, and age groups most affected. We identified and characterized the trend in the adolescent population who presented to the emergency departments (ED) of a large hospital system. ⋯ Opioid-related ED presentations are increasing in adolescents with post-COVID increases in male, Hispanic, and younger patients in our region. Pathways for outpatient treatment need to be developed for adolescents with OUD.
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To perform serial electrocardiogram (ECG) analyses in patients with subtle ECG changes in the anterior leads and evaluate the performance of the four-variable formula in detecting left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery occlusion. ⋯ The four-variable formula was found to be a valid method for the differentiation of STEMI and BV-STE in patients with subtle ECG changes. While managing this patient group, using serial ECGs rather than a single ECG to evaluate the clinical status of patients can help clinicians make more accurate decisions.
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Older patients arrive at the emergency department (ED) with complex medical challenges, and the current ED triage models frequently undertriage the severity of illness in older adults. There is increasing awareness regarding the importance of identifying frailty in older patients in the context of urgent care. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the predictive accuracy of the seven-question tool of the Program on Research for Integrating Services of the Maintenance of Autonomy (PRISMA-7) in the ED for 28-day mortality among older adults. ⋯ Our findings reveal that PRISMA-7 improves the prediction of ICU admission, but there is no significant difference when it comes to all-cause mortality. PRISMA-7 appears to be a reliable and valid instrument for identifying frailty in the ED.
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In patients who experience a seizure, the seizure duration is a strong indicator of prognosis. Thus, reducing time to antiepileptic medications in patients who are actively seizing is critical. While findings from retrospective studies suggest that the rapid administration of undiluted intravenous (IV) levetiracetam may be safe, some gaps in the literature remain. ⋯ This study found that the rapid administration of undiluted IV levetiracetam in ED patients was associated with few adverse events.
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Comment Letter Randomized Controlled Trial
Comment on whole-body cooling effectiveness of cold intravenous saline following exercise hyperthermia: A randomized trial.