The American journal of emergency medicine
-
Violence directed at healthcare workers (HCWs) is common and may be more frequent in the emergency department (ED). In addition to physical injury, other consequences of workplace violence in the ED include an increased risk of burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder, reduced job satisfaction, and feelings of avoidance and futility. Understanding behaviors underlying workplace violence is the first step to employing mitigation strategies. The objective of this descriptive study was to assess the prevalence and types of violence against HCWs in a large, urban ED. ⋯ We found that workplace violence against HCWs was common in this study, and sometimes involved a component of racist, sexist, or homophobic bias. Consistent with previous ED literature, we found that abusive events occurred almost daily and that approximately 20% of events involved physical violence. Future efforts toward policy change to address workplace violence in health care is needed at local, state, and national levels.
-
In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, early recognition, calling for emergency medical assistance, and early cardiopulmonary resuscitation are acknowledged to be the three most important components in the chain of survival. However, bystander basic life support (BLS) initiation rates remain low. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between bystander BLS and survival after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). ⋯ The provision of bystander BLS was associated with a 77% greater likelihood of 30-day survival after OHCA. Given than only one in two OHCA bystanders provides BLS, a greater focus on life saving training for laypeople is essential.
-
The emergency physician should diagnose and treat the critical illnesses that cause syncope/presyncope in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Whole-body ultrasonography can detect the critical etiology of syncope with high diagnostic sensitivity. We aimed to reveal whether whole-body ultrasonography for syncope (WHOBUS-Syncope) protocol recognizes high-risk syncope patients and the effect of WHOBUS-Syncope protocol on the management of patients. ⋯ WHOBUS-Syncope protocol can be included in emergency practice as part of the standard evaluation in patients with syncope or presyncope presenting to the ED.
-
That the bladder can be compressed by extraperitoneal hematoma induced by obstetrics and gynecologic diseases, is well known. However, there have been no reports on the clinical significance of compressed bladder induced by pelvic fracture (PF). We therefore retrospectively investigated the clinical features of compressed bladder induced by the PF. ⋯ The present study showed that bladder deformity induced by PF tended to be a poor physiological sign that was associated with severe anatomical abnormality, unstable circulation requiring transfusion, and long hospitalization. Accordingly, physicians should evaluate shape of bladder when treating PF.
-
Emergency airway management requires matching the appropriate intubation tools to anticipated obstacles. Video laryngoscopy and flexible endoscopy are often used for difficult airways. Here we describe a case where neither method alone was anticipated to be sufficient. ⋯ The patient could not be temporized on maximized non-invasive airway support. These factors made tandem intubation, sequentially using video laryngoscopy and flexible endoscopic intubation, an appropriate intubation strategy. In this case report we describe the rationale and technique for a rapid sequence tandem intubation.