The American journal of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study
The effects of the 2022 computed tomography IV contrast shortage on the emergency department diagnosis of abdominal pathology.
A COVID-19 lockdown in China resulted in a global disruption in IV contrast media production, which resulted in a hospital system advisory limiting contrast studies. The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of the IV contrast shortage on the ED diagnosis of emergent abdominopelvic pathology. ⋯ We did not identify differences in diagnoses during the contrast shortage period compared to the control period, and did not identify any missed important diagnoses as a consequence of the IV contrast shortage.
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Early recognition of sepsis is essential for timely initiation of adequate care. However, this is challenging as signs and symptoms may be absent or nonspecific. The cascade of events leading to organ failure in sepsis is characterized by immune-metabolic alterations. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are metabolic byproducts released in expired air. We hypothesize that measuring the VOC profile using electronic nose technology (eNose) could improve early recognition of sepsis. ⋯ The study is embedded in the Acutelines data-biobank (www.acutelines.nl), registered in Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04615065).