The American journal of emergency medicine
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Persons 65 years and older (older persons), particularly residents of nursing homes (NHs), disproportionately access the emergency department (ED) and utilize more medical resources. The goal of this study is to provide a contemporary description of healthcare utilization patterns and disposition decisions for United States (US) NH residents presenting to EDs. ⋯ Older NH residents presenting to the ED use more resources and are more likely to be hospitalized compared to older persons residing outside NHs. The resource-intensive nature of these visits highlights the importance of targeted, multi-disciplinary interventions that optimize ED care for this population.
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Observational Study
Association between quantitative analysis of cerebral edema using CT imaging and neurological outcomes in cardiac arrest survivors.
To determine if the density distribution proportion of Hounsfield unit (HUdp) in head computed tomography (HCT) images can be used to quantitatively measure cerebral edema in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). ⋯ In this cohort study, the increased displacement in ΔHUdp = 23-35 range is independently associated with poor neurological outcome and provides a quantitative assessment of cerebral edema formation in OHCA survivors.
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Multicenter Study
Comparison of two testing strategies for Mycoplasma genitalium in emergency department patients across a statewide health system.
Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen) is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that has an estimated prevalence in the general population of 2.3% in women and 1.1% in men aged 21-23 years. (Hilbert and Reno, 2018) A cross-sectional study conducted in a community emergency department (ED) determined that the prevalence of Mgen was 14.8% in asymptomatic female patients. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2021 STI Treatment Guidelines recommend testing for Mgen in select circumstances. This study aims to determine what testing strategy in ED patients results in the most appropriate treatment of Mgen based on CDC recommendations. ⋯ Evidence regarding the preferred testing strategy for Mgen is currently limited. This study demonstrates that testing all STI presenting patients for Mgen results in antibiotic overuse, so adhering to CDC testing recommendations is important. Prevalence of positive Mgen result in ED patients tested for STIs was similar to results of previously published literature. Risk factor analysis results could be used as a screening method to determine what patients should be considered for Mgen testing. Based on the results of this study, we recommend against including Mgen on the standard ED STI testing panel at this time.