Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To determine the etiology of new-onset generalized seizures in patients with AIDS presenting to an ED. Patients without HIV infection with a first-time seizure were used as a comparison group. With these data, the current American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) guidelines on the workup of new-onset seizures were applied to determine whether they could safely be used in patients with AIDS. ⋯ Four of 26 AIDS patients with immediately treatable CNS lesions could have been sent home for outpatient evaluation of their seizures on the basis of current guidelines for non-HIV-infected patients. However, the updated 1997 ACEP guidelines now include emergent brain neuroimaging studies on patients who have or are suspected of having AIDS. This study helps to strengthen this recommendation. Based on these findings, the authors suggest a neuroimaging study with a lumbar puncture, if indicated, in the ED or inpatient admission workup for all patients with AIDS or suspected AIDS presenting with new-onset generalized seizures.
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This is the first in a series of articles developed by members of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Research Committee. The purpose of this series is to describe a stepwise approach to research, from the inception of a hypothesis to the final publication of a report. This series is written for junior academic emergency physicians (EPs), as well as nonacademic physicians who have an interest in research. This first article presents an overview of the steps involved in performing research and publishing the results, emphasizing the initial steps and the importance of collaboration.