Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To test the hypothesis that heart rate variability (HRV) can provide an early indication of illness severity among patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with sepsis. ⋯ A single variable, LFnu, which reflects sympathetic modulation of heart rate, accounted for 40-60% of the variance in illness severity scores among patients presenting to the ED with sepsis. HRV, as reflected in LFnu and the LF/HF ratio and measured with a single brief (5-minute) period of monitoring while in the ED, may provide the emergency physician with a readily available, noninvasive, early marker of illness severity. The threshold effect of LFnu and LF/HF in the prediction of early clinical deterioration was an unexpected finding and should be regarded as hypothesis-generating, pending further study.
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To assess the knowledge and attitudes of law enforcement officers regarding treating out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and using automated external defibrillators (AEDs). ⋯ Limited knowledge and negative attitudes of law enforcement officers regarding their involvement in treating OHCA and using AEDs are commonly present. These factors could result in barriers that negatively impact law enforcement AED programs.