Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To develop a quantitative measure of emergency department (ED) crowding and busyness. ⋯ EDWIN correlated well with staff assessment of ED crowding and diversion. The index can be programmed into tracking software for use as a "dashboard" to alert staff when the ED is approaching crisis. If validated across other sites, EDWIN may provide a tool to compare crowding levels among different EDs.
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To determine the rate of unrecognized endotracheal tube misplacement when performed by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in a mixed urban and rural setting. ⋯ The incidence of unrecognized misplacement of endotracheal tubes by EMS personnel may be higher than most previous studies, making regular EMS evaluation and the out-of-hospital use of devices to confirm placement imperative. The authors were unable to show a difference in misplacement rates based on provider experience or level of training.
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To analyze the accuracy of paramedic emergency medical services (EMS) dispatchers in predicting cardiac arrest and to assess the effect of the caller party on dispatcher accuracy in an advanced life support, public utility model EMS system, with greater than 90,000 calls and greater than 60,000 transports per year. ⋯ A higher level of medical training may improve dispatch accuracy for predicting cardiac arrest. The type of calling party influenced the PPV of dispatcher-assigned condition.
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To determine if there is an association between total out-of-hospital time and trauma patient mortality. ⋯ Provider-assigned CUPS status, patient age, Injury Severity Score, and Revised Trauma Score all were significant predictors of trauma patient mortality. Total out-of-hospital time was not associated with mortality.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Randomized clinical trial of propofol versus methohexital for procedural sedation during fracture and dislocation reduction in the emergency department.
Although methohexital has been well studied for use in emergency department (ED) procedural sedation (PS), propofol has been evaluated less extensively for ED use. ⋯ The authors were unable to detect a significant difference in the level of subclinical RD or the level of sedation by BIS between the two agents. The use of either agent seems to be safe in the ED.