Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To characterize older adult emergency department (ED) visits arriving by emergency medical services (EMS) and to identify factors associated with those patient visits. ⋯ Older adults account for a large proportion of EMS responses and use EMS at a disproportionately high rate. As the older adult population grows, EMS systems must prepare for the increased volume of older adults by making changes in training, operations, and equipment.
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An estimate of a child's weight is required for critical interventions, particularly pharmacotherapy. Weight measurement is not always practical, so weight estimation methods are used. Recently, a new weight estimation formula was suggested. The Argall formula estimates weight in kilograms as follows: (age in years + 2) x 3. ⋯ The Argall weight estimation formula has poor accuracy for weight estimation in Australian children, in particular those weighing more than 35 kg.
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To characterize the initial management of patients with sickle cell disease and an acute pain episode, to compare these practices with the American Pain Society Guideline for the Management of Acute and Chronic Pain in Sickle-Cell Disease in the emergency department, and to identify factors associated with a delay in receiving an initial analgesic. ⋯ Patients with an acute painful episode related to sickle cell disease experienced significant delays to administration of an initial analgesic.
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To explore hospital characteristics and indicators of emergency department (ED) care of older patients associated with return visits to the ED. ⋯ In general, more limited ED resources and indicators of ED care (weekend visits, fewer available hospital beds) are associated with return ED visits in seniors, although the magnitude of the effects is generally small.
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To determine whether peripheral veins can be detected by ultrasound (US) and to determine vein characteristics, as measured by US, that are associated with successful peripheral venous (PV) catheterization in young children. ⋯ Ultrasound appears to be capable of detecting peripheral veins in children younger than 7 years of age, with lack of US vein visualization likely leading to unsuccessful PV placement. Greater vein length visualization may be a useful predictor of successful PV catheterization.