Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) impacts patient satisfaction and overcrowding. Laboratory turnaround time (TAT) is a major determinant of ED LOS. The authors determined the impact of a Stat laboratory (Stat lab) on ED LOS. The authors hypothesized that a Stat lab would reduce ED LOS for admitted patients by 1 hour. ⋯ Introduction of a Stat lab dedicated to the ED within the central laboratory was associated with shorter laboratory TATs and shorter ED LOS for admitted patients, by approximately 1 hour.
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There are no disposition guidelines for the management of acute pyelonephritis (APN) in women. Recent studies have demonstrated considerable variation in admission rates for women with APN. The authors evaluated the effect of a predetermined, written protocol for the management of APN on the admission rates and medical costs in adult women with APN. ⋯ Use of a standardized written protocol reduced the admission rates and medical costs in women presenting to the ED with APN.
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Continuous or bilevel positive airway pressure ventilation, called noninvasive ventilation (NIV), is a controversial therapy for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). While NIV is considered safe and effective in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), clinical trial data that have addressed safety in ADHF patients are limited, with some suggestion of increased mortality. The objective of this study was to assess mortality outcomes associated with NIV and to determine if a failed trial of NIV followed by endotracheal intubation (ETI) (NIV failure) is associated with worse outcomes, compared to immediate ETI. ⋯ In this analysis of ADHF patients receiving NIV to date, patients placed on NIV for ADHF fared better than patients requiring immediate ETI. Patients who failed NIV and required ETI still experienced lower mortality than those initially placed on ETI. Thus, while the ETI group may be more severely ill, starting therapy with NIV instead of immediate ETI will likely not harm the patient. When ETI is required, mortality and length of stay may be adversely affected. Since a successful trial of NIV is associated with improved outcomes in patients with ADHF, application of this therapy may be a reasonable treatment option.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparison of nebulized epinephrine to albuterol in bronchiolitis.
To compare the effect of nebulized racemic epinephrine to nebulized racemic albuterol on successful discharge from the emergency department (ED). ⋯ In children up to the 18th month of life, ED treatment of bronchiolitis with nebulized racemic albuterol led to more successful discharges than nebulized epinephrine.
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The objective was to develop methodology for predicting demand for emergency department (ED) services by characterizing ED arrivals. ⋯ At this facility, demand for ED services was well approximated by a Poisson regression model. The expected arrival rate is characterized by a small number of factors and does not depend on recent numbers of arrivals.