Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Editorial Comment
The Prehospital Sepsis Screen: A Test in Search of an Application?
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Review Meta Analysis
Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography in Retained Soft Tissue Foreign Bodies: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Open wounds with the potential for retained foreign bodies are frequently seen in the emergency department (ED). Common foreign bodies, such as wood or glass, are often missed on physical examination and conventional radiography. The increased use of ultrasonography (US) in the ED presents an opportunity to better identify retained soft tissue foreign bodies, and understanding of its test characteristics is desirable. The authors set out to determine the test characteristics of US for detection of soft tissue foreign bodies by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing literature. ⋯ Ultrasonography is highly specific and moderately sensitive in the identification of retained soft tissue foreign bodies; however, studies to date have a high degree of heterogeneity and a high risk of bias.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Immediate Discharge and Home Treatment With Rivaroxaban of Low-risk Venous Thromboembolism Diagnosed in Two U.S. Emergency Departments: A One-year Preplanned Analysis.
The study hypothesis was that a target-specific anticoagulant would allow successful home treatment of selected patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosed in two urban emergency departments (EDs). ⋯ Patients diagnosed with VTE and immediately discharged from the ED while treated with rivaroxaban had a low rate of VTE recurrence and bleeding.
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The objective was to characterize the variations in practice in the diagnosis and management of children admitted to hospitals from Canadian pediatric emergency departments (EDs) with suspected appendicitis, specifically the timing of surgical intervention, ED investigations, and management strategies. ⋯ Across Canadian pediatric EDs, there exists significant variation in the diagnosis and management of children with suspected appendicitis. These results indicate that the best diagnostic and management strategies remain unclear and support the need for future prospective, multicenter studies to identify strategies associated with optimal patient outcomes.