Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program aims to strengthen and support translational research by accelerating the process of translating laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients, training a new generation of clinical and translational researchers, and engaging communities in clinical research efforts. Yet, little is known about how emergency care researchers have interacted with and utilized the resources of academic institutions with CTSAs. ⋯ Despite little initial involvement in development of the CTSA program, there has been moderate interaction between CTSAs and emergency care. There is considerable interest in participating in a CTSA consortium-based emergency care translational research network.
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The objective was to describe the frequency of and factors associated with prolonged peripheral intravenous catheter (PIV) insertion in the resuscitation area of a pediatric emergency department (PED). ⋯ Prolonged PIV insertion is common in a PED resuscitation area. When PED providers could not insert a PIV, time to insertion was very long. Young patients and those with contractures were at particular risk for prolonged and failed PIV placement. When emergent vascular access is required, alternative approaches should be considered early for these patients.
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Photographing injuries in the acute setting allows for improved documentation as well as assessment by clinicians and others who have not personally examined a patient. This tool is important, particularly for telemedicine, tracking of wound healing, the evaluation of potential abuse, and injury research. Despite this, protocols to ensure standardization of photography in clinical practice, forensics, or research have not been published. In preparation for a study of injury patterns in elder abuse and geriatric falls, our goal was to develop and evaluate a protocol for standardized photography of injuries that may be broadly applied. ⋯ Standardizing the documentation of injuries with photographs for clinical and research assessment can be conducted by nonprofessional photographers. A photography protocol will ensure that this important mechanism for documentation is optimized.
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Acetaminophen (APAP) is a mainstay for pain management worldwide. The intravenous (IV) formulation has been widely used in Europe for more than 20 years in adults and children. In the United States, IV APAP obtained full approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2010. There is emerging literature to suggest the use of IV APAP for pain reduction in the emergency department (ED). This evidence-based review examines the evidence pertaining to the use of IV APAP for acute pain control in the ED. ⋯ Fourteen RCTs with various methodologic flaws provided limited evidence to support the use of IV APAP as the primary analgesic for acute pain control in patients who present to the ED.