Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial of Intranasal Ketamine Compared to Intranasal Fentanyl for Analgesia in Children with Suspected Extremity Fractures.
We compared the tolerability and efficacy of intranasal subdissociative ketamine to intranasal fentanyl for analgesia of children with acute traumatic pain and investigated the feasibility of a larger noninferiority trial that could investigate the potential opioid-sparing effects of intranasal ketamine. ⋯ Intranasal ketamine was associated with more minor side effects than intranasal fentanyl. Pain relief at 20 minutes was similar between groups. Our data support the feasibility of a larger, noninferiority trial to more rigorously evaluate the safety, efficacy, and potential opioid-sparing benefits of intranasal ketamine analgesia for children with acute pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Adverse events with ketamine versus ketofol for procedural sedation on adults: a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial.
The goal of our study was to compare the frequency and severity of recovery reactions between ketamine and ketamine-propofol 1:1 admixture ("ketofol"). ⋯ We found a significant reduction in recovery reactions and emesis frequencies among adult patients receiving emergency procedural sedations with ketofol, compared with ketamine.
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Conflicts of interest (COIs) are common in the practice of emergency medicine and may be present in the areas of clinical practice, relations with industry, expert witness testimony, medical education, research, and organizations. A COI occurs when there is dissonance between a primary interest and another interest. ⋯ Recognition and management of potential, real, and perceived COIs is essential to the ethical practice of emergency medicine. This paper discusses how to recognize, address, and manage them.
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From 2005 to 2010 health care financing shifts in the United States may have affected care transition practices for emergency department (ED) patients with nonspecific chest pain (CP) after ED evaluation. Despite being less acutely ill than those with myocardial infarction, these patients' management can be challenging. The risk of missing acute coronary syndrome is considerable enough to often warrant admission. Diagnostic advances and reimbursement limitations on the use of inpatient admission are encouraging the use of alternative ED care transition practices. In the setting of these health care changes, we hypothesized that there is a decline in inpatient admission rates for patients with nonspecific CP after ED evaluation. ⋯ There was a 41.1% decline in inpatient hospital admission for patients with nonspecific CP after ED evaluation. This reduction is temporally associated with national policy changes affecting reimbursement for inpatient admissions.
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Observational Study
Prospective Validation of a Clinical Score for Males Presenting with an Acute Scrotum.
The objective was to validate the Testicular Workup for Ischemia and Suspected Torsion (TWIST) score among pediatric emergency medicine providers for the evaluation of pediatric males presenting with testicular pain and swelling (acute scrotum). ⋯ In this prospective validation of the TWIST score among pediatric emergency providers, the high-risk score demonstrated strong test characteristics for testicular torsion. The TWIST score could be used as part of a standardized approach for evaluation of the pediatric acute scrotum to provide more efficient and effective care.