Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Tiny Cargo, Big Deal! Pilot trial of an Emergency Department-based intervention to promote child passenger safety best practices.
Despite demonstrated effectiveness of child restraint systems (CRSs), use remains suboptimal. In this randomized pilot trial, we sought to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of "Tiny Cargo, Big Deal" an ED-based intervention to promote guideline-concordant size-appropriate CRS use. ⋯ Suboptimal CRS use can be identified and intervened upon during a child's ED visit. A combined approach with ED-based counseling and mailed tailored brochures shows promise to improve size-appropriate CRS use.
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Pediatric emergency care provision in the United States is uneven. Institutional barriers to readiness in the general emergency department (GED) are known, but little is understood about the frontline providers. Our objective was to explore the lived experiences of emergency medicine (EM) providers caring for acutely ill children in the GED and identify opportunities to optimize their pediatric practice. ⋯ General ED providers struggled with critically ill children because they could not anticipate their pediatric-specific knowledge gaps and only realized them at critical junctures. EM providers were isolated and frustrated when seeking help; without guidance and feedback they internalized their experience with uncertainty and were left underprepared for subsequent encounters. The data suggested the need for provider-focused interventions to address gaps in pediatric-specific continuing medical education, just-in-time assistance, and knowledge transfer.
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The window for acute ischemic stroke treatment was previously limited to 4.5 hours for intravenous tissue plasminogen activator and to 6 hours for thrombectomy. Recent studies using advanced imaging selection expand this window for select patients up to 24 hours from last known well. ⋯ It analyzes the implications on prehospital protocols to identify and transfer large-vessel occlusion stroke patients, on issues of distributive justice, and on ED management to provide advanced imaging and access to thrombectomy centers. The creation of high-performing systems of care to manage acute ischemic stroke patients requires academic emergency physician leadership attentive to the rapidly changing science of stroke care.
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Observational Study
"Full Stomach" Despite the Wait: Point-of-Care Gastric Ultrasound at the Time of Procedural Sedation in the Pediatric Emergency Department.
The objective was to use gastric point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to assess gastric contents and volume, summarize the prevalence of "full stomach," and explore the relationship between fasting time and gastric contents at the time of procedural sedation. ⋯ Gastric POCUS classified many patients as having a full stomach at the time of expected procedural sedation, despite prolonged fasting times. These findings may inform risk-benefit considerations when planning the timing and medication choice for procedural sedation.