Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Emergency department (ED) care for acute vascular diseases faces the challenge of overcrowding. A vascular unit is a specialized, protocol-oriented unit in the ED with a team trained to manage acute vascular disorders, including stroke, coronary syndromes, pulmonary embolism (PE), and aortic diseases. ⋯ The vascular unit strategy has the potential to reduce overall mortality for most acute vascular conditions.
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Central venous catheter (CVC) placement is a common procedure in critical care management. The authors set out to determine echocardiographic features during a saline flush of any type of CVC. The hypothesis was that the presence of a rapid saline swirl in the right atrium on bedside echocardiography would confirm correct placement of the CVC tip, similar to the accuracy of the postplacement chest radiograph (CXR). ⋯ The rapid appearance of prominent turbulence in the right atrium on echocardiography after CVC saline flush serves as a precise bedside screening test of optimal CVC tip position.
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Many factors may influence choice of care setting for treatment of acute infections. The authors evaluated a national sample of U.S. outpatient clinic and emergency department (ED) visits for three common infections (urinary tract infection [UTI], skin and soft tissue infection [SSTI], and upper respiratory infection [URI]), comparing setting, demographics, and care. ⋯ Emergency departments treated a considerable proportion of U.S. ambulatory infections from 2006 to 2010. Patient factors, including the presence of acute pain and access to care, appear to influence choice of care setting. Observed antibiotic use in both settings suggests a need for optimizing antibiotic use.
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Organ donation after cardiac death (DCD) is increasingly considered as an option to address the shortage of organs available for transplantation, both in the United States and worldwide. The procedures for DCD differ from procedures for donation after brain death and are likely less familiar to emergency physicians (EPs), even as this process is increasingly involving emergency departments (EDs). This article explores the ED operational and ethical issues surrounding this procedure.
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While recent studies have demonstrated an overall increase in psychiatric visits in the emergency department (ED), none have focused on a nationally representative pediatric population. Understanding trends in pediatric psychiatric ED visits is important because of limited outpatient availability of pediatric specialists, as well as long wait times for psychiatric appointments. The study aim was to evaluate the trends in ED psychiatric visits for children between 2001 and 2010 with comparison by sociodemographic characteristics. ⋯ Pediatric ED psychiatric visits are increasing. Teenagers and children with public insurance appear to be at increased risk. Further investigation is needed to determine what the causative factors are.