Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Comparative Study
Factors associated with failure of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in the emergency department.
To determine the factors associated with failure of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) in patients presenting with acute respiratory failure to the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Patients with pH < or = 7.35 and an RR > or =20 min(-1) after one hour of NPPV had an increased risk of subsequent endotracheal intubation.
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To determine the sensitivity and specificity of limited emergency ultrasonography of the kidney in diagnosing renal colic. ⋯ Emergency ultrasonography of the kidneys shows very good sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing renal colic in patients with flank pain and hematuria.
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Comparative Study
The paradox of the nested pediatric emergency department.
Nested pediatric emergency departments (nPEDs) are defined as dedicated treatment areas operating during peak pediatric hours within general emergency departments (EDs). This study examined three staffing models for nPEDs and their impact on pediatric encounters. ⋯ Physicians practicing in facilities that include an nPED must dedicate some portion of their practice to the nPED to maintain equivalent pediatric encounters.
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Comparative Study
Assessment of a new method to distinguish esophageal from tracheal intubation by measuring the endotracheal cuff pressure in a porcine model.
With the knowledge of differences in anatomic structures between the trachea and the esophagus, the authors conducted an animal study to evaluate the usefulness of endotracheal cuff pressure in distinguishing endotracheal and esophageal intubations. ⋯ The cuff pressure in the esophageal intubation was significantly higher than that in the endotracheal intubation under the same inflated volume from 1 to 10 mL. This may provide the basis for an adjunctive, simple, rapid, and reliable method to verify endotracheal intubation.
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Comparative Study
Resident efficiency in a pediatric emergency department.
To measure the hourly rate of patients evaluated and treated by resident physicians in an academic pediatric emergency department (PED) and examine differences in the rate by subspecialty and year of training. ⋯ Significant differences in the rate of patients evaluated and treated in the PED exist by resident subspecialty and year of training. Knowing these rates is helpful in evaluation of resident performance, because it allows comparison with peers. Additionally, such information may be useful for residency program evaluators to gauge the amount of patient exposure for residents.