Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
-
To evaluate the achievement of women in academic emergency medicine (EM) relative to men. ⋯ These findings mirror those of most medical specialties: academic achievement of women in academic EM lags behind that of men. The paucity of minority physicians in academic EM didn't permit analysis of their academic achievements.
-
To determine whether a hypertonic saline bolus improves cardiac conduction or plasma potassium levels more than normal saline infusion within 15 minutes of treatment for severe hyperkalemia. Previously with this model, 8.4% sodium chloride (NaCl) and 8.4% sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO(3)) lowered plasma potassium equally effectively. ⋯ In this model, 8.4% NaCl bolus reversed cardiac conduction abnormalities within the first 15 minutes after treatment, more rapidly than did the 0.9% NaCl infusion or control. This reversal occurred despite similar reductions in potassium levels.
-
To determine whether patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with first-trimester pregnancy complications have a decreased length of stay (LOS) when a live intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) is diagnosed by emergency physicians (EPs). ⋯ Emergency physicians identifying live IUP with bedside ultrasonography significantly decreased patients' LOSs in the ED. The decrease in LOS was most apparent for patients presenting during evening and nighttime hours.
-
To evaluate the utility of bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) in the out-of-hospital treatment of patients with presumed congestive heart failure (CHF). ⋯ ALS EMTs can be trained to deliver noninvasive ventilation with BiPAP, find it easy to apply, and believe that it helps relieve dyspnea in patients with suspected CHF.