European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Multicenter Study
Length of stay in emergency department and cerebral intravenous thrombolysis in community hospitals.
Current guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke recommend completion of an evaluation within 60 min of the patient's arrival at the emergency department (ED) because prolongation of ED length of stay (LOS) may reduce the efficacy of acute stroke treatment. ⋯ A prolonged ED LOS, because of ineffective prehospital logistics, ED urban location, patients' risk factors, and cohabitation profile and stroke symptoms and severity, commonly exists among patients with stroke and transient ischemic attack and contributes toward a low rate of IV thrombolysis in Polish community hospitals.
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Observational Study
The SPEED (sepsis patient evaluation in the emergency department) score: a risk stratification and outcome prediction tool.
The aim of the study was to identify covariates associated with 28-day mortality in septic patients admitted to the emergency department and derive and validate a score that stratifies mortality risk utilizing parameters that are readily available. ⋯ The SPEED score predicts 28-day mortality in septic patients. It is simple and its predictive value is comparable to that of other scoring systems.
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In patients presenting with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), the use of ultrasound may lead to a more accurate distinction between cellulitis and abscess compared with clinical assessment alone. ⋯ The use of ultrasound could potentially improve diagnostic accuracy and lead to improved management decisions in patients with SSTI, especially in cases of indeterminate clinical assessment. Most of our findings did not achieve statistical significance. Further research is required to confirm these findings.