European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Reports indicate that chest compression may induce skeletal chest injuries. We aimed to assess the factors associated with skeletal chest injuries and the probability of skeletal chest injuries following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients who were successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest. ⋯ In our study, advanced age and CPR duration were factors associated with a greater risk of skeletal chest injuries in adult patients who were resuscitated after cardiac arrest.
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The aim of this study was to assess the effect of prehospital noninvasive ventilation for acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema on endotracheal intubation rate and on ICU admission rate. ⋯ In our physician-staffed prehospital system, use of noninvasive ventilation for acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema decreased both endotracheal intubation and ICU admission rates.
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Presentation to the emergency department with renal colic has been reported as between 6.7 and 27.9 per 1000 emergency department visits. Clinicians rely on various radiological investigations for the prompt and accurate diagnosis of urolithiasis. This review assesses the validity of the colour Doppler ultrasonographic twinkling artefact (TA) sign as a diagnostic tool for the presence of urolithiasis. ⋯ Meta-analysis of the studies that provided sufficient data resulted in a pooled sensitivity and specificity for the ultrasonographic TA sign of 88.16 [95% confidence interval (CI): 87.07-89.19%] and 79.22% (95% CI: 73.41-84.26%) respectively, with an estimated summary effect of 3.84 (95% CI: 1.08-6.60, P 0.006) in log odds ratio terms. There was significant interstudy heterogeneity as suggested by an I-statistic of 94.51% (95% CI: 94.51-99.58) and an estimated τ parameter of 7.21 (SE: 7.44). Despite the suboptimal pooled sensitivity and specificity of the TA sign and the large heterogeneity between published studies, the current body of evidence suggests that the colour Doppler ultrasonographic TA sign may be useful as a complementary tool in the diagnostic workup of patients with suspected urolithiasis.
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We aimed to both quantitatively and qualitatively describe interventional research performed in emergency medical communication centres. We conducted a systematic review of articles published in MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science. Studies evaluating therapeutic or organizational interventions directed by call centres in the context of emergencies were included. ⋯ Few interventional studies have been performed in call centres. Studies mainly involved simulation and focussed on cardiac arrest. The quality of studies needs improvement to allow for a better recognition and understanding of emergency medical call control.
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Management of pain is suboptimal in many prehospital and emergency department settings, and European guidelines are lacking. We carried out the Consensus On Management of PAin Caused by Trauma (COMPACT) Delphi initiative to gain insights into the factors physicians consider important when selecting analgesics for trauma pain. ⋯ These findings may facilitate the development of evidence-based guidelines supporting the provision of pain management in prehospital, emergency department, and critical care settings.