European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Observational Study
Traumatic brain injury in the Netherlands, trends in emergency department visits, hospitalization and mortality between 1998 and 2012.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The effects of epidemiological changes such as ageing of the population and increased traffic safety on the incidence of TBI are unknown. ⋯ The incidence of TBI-related ED visits and hospitalization increased markedly between 1998 and 2012 in the Netherlands. TBI-related mortality occurred at an older age. These observations are probably the result of a change in aetiology of TBI, specifically a decrease in traffic accidents and an increase in falls in the ageing population. This hypothesis is supported by our data. However, ageing of the population is not the only cause of the changes observed; the observed changes remained significant when correcting for age and sex. The higher incidence of TBI with a relatively stable mortality rate highlights the importance of clinical decision rules to identify patients with a high risk of poor outcome after TBI.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Sepsis patients in the emergency department: stratification using the Clinical Impression Score, Predisposition, Infection, Response and Organ dysfunction score or quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score?
The aim of this study was to compare the stratification of sepsis patients in the emergency department (ED) for ICU admission and mortality using the Predisposition, Infection, Response and Organ dysfunction (PIRO) and quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) scores with clinical judgement assessed by the ED staff. ⋯ Clinical judgement is a fast and reliable method to stratify between ICU and general ward admission in ED patients with sepsis. The PIRO and qSOFA scores do not add value to this stratification, but perform better on the prediction of mortality. In sepsis patients, therefore, the principle of 'treat first what kills first' can be supplemented with 'judge first and calculate later'.
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Meta Analysis
Lung ultrasound in diagnosing pneumonia in the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most widespread and severe infectious diseases worldwide. In the emergency department (ED), there is still a need for a rapid and accurate tool that can diagnose CAP. Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a recent tool that is increasingly being for this purpose. ⋯ The pooled area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity were, respectively, 97, 92, and 93%. The LUS was found to be an accurate tool in diagnosing CAP in adult patients in the ED. More methodologically rigorous trials are needed.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel pericardiocentesis technique using an in-plane parasternal medial-to-lateral approach with the use of a high-frequency probe in patients with cardiac tamponade. ⋯ The parasternal medial-to-lateral in-plane pericardiocentesis is a new technique theoretically free of complications and it enables real-time monitoring of needle trajectory. For the first time, a pericardiocentesis approach with a medial-to-lateral needle trajectory and real-time, in-plane, needle visualization was performed in a tamponade patient population.
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Advanced airway management of combat casualties during scene-to-hospital air transport is challenging. Because of the short transport time, flight physicians of the Israeli military airborne combat evacuation unit are approved for the use of a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in the event of failed endotracheal intubation (ETI). The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of LMA use during scene-to-hospital transport of combat casualties in Israel. ⋯ The findings of this study suggest that in the event of failed ETI, combat casualties can be treated effectively with LMA during a short scene-to-hospital transport time.