European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Arterial punctures represent a painful and unpleasant experience. Acid-base and oxygenation status can be assessed from peripheral venous blood, but agreement with arterial values is not always clinically acceptable. This study evaluates a method for mathematically transforming peripheral venous values into arterial values in emergency medicine patients. ⋯ Application of the mathematical arterialization method may reduce the pain associated with assessment of acid-base and oxygenation status, maximize the information obtained from peripheral venous blood and allow venous measurements to be presented as more commonly interpreted arterial values.
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We aimed to explore emergency department (ED) patients', doctors', and nurses' knowledge and illness perception with regard to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and to determine whether patients' diabetes risk was associated with illness perception. ⋯ Knowledge of prediabetes is poor among ED patients and many are unaware that T2DM may be asymptomatic. Patients and clinicians perceived lifestyle factors to be causative for T2DM, but both perceived patients as having little control over the condition. The capacity of lifestyle modifications to alter the course of T2DM should be emphasized in future education programs.
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The aim of the work is to determine whether the change between primary and repeated serum inflammatory markers measured 8-12 h later may improve diagnostic accuracy in pediatric appendicitis. ⋯ Repeated serum laboratory tests at different time points during the progression of acute appendicitis may be helpful in predicting pediatric appendicitis in the pediatric emergency department.
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Emergency cases for resuscitation include built-in oxygen cylinders with limited oxygen supply. The use of a bag-valve mask device (BVMD) with a reservoir requires a high constant flow of oxygen to maintain a high concentration of delivered oxygen. The goal of the study was to analyze what fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) can be reached and how long it takes using different BVMD with their reservoir device and different oxygen flows in order to allow a reduction in oxygen requirements during simulated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). ⋯ The mean FiO2 was lower with the Mark IV (P<0.05) (Table 1). To allow a substantial reduction in oxygen requirements, a 10 l/min for 1 min, followed by 5 l/min of oxygen flow can be used during CPR with both BVMDs studied. Increasing supplemental oxygen flow did not appreciably increase the FiO2.