European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Comparative Study
Screening for risk of readmission of patients aged 65 years and above after discharge from the emergency department: predictive value of four instruments.
To compare the abilities of four different screening tools to predict return visits of older persons after they have been discharged from the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Repeat visits in older persons admitted to an ED seemed to be most accurately predicted by using the Rowland questionnaire, with an acceptable number of false positives. This instrument can be easily integrated into the standard nursing assessment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Prehospital noninvasive pressure support ventilation for acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema.
Severe acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (ACPE) can successfully be treated with noninvasive pressure support ventilation (NIPSV) in a clinical setting. Whether prehospital NIPSV starting early at patients' home and being continued until hospital arrival is feasible and improves ACPE emergency care is examined in this study. End points of the study were oxygen saturation at hospital admission and clinical outcome. ⋯ The need for intensive care treatment did not differ, and one patient of each treatment group died in hospital. No complications were noted during the treatment with NIPSV. Prehospital NIPSV is feasible and able to improve emergency management of ACPE.
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Our purpose with this investigation was to (i) estimate how often telephone-guided cardiopulmonary resuscitation was offered from emergency medical service dispatchers in Stockholm, (ii) study the willingness to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and (iii) assess factors that could mislead the dispatcher in identifying the patient as a cardiac arrest victim. ⋯ Despite the fact that the vast majority of bystanders are willing to take part in telephone-guided cardiopulmonary resuscitation, emergency medical service dispatchers offer telephone-guided cardiopulmonary resuscitation in about only half of cases. Signs of breathing (agonal breathing) are often mistaken for normal breathing and are a cause of delay in the diagnosis of cardiac arrest.
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To describe the management of the combative trauma patient in the prehospital setting, and to suggest a protocol for management. ⋯ In this article, an algorithmic approach to the treatment of the patient's agitation is outlined, using ketamine as the principal sedating agent, either alone or combined with midazolam. The combination of both drugs is suggested for the effective sedation of adult prehospital combative patient population.