Can J Emerg Med
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Point-of-care ultrasonography (PoCUS) first appeared in the 1980s in North America, but the extent of the diffusion of its adoption is unknown. We characterized early PoCUS adoption by emergency physicians in Canada and its barriers to use using Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory. ⋯ This is the first study to determine the state of adoption and barriers to the introduction of PoCUS in Canadian emergency medicine practice. The novel validated ETUDE instrument should be used to evaluate the uptake of PoCUS over time.
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Multicenter Study
Familiarity with radiation exposure dose from diagnostic imaging for acute pulmonary embolism and current patterns of practice.
To assess the current level of knowledge and practice patterns of emergency physicians regarding radiation exposure from diagnostic imaging modalities for investigating acute pulmonary embolism (PE). ⋯ Although surveyed physicians possessed limited knowledge of radiation doses of CTPA and V/Q scans, they preferentially used the lower radiation V/Q scans in younger patients, particularly females, in both the survey vignettes and in clinical practice. This may reflect efforts to reduce radiation exposures at our institution.
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Multicenter Study
Postresuscitation debriefing in the pediatric emergency department: a national needs assessment.
The objectives of this study were to assess current postresuscitation debriefing (PRD) practices in Canadian pediatric emergency departments (EDs) and identify areas for improvement. ⋯ PRD in Canadian pediatric EDs occurs infrequently, although most health care providers agreed on its importance and the need for skilled facilitators.
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Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents occurs 20 to 30% of the time during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of cardiac arrest due to loss of protective airway reflexes, pressure changes generated during CPR, and positive pressure ventilation (PPV). Although the American Heart Association has recommended the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) as an acceptable alternative airway for use by emergency medical service personnel, concerns over the capacity of the device to protect from pulmonary aspiration remain. We sought to determine the occurrence of aspiration after LMA placement, CPR, and PPV. ⋯ In this swine model of regurgitation after LMA placement, there were no cases with evidence of blood beyond the seal created by the LMA cuff. Future studies are needed to determine the frequency of pulmonary aspiration after LMA placement during CPR and PPV in the clinical setting.