Can J Emerg Med
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of the use of ambulance-based thrombolysis on time to thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke: a randomized clinical trial.
Article chosen Ebinger M, Winter B, Wendt M, et al. Effect of the use of ambulance-based thrombolysis on time to thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2014;311(16):1622-31. Clinical question Does prehospital thrombolysis in specialized ambulances reduce delay to thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke? ⋯ To determine the effect of prehospital thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke administered in specialized ambulances on delay in thrombolytic administration, thrombolysis rate, post-thrombolysis intracerebral hemorrhage, and 7-day mortality.
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The disciplines of paramedicine and emergency medicine have evolved synchronously over the past four decades, linked by emergency physicians with expertise in prehospital care. Ambulance offload delay (OD) is an inevitable consequence of emergency department overcrowding (EDOC) and compromises the care of the patient on the ambulance stretcher in the emergency department (ED), as well as paramedic emergency medical service response in the community. ⋯ Innovative solutions to other system issues, such as rapid access to trauma teams, reducing door-to-needle time, and improving throughput in the ED to reduce EDOC, have been achieved by involving all stakeholders in an integrative thinking process. Only by addressing this issue in a similar integrative process will solutions to OD be realized.
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The initial management of a trauma patient often involves imaging in the form of x-rays, computed tomography (CT) and other radiographic studies, which expose the patient to ionizing radiation, an entity known to cause tissue injury and malignancy at high doses. The purpose of this study was to use a calculation-based method to determine the radiation exposure of trauma patients undergoing trauma team activation in a Canadian tertiary-care trauma centre. ⋯ Trauma patients are exposed to significant amounts of radiation during their initial trauma work-up, which may increase the risk of fatal cancer. Clinicians who care for these patients must be aware of the radiation exposure, and take measures to limit radiation exposure of trauma patients.
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Multicenter Study
National Survey of Emergency Physicians to Define Functional Decline in Elderly Patients with Minor Trauma.
There are a number of screening tools to predict return to the emergency department (ED) in elderly trauma patients, but none exist to specifically screen for functional decline after a minor injury. The objective of this study was to identify outcome measures for a possible future clinical decision rule to be used in the ED to identify previously independent patients at high risk of functional decline at six months post minor injury. ⋯ A drop of three points on the 28-point OARS ADL Scale would be deemed clinically important by the vast majority of emergency physicians. Further, a sensitivity of 93% for a clinical decision tool would satisfy the MCID requirements of the vast majority of emergency physicians. There appears to be a gap between physician knowledge and actual practice. We intend to use these findings in the development of a clinical decision rule to identify high-risk elderly trauma patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Targeted temperature management: It is not yet time to change your target temperature.
Clinical question In unconscious patients of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, does targeted temperature management to 36°C (96.8°F) improve outcomes compared to the standard target of 32°C-34°C (89.6°F-93.2°F)? Article chosen Nielson N, Wetterslev J, Cronberg T, et al. Targeted temperature management at 33°C versus 36°C after cardiac arrest. N Engl J Med 2013;369:2197-2206. ⋯ To determine which temperature, 33°C (91.4°F) or 36°C (96.8°F), is associated with lower mortality and better neurologic function after cardiac arrest.