J Emerg Med
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Cholelithiasis affects an estimated 20 million people in the United States yearly; 20% of symptomatic patients will develop acute cholecystitis (AC). A recent single-center study estimating test characteristics of point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) for the detection of AC, as defined by gallstones plus sonographic Murphy's or pericholecystic fluid or gallbladder wall-thickening, resulted in a sensitivity and specificity of 87% (95% confidence interval [CI] 66-97) and 82% (95% CI 74-88), respectively. No prior studies have been conducted to estimate the test characteristics of POCUS for the purpose of excluding acute calculous cholecystitis. ⋯ Simplifying the definition of the test findings on POCUS to gallstones alone has excellent sensitivity and negative predictive value for the exclusion of AC. This finding, if broadly validated prospectively, confirms the practice of excluding acute calculous cholecystitis using POCUS in emergency department patients.
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Observational Study
Urgent Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Testing in Emergency Medicine: A Useful Tool?
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) has recently been introduced among the tests available to the Emergency Department (ED) of our hospital. ⋯ We found a positive impact of urgent TSH determination in emergency decision-making. Nevertheless, a stronger clinical impact could be achieved by improving request appropriateness and by targeting TSH testing to some clinical indications identified by the study. The work was considered a quality-improvement project by the Hospital Committee for Quality Management.
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The presentation of outcomes after cardiac arrest presented by emergency medical service and in-hospital teams in the Utstein style allows for comparative analysis of populations and systems. Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) and the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) are doctor-plus-paramedic prehospital care teams that respond to a large number of medical cardiac arrests. ⋯ Benchmarking of performance is essential to understand reasons for variability, and to allow individual systems to reflect on their own practices. We have described 31 months of data that pertain to medical cardiac arrest cases attended by our services and demonstrated a comparable survival rate to discharge with good neurological outcome.
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Ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the pediatric population is rare, has a wide differential diagnosis, and can present in numerous ways. In the absence of underlying heart disease, VT is considered idiopathic and is associated with an excellent prognosis. Right ventricular outflow tract ventricular tachycardia (RVOT-VT) represents the most common form of idiopathic VT. The differential diagnosis, mechanism, presentation, management, and prognosis of RVOT-VT in the pediatric population will be discussed. ⋯ We report a case of RVOT-VT that was incidentally discovered in an 11-year-old girl during an emergency department workup for severe headache. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: It is essential for emergency physicians to have an approach to pediatric VT and appreciate the wide range of potential presentations. Differentiating idiopathic VT, such as RVOT-VT, from more malignant forms of VT can be challenging and requires expert consultation for further diagnostic workup and management.
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On October 23, 2011, a devastating earthquake, magnitude 7.2 on the Richter Scale, jolted the province of Van in the east of Turkey and led to hundreds of casualties. ⋯ The results of this study demonstrated that, in the aftermath of a natural disaster, conducting correct triage procedures and performing a prompt intervention with appropriate and qualified equipment play key roles in reducing morbidity and mortality.