J Emerg Med
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Opioid-induced constipation (OIC) is a frequent consequence of opioid analgesia that may increase patient risk for emergency department visits and hospitalization. Methylnaltrexone is a peripherally acting µ-opioid receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of OIC. ⋯ Methylnaltrexone provides early RFL without compromising analgesia in patients receiving chronic opioid therapy.
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Early initiation of a new P2Y12 inhibitor in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients prior to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is recommended over clopidogrel. However, comparative data remain limited, especially in semi-rural regions with subsequent longer transfer times. ⋯ Compared with clopidogrel, pretreatment with new P2Y12 inhibitors seems to be associated with lower risks of mortality and ischemic outcomes, and similar risks of bleeding in a real-world registry. Our results are in line with the guidelines recommending the preferential pre-PCI administration of new P2Y12 inhibitors in STEMI patients referred for primary PCI.
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Oral endotracheal intubation is a procedure performed by emergency medical services (EMS) providers-who are stationed on ground ambulances, rotor-wing air ambulances (helicopter), and fixed-wing air ambulances (airplane)-for the purpose of securing a patient's airway. ⋯ Our data show that flight crew members-either on fixed-wing or rotor-wing air ambulances-are associated with significantly higher rates of intubation success than ground ambulance providers. There are a number of possible explanations for this trend, including more opportunities to intubate in the air medical setting, increased clinical education focused on airway management in the air medical setting, or assistive technologies being more commonly used in the air medical setting.
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Rapid sequence intubation (RSI) is performed by helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) providers to establish airway control. Common induction agents are etomidate and ketamine, both touted to have relatively stable hemodynamic profiles. Limited data comparing these medications in the air medical setting exist. ⋯ Both ketamine and etomidate are appropriate for intubation of HEMS patients. Ketamine was preferentially selected for hypotensive patients with statistically significant improvement in SBP. Although statistically significant, both ketamine and etomidate had relative low incidences of hypotension.