J Emerg Med
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Since the first heart transplant in 1967, there has been significant progress in this field of cardiac transplantation. Approximately 600 pediatric heart transplants are performed every year worldwide. With the increasing number of pediatric heart transplant patients, and given the few tertiary care pediatric transplant centers, adult and pediatric emergency department (ED) providers are increasingly engaged in the care of pediatric heart transplant recipients in the ED. ⋯ The unique immunological challenges in these patients, including rejection and medication side effects and opportunistic infections, make this population fragile, and the knowledge of these challenges is helpful for EM providers.
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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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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.