J Emerg Med
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In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its strongest safety warning ("Black Box Warning") for concomitant use of prescription opioids and benzodiazepines due to overdose deaths. ⋯ Our study found that between 2012 and 2019, there was no overall reduction in co-prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines across EDs nationwide, but a decrease after the 2016 Black Box Warning.
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Metabolic alkalosis is an uncommon clinical entity resulting from a wide variety of underlying etiologies including gastrointestinal, renal, endocrine, and metabolic causes. It is a typically clinically silent condition; however, severe cases can be life-threatening, mandating both a systematic investigative approach and an early aggressive management strategy. ⋯ We present a case of a 58-year-old man with severe, multifactorial metabolic alkalosis (pH 7.72, HCO3- 42 mmol/L, pCO2 31 mm Hg) resulting from refractory vomiting, severe hypokalemia (2.0 mmol/L), and hypoalbuminemia (albumin 20 g/L). WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Severe metabolic alkalosis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Clinicians need to be aware of the potential underlying causes in these cases, as well as how to delineate between chloride- and non-chloride-depleted states, which dictates initial treatment. We provide a pragmatic summary of the evaluation, pertinent investigations, and early management of these cases.
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Montana is a rural state with limited access to higher-level trauma care; it also has higher injury fatality rates compared with the rest of the country. ⋯ Prompt access to trauma care is significantly lower in Montana than in other parts of the country, with dramatic disparities for American Indians. In a rural state, it is important to ensure that all hospitals are equipped to provide some level of trauma care to reduce these disparities.