Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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To determine the efficacy of the Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis (MEDS) score in the stratification of patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) with severe sepsis. ⋯ Our results showed that mortality risk stratification of severe sepsis patients in the ED with MEDS score is effective. The MEDS score also discriminated better than the APACHE II model in mortality prediction.
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Triage at the site of a major incident is key to effective scene management. A number of triage algorithms have been suggested to assist the triage officer to determine triage priorities. However, many advocated scores were not specifically developed for use in major incidents, nor are they designed for multiple age groups. Many of these algorithms have not been validated: those that have were validated against the Injury Severity Score, which is of little relevance in a major incident--it is the urgency of medical intervention that is of importance in this setting. ⋯ Delphi may be used to identify which clinical criteria define triage priority in a major incident setting. These criteria and the associated triage categories may be used as for the validation of specific major incident triage algorithms. This method may be used to develop specific criteria for other triage algorithms.
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To assess if the combination of cardiac troponin (cTn) and Ischemia Modified Albumin (IMA) can be used for early exclusion of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). ⋯ Admission measurement of cardiac troponin plus IMA can be used for early classification of patients presenting to the ED to assist in patient triage.
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To determine the interaction and waiting times of patients in Barbados Queen Elizabeth Hospital Accident and Emergency Department (A&E), identify their determinants, and compare them to international benchmarks. ⋯ The A&E could improve patient care processes by shortening waiting times, especially for laboratory results, triage, and seeing a doctor, particularly for older medicine patients.