Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Point-of-care ultrasound-guided versus standard reduction of displaced distal radius fractures in the emergency department: a randomised controlled clinical trial.
During closed reduction of displaced distal radius fractures, physical examination is used to determine the need for further manipulation before radiographic confirmation and cast application. Manipulation performed under ultrasound guidance has the potential to decrease the number of reduction attempts. ⋯ This study could not demonstrate that PoCUS-guided reduction of distal radius fractures was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the number of reduction attempts.
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While the role of Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (eFAST) is well defined in the management of severe blunt trauma, its performance in injuries caused by stab wounds has been poorly assessed. ⋯ In patients admitted with stab wounds to the torso, eFAST was not sensitive enough to diagnose pneumothorax and haemoperitoneum, but performed better in the detection of cardiac tamponade and haemothorax than the other injuries. More robust multicentre studies are needed to better define the role of eFAST in this specific population.
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Antibiotic stewardship in the ED is important given the increasing prevalence of multidrug resistance associated with poorer patient outcomes. The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the ED for infections like appendicitis is common. At baseline, 75% of appendicitis cases at our institution received broad-spectrum ertapenem rather than the recommended narrower-spectrum ceftriaxone/metronidazole combination. We aimed to improve antibiotic stewardship by identifying barriers to guideline adherence and redesigning our appendicitis antibiotic guideline. ⋯ Antibiotic stewardship can be improved by ensuring clinicians have access to convenient and up-to-date guidelines through clinical decision support systems. The FITT model can help guide projects by identifying individual, task and technology barriers. Sustained adherence to clinical guidelines through simplification of guideline content is a potentially powerful tool to influence clinician behaviour in the ED.
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Observational Study
Detection of patients with COVID-19 by the emergency medical services in Lombardy through an operator-based interview and machine learning models.
The regional emergency medical service (EMS) in Lombardy (Italy) developed clinical algorithms based on operator-based interviews to detect patients with COVID-19 and refer them to the most appropriate hospitals. Machine learning (ML)-based models using additional clinical and geospatial epidemiological data may improve the identification of infected patients and guide EMS in detecting COVID-19 cases before confirmation with SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase PCR (rtPCR). ⋯ ML-based models might help EMS identify patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in guiding EMS allocation of hospital resources based on prespecified criteria.