Articles: emergency-department.
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As the mortality of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is significantly higher than those with mild or moderate severity, it is of clinical significance to identify patients most likely to develop SAP at the time of emergency department (ED) presentation. ⋯ The BISAP and ED-SAS scores performed similarly in predicting SAP, mortality, and intensive care unit admission. As an easily calculated tool early in the ED, ED-SAS may be helpful in disposition decisions for emergency physicians.
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Multicenter Study
Prospective evaluation of single-dose aminoglycosides for treatment of complicated cystitis in the emergency department.
Antimicrobial resistance among Enterobacterales continues to be a growing problem, particularly in those with urinary infections. Previous studies have demonstrated safety and efficacy with the use of single-dose aminoglycosides in uncomplicated cystitis. However, data in complicated infections are limited. Single-dose aminoglycosides may provide a convenient alternative for those with or at risk for resistant pathogens causing complicated urinary infections, especially when oral options are unavailable due to resistance, allergy, intolerance, or interactions with other medications. This study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of single-dose aminoglycosides in treatment of complicated cystitis in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Single-dose aminoglycosides appear to be a reasonably effective and safe treatment for complicated cystitis, which avoided hospital admission in this cohort.
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"One Pill Can Kill" is a meme originating in the 1990s. This construct lists pharmaceuticals that have the alleged potential for fatality after the ingestion of a single pill by a toddler. ⋯ The negative outcome of the one pill can kill construct is inappropriate management manifested by over-referral of young children by poison centers to emergency departments for care, overly prolonged emergency department observation and needless hospital admissions. A more accurate construct is that one pill of anything other than opioids will not kill anybody with the caveat being that we are referring to regulated pharmaceuticals.
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Emergency department (ED) boarding of psychiatric patients is a national issue that continues to worsen at a disturbing rate. Implementing strategies in the ED to provide continuous care for patients can help secure patient safety. ⋯ Patients with psychiatric disorders boarding in the ED need careful consideration of management plans to mitigate patient safety events.
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The HEART score is a clinical decision tool that stratifies patients into categories of low, moderate, and high-risk of major adverse cardiac events in the emergency department (ED) but cannot identify underlying cardiovascular disease in patients without prior history. The presence of atherosclerosis can easily be detected at the bedside using carotid ultrasound. Plaque quantification is well established, and plaque composition can be assessed using ultrasound grayscale pixel distribution analysis. This study aimed to determine whether carotid plaque burden and/or composition correlated with risk of events and could improve the sensitivity of the HEART score in risk stratifying ED patients with chest pain. ⋯ Plaque burden with advanced composition features (fibrous and calcium) was associated with increased HEART score. Integrating plaque assessment into the HEART score identified subclinical atherosclerosis in moderate-risk patients.