Articles: emergency-medicine.
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The HINTS examination (head impulse, nystagmus, test of skew) is a bedside physical examination technique that can distinguish between vertigo due to stroke, and more benign peripheral vestibulopathies. Uptake of this examination is low among Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians; therefore, we surveyed Canadian EM physicians to determine when the HINTS exam is employed, and what factors account for its low uptake. ⋯ Though HINTS exam usage is common, there is a need for education on when to apply it, and how to do so, particularly as concerns the head-impulse test. Our attached rubric may assist with this, but quality-improvement initiatives are warranted. Low uptake is partly due to the lack of validation of this examination among EM physicians, so effort should be made to conduct well-designed HINTS trials exclusively involving EM physicians.
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Frailty is a common condition present in older Emergency Department (ED) patients that is associated with poor health outcomes. The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is a tool that measures frailty on a scale from 1 (very fit) to 9 (terminally ill). The goal of this scoping review was to describe current use of the CFS in emergency medicine and to identify gaps in research. ⋯ https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/W2F8N.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Point-of-Care Echocardiography of the Right Heart Improves Acute Heart Failure Risk Stratification for Low-Risk Patients: The REED-AHF Prospective Study.
Validated acute heart failure (AHF) clinical decision instruments (CDI) insufficiently identify low-risk patients meriting consideration of outpatient treatment. While pilot data show that tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is associated with adverse events, no AHF CDI currently incorporates point-of-care echocardiography (POCecho). We evaluated whether TAPSE adds incremental risk stratification value to an existing CDI. ⋯ TAPSE increased detection of low-risk AHF patients, after use of a validated CDI, at risk thresholds more conservative than standard of care.
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The objective was to conduct a scoping review of the literature and develop consensus-derived research priorities for future research inquiry in an effort to (1) identify and summarize existing research related to race, racism, and antiracism in emergency medicine (EM) and adjacent fields and (2) set the agenda for EM research in these topic areas. ⋯ Evidence of racism in EM emerged in nearly every facet of our literature. Key research priorities identified through consensus processes provide a roadmap for addressing and eliminating racism and other systems of oppression in EM.
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Multicenter Study
Establishing the International Research Priorities for Pediatric Emergency Medicine Point-of-Care Ultrasound: A Modified Delphi Study.
The Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) Point-of-care Ultrasound (POCUS) Network (P2Network) was established in 2014 to provide a platform for international collaboration among experts, including multicenter research. The objective of this study was to use expert consensus to identify and prioritize PEM POCUS topics, to inform future collaborative multicenter research. ⋯ This consensus study has established a research agenda to inform future international multicenter PEM POCUS trials. This study has highlighted the ongoing need for high-quality evidence for PEM POCUS applications to guide clinical practice.