Articles: emergency-medicine.
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Hemodynamically unstable patients with severe hypothermia and preserved circulation should be transported to dedicated extracorporeal life support (ECLS) centers, but not all are eligible for extracorporeal therapy. In this group of patients, the outcome of rewarming may sometimes be unfavorable. It is, therefore, crucial to identify potential risk factors for death. ⋯ In the multivariate analysis of laboratory tests and vital signs, systolic blood pressure (SBP) adjusted for cooling circumstances and base excess (BE) were identified as the best predictor of death (OR 0.974 95% CI 0.952-0.996), AUC ROC 0.79 (0.70-0.88). The clinically relevant cutoff for SBP was identified at 90 mmHg with a sensitivity of 0.74 (0.54-0.89) and a specificity of 0.70 (0.60-0.79). The increased risk of death among hypothermic patients with preserved circulation occurs among those with an SBP below 90 mmHg and in those who developed hypothermia in their homes.
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To describe critical tasks and errors associated with intercostal chest drain insertion, in order to develop enhanced procedural guidelines for task performance and training. ⋯ Tasks and sub-tasks associated with intercostal chest drain insertion was described and evaluated for criticality. The most critical task was the correct identification of a safe insertion point. Applications include development of procedural guidelines with tasks vulnerable to error highlighted and training interventions that promotes safe task performance.
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Assessing patient frailty during triage evaluations has become increasingly relevant in Emergency Departments (ED). This study aimed to externally validating the Triage Frailty and Comorbidity (TFC) tool. This prospective study was conducted from June 1 to December 31, 2023. ⋯ In Decision Curve Analysis, it yielded higher net benefits up to a threshold probability of 0.30. The externally validated TFC tool appears very effective at identifying patients with increased risk of 90-day mortality after ED attendance. It could be implemented in clinical practice and enhance the predictive ability of standard triage systems.
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Prehospital blood gas analysis (BGA) is an evolving field that offers the potential for early identification and management of critically ill patients. However, the utility and accuracy of prehospital BGA are subjects of ongoing debate. ⋯ Prehospital BGA holds significant potential for enhancing patient care in the prehospital setting, though technical challenges need to be considered. However, further research is required to establish optimal indications and demonstrate the benefits for prehospital BGA in specific clinical contexts.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2024
Multicenter Study Observational StudySerial Trauma Abdominal Ultrasound in Children (STAUNCH): A Pilot Study.
Ultrasound has established utility within pediatric emergency medicine and has an added benefit of avoiding excessive radiation exposure. The serial focused assessment with sonography in trauma (sFAST) examination is a potential alternative to improve pediatric trauma evaluation. We sought to evaluate the accuracy of sFAST in pediatric patients with blunt abdominal trauma. ⋯ This pilot study found that sFAST can enhance blunt trauma evaluation and improve sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy. More data are needed to determine how sFAST can be utilized in pediatric patients with blunt abdominal trauma.