Emergency Medicine Commons^™

A Single Center Observational Study On Emergency Department Clinician Non-Adherence To Clinical Practice Guidelines For Treatment Of Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections, Catherine Zatorski, Mark Zocchi, Sara Cosgrove, Cynthia Rand, Gillian Brooks, Larissa May

Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

The Emergency Department (ED) is a frequent site of antibiotic use; poor adherence with evidence-based guidelines and broad-spectrum antibiotic overuse is common. Our objective was to determine rates and predictors of inappropriate antimicrobial use in patients with uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI) compared to the 2010 International Clinical Practice Guidelines (ICPG).

Methods

A single center, prospective, observational study of patients with uncomplicated UTI presenting to an urban ED between September 2012 and February 2014 that examined ED physician adherence to ICPG when treating uncomplicated UTIs. Clinician-directed antibiotic treatment was compared to the ICPG using a standardized case definition for …

Emergency Department Ultrasound Probe Infection Control: Challenges And Solutions, Hamid A. Shokoohi, Paige Armstrong, Ryan Tansek

Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

Point-of-care ultrasound (US) has become a cornerstone in the diagnosis and treatment of patients in the emergency department (ED). Despite the beneficial impact on patient care, concern exists over repeat use of probes and the role as a vector for pathogen transmission. US probes are used for various applications, with the level of infection risk, based on the Spaulding Classification, ranging from noncritical with common practice to semicritical with endocavitary probes. To date, the most closely studied organisms are Staphylococcus aureus and human papilloma virus. Current evidence does confirm probe colonization but has not established a causative role in human …

Development Of A Fatal Noncompressible Truncal Hemorrhage Model With Combined Hepatic And Portal Venous Injury In Normothermic Normovolemic Swine, Ujwal R. Yanala, Jason M. Johanning, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Gustavo F. Larsen, William H. Velander, Mark A. Carlson

William H. Velander Publications

Noncompressible truncal hemorrhage and brain injury currently account for most early mortality of warfighters on the battlefield. There is no effective treatment for noncompressible truncal hemorrhage, other than rapid evacuation to a surgical facility. The availability of an effective field treatment for noncompressible truncal hemorrhage could increase the number of warfighters salvaged from this frequently-lethal scenario. Our intent was to develop a porcine model of noncompressible truncal hemorrhage with a ,50% one-hour mortality so that we could develop new treatments for this difficult problem. Normovolemic normothermic domestic swine (barrows, 3 months old, 34–36 kg) underwent one of three injury types …

Ethical Dilemmas Posed In The Care Of Obese Patients In The Emergency Department, Arvind Venkat, Gregory Luke Larkin

Journal of Health Ethics

The rising prevalence of obesity represents a health care crisis. As the gateway to the health care system, the emergency department is the clinical setting where the difficulties posed by the care of obese patients are heightened. These difficulties include the increasing burden of obesity-related illnesses, the challenges posed in diagnostic evaluation and treatment and the known barriers to access to care seen in this patient population. The limitations posed by obesity on care in the emergency department, the one guaranteed access point for medical treatment, creates a series of ethical dilemmas for emergency physicians and the facilities in which …

High Dose, Variable Length, N-Acetylcysteine (Hinac) Therapy For Late-Presenting Acetaminophen Poisoning, Jessica K. Eygnor Do, Suprina Dorai Md, Philip W. Moore Do, J Ward Donovan Md, Keith K. Burkhart Md

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

State-By-State Variation In Emergency Versus Elective Colon Resections: Room For Improvement., Augustine C. Obirieze, Mehreen Kisat, Caitlin W. Hicks, Tolulope A. Oyetunji, Eric B. Schneider, Darrell J. Gaskin, Elliott R. Haut, David T. Efron, Edward E. Cornwell, Adil H. Haider

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Compared with elective surgical procedures, emergency procedures are associated with higher cost, morbidity, and mortality. This study seeks to investigate potential state-by-state variations in the incidence of emergent versus elective colon resections.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all adult patients (aged ≥18 years) included in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2005 to 2009 who underwent hemicolectomy (right or left) or sigmoidectomy was conducted. Discharge-level weights were applied, and generalized linear models were used to assess the odds of a patient undergoing emergent versus elective colon surgery nationally and for each state after adjusting for patient and hospital factors. Odds …

Diagnostic Potential Of The Nmda Receptor Peptide Assay For Acute Ischemic Stroke, Svetlana A. Dambinova, Kerstin Bettermann, Theodore Glynn, Matthew Tews, David Olsen, Joseph D. Weissman, Richard K. Sowell

Faculty Articles

Background

The acute assessment of patients with suspected ischemic stroke remains challenging. The use of brain biomarker assays may improve the early diagnosis of ischemic stroke. The main goal of the study was to evaluate whether the NR2 peptide, a product of the proteolytic degradation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, can differentiate acute ischemic stroke (IS) from stroke mimics and persons with vascular risk factors/healthy controls. A possible correlation between biomarker values and lesion sizes was investigated as the secondary objective.

Methods and Findings

A total of 192 patients with suspected stroke who presented within 72 h of symptom onset …

Severe Lamotrigine Neurotoxicity Treated With Intralipid Emulsion Therapy, Philip W. Moore Do, Megan C. Urquhart Do, Dale L. Mcmillion Do, Keith K. Burkhart Md, Louis R. Cantilena Jr, Md, J Ward Donovan Md

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Emergency Medical Technicians Practice And Beliefs Regarding The Recognition And Treatment Of Exertional Heat Stroke, Kristin Applegate

Master's Theses

Context: Current Evidence Based Practice (EBP) supports the use of rectal thermometry (T_re) for an accurate diagnosis and cold water-immersion (CWI) for the treatment of Exertional Heat Stroke (EHS) for an optimal outcome. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a critical role for the diagnosis and treatment of EHS as they may be the first to arrive on scene, however there is limited data regarding their implementation of EBP. Objective: Investigate current practice regarding EHS by EMS professionals and explore the relationship that exists between EMS and Athletic Trainers (ATs). Design: A basic qualitative design using in-person focus groups. …

Evaluating Children With Otitis Media For Bacteremia Or Urinary Tract Infection., Daniel Yawman, Patrick Mahar, Aaron Blumkin, Gregory P. Conners

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background. It is unclear if clinicians evaluate for concurrent bacteremia or UTI in young patients diagnosed with acute otitis media (AOM). Objectives. To describe how often, and under which circumstances, emergency providers investigate for bacteremia or UTI in 2-36 month olds with AOM. Methods. Cases of AOM were analyzed from the 2001-2004 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)-Emergency Department dataset. Results. AOM was diagnosed in 17% of the 10,847 recorded visits of 2-36 month olds. Of these visits, laboratory testing included: CBC: 7%, Blood culture: 4%, urinalysis or urine culture: 5%, and any of these tests: 9%. Rates of …

Sex And Race Differences In Electrocardiogram Use (The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey), Amy L. Arnold, Kerry A. Milner, Viola Vaccarino

Nursing Faculty Publications

There are sex and race differences in many aspects of health care delivery. For example, blacks and women are less likely to receive aspirin and thrombolytic drugs. Blacks and women presenting with chest pain are less likely to be referred for cardiac catheterization. Blacks and women diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are also less likely to undergo cardiac catheterization. The gender differences in diagnostic evaluation after AMI appear more pronounced among younger women. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association joint electrocardiography guidelines state that all patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain …

Presentation And Symptom Predictors Of Coronary Heart Disease In Patients With And Without Diabetes, Marjorie Funk, Janice B. Naum, Kerry A. Milner, Deborah Chyun

Nursing Faculty Publications

The aims of this prospective, observational study were to compare: (1) symptom presentation of coronary heart disease (CHD) between patients with and without diabetes and (2) symptom predictors of CHD in patients with and without diabetes. We directly observed 528 patients with symptoms suggestive of CHD as they presented to the ED of a 900-bed cardiac referral center in the northeastern United States. There were no significant differences in symptom presentation of CHD between patients with and without diabetes, although patients with diabetes were slightly more likely to present with shortness of breath (P =.056). Patients with diabetes reported …