Emergency Medicine: Archives

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Pediatric Nonhemolytic Gallbladder Disease Is on the Rise

• February 3, 2012
• Katherine Bakes, MD

Obesity and Hispanic ethnicity are risk factors for nonhemolytic gallbladder disease in children.

• Reviewing:
• Mehta S et al., Pediatrics 2012 Jan; 129:e82

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Poor Specificity of Two Novel Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Pediatric Appendicitis

• February 3, 2012
• Katherine Bakes, MD

Neither biomarker even equaled the poor performance of the white blood cell count for diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis.

• Reviewing:
• Kharbanda AB et al., Acad Emerg Med 2012 Jan; 19:56

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Admission and Repeat Head CT for Patients on Warfarin with Minor Head Injury?Free

• February 3, 2012
• Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

This approach identifies most delayed intracranial bleeds, but whether it changes patient outcomes and justifies the increased resources is not clear.

• Reviewing:
• Menditto VG et al., Ann Emerg Med 2012 Jan 13

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Neurologists Sometimes Disagree with Emergency Physicians' Diagnoses of TIA

• February 3, 2012
• Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

In a retrospective single-center study, features associated with discordant diagnoses were headache, involuntary movement, and dizziness.

• Reviewing:
• Schrock JW et al., Ann Emerg Med 2012 Jan; 59:19

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Adolescent Patients Agree with Suicide Screening in the ED

• January 27, 2012
• Katherine Bakes, MD

Surprisingly, less than half of adolescent ED patients surveyed had previously been asked about suicide.

• Reviewing:
• Ballard ED et al., Pediatr Emerg Care 2012 Jan; 28:34

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

More Evidence That ED Crowding Harms PatientsFree

• January 27, 2012
• Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

Boarded patients experience medication delays, longer hospital stays, and higher mortality but are less likely than nonboarded patients to experience delays in some tests.

• Reviewing:
• Singer AJ et al., Acad Emerg Med 2011 Dec; 18:1324 Sills MR et al., Acad Emerg Med 2011 Dec; 18:1330 Liu SW et al., Acad Emerg Med 2011 Dec; 18:1339 Kennebeck SS et al., Acad Emerg Med 2011 Dec; 18:1380

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Focused Echocardiography in the Field Is Feasible in Cardiac Arrest

• January 27, 2012
• Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

Cardiac standstill predicted 100% mortality.

• Reviewing:
• Aichinger G et al., Prehosp Emerg Care 2012 Jan 11

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Paramedics Prefer the King Laryngeal Tube Airway over Direct Laryngoscopy for Pediatric Intubation

• January 27, 2012
• Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

In a small manikin study, time to airway placement was similar for the two approaches, making the KLT airway an option for prehospital ventilation of pediatric patients.

• Reviewing:
• Mitchell MS et al., Prehosp Emerg Care 2012 Jan 9

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

New and Established Troponin Assays Are Highly Sensitive and Specific for AMIFree

• January 20, 2012
• John A. Marx, MD, FAAEM

Use of either type of assay can safely exclude or confirm AMI within 3 hours of emergency department admission.

• Reviewing:
• Keller T et al., JAMA 2011 Dec 28; 306:2684

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Inappropriate Ventilation in Intubated Prehospital Patients on Arrival at the ED

• January 20, 2012
• Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

In a study at a single emergency department, end-tidal CO₂ values revealed inappropriate ventilation in nearly half the patients.

• Reviewing:
• Holmes J et al., Prehosp Emerg Care 2012 Jan 4