Emergency Medicine: Archives

Pay for Performance: Emergency Medicine Is No Longer Immune

• Summary and Comment
• Subscription required

Not all measures are appropriate, but they could have been even worse.

• By Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM
• May 16, 2008
• Covering:
  • Glickman SW et al., Ann Emerg Med 2008 May; 51:622

Acute Lung Injury: A Result of How and When We Treat Septic Shock

• Summary and Comment
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Delayed goal-directed resuscitation, recent chemotherapy, and delayed antibiotic administration were risk factors for acute lung injury in an observational cohort study.

• By Tiffany M. Osborn, MD
• May 16, 2008
• Covering:
  • Iscimen R et al., Crit Care Med 2008 May; 36:1518
  • Ali NA., Crit Care Med 2008 May; 36:1666

Is CT Plus MRI Better Than CT Alone for Cervical Spine Evaluation?

• Summary and Comment
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These findings support the use of MRI in patients with unreliable neurologic exams.

• By John A. Marx, MD, FAAEM, FACEP
• May 16, 2008
• Covering:
  • Menaker J et al., J Trauma 2008 Apr; 64:898

Acute Hemorrhagic Stroke: rFVIIa Is Not Effective

• Summary and Comment
• Free

The promise shown previously for rFVIIa was not sustained in this trial.

• By J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, FACP, FACEP
• May 16, 2008
• Covering:
  • Mayer SA et al., N Engl J Med 2008 May 15; 358:2127
  • Tuhrim S., N Engl J Med 2008 May 15; 358:2174

Troponins and Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

• Summary and Comment
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In acute decompensated heart failure, as in acute coronary syndromes, troponin elevation portends worse outcome.

• By J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, FACP, FACEP
• May 16, 2008
• Covering:
  • Peacock WF IV et al., N Engl J Med 2008 May 15; 358:2117

Admitting ED Patients with Possible ACS: Cardiology or Other Services?

• Summary and Comment
• Subscription required

Use of guideline-recommended therapies was similar whether patients were on cardiology or other services.

• By Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM
• May 9, 2008
• Covering:
  • Katz DA et al., Ann Emerg Med 2008 May; 51:561

ECG Abnormalities in Brugada Syndrome — What’s at the Heart of the Matter?

• Summary and Comment
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Inverted T-wave and dome-shaped notch reflect differences between epicardial and endocardial repolarization times.

• By Tiffany M. Osborn, MD
• May 9, 2008
• Covering:
  • Nagase S et al., J Am Coll Cardiol 2008 Mar 25; 51:1154

Evaluating the Safety of Hemoglobin-Based Blood Substitutes

• Summary and Comment
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Use of cell-free hemoglobin-based blood substitutes increases risk for MI and death.

• By John A. Marx, MD, FAAEM, FACEP
• May 9, 2008
• Covering:
  • Natanson C et al., JAMA 2008 Apr 28
  • Fergusson DA and McIntyre L., JAMA 2008 Apr 28

It’s not Easy for ED Patients to Get Follow-Up Care

• Summary and Comment
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Only 23% of attempts to schedule an outpatient follow-up appointment were successful in this study of callers posing as ED patients without primary care physicians.

• By Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM
• May 9, 2008
• Covering:
  • Vieth TL and Rhodes KV., Ann Emerg Med 2008 May; 51:607

Brugada Syndrome: Association Between AF and VF

• Summary and Comment
• Subscription required

Spontaneous atrial fibrillation was more common in patients who had episodes of ventricular fibrillation in a small observational study.

• By Tiffany M. Osborn, MD
• May 9, 2008
• Covering:
  • Kusano KF et al., J Am Coll Cardiol 2008 Mar 25; 51:1169