Emergency Medicine: Archives

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

N95 Respirators or Surgical Mask for Protection from Influenza?

• November 6, 2009
• Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

By current knowledge, a surgical mask is sufficient. Save N95 respirators for TB and other aerosol-transmitted diseases.

• Reviewing:
• Gralton J and McLaws M-L., Crit Care Med 2009 Sep 1

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

BP Reduction in Acute Intracranial Hemorrhage: How Low Should We Go?

• November 6, 2009
• Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

This small phase I study shows that BP reduction is feasible but does not identify an optimum target level.

• Reviewing:
• Qureshi AI., Crit Care Med 2009 Sep 16

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Dramatic Increase in Pediatric Venous Thromboembolism

• November 6, 2009
• Katherine Bakes, MD

The rate of pediatric VTE admissions in the U.S. increased by 70% between 2001 and 2008.

• Reviewing:
• Raffini L et al., Pediatrics 2009 Oct; 124:1001

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Chest Compression Fraction and Survival from Cardiac ArrestFree

• October 30, 2009
• Aaron E. Bair, MD, MSc, FAAEM, FACEP

Minimizing interruption of chest compressions is associated with improved survival.

• Reviewing:
• Christenson J et al., Circulation 2009 Sep 29; 120:1241

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Chest X-Ray Abnormalities Associated with H1N1 Influenza Infection

• October 30, 2009
• Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Patchy consolidation, often bilateral, was the most common finding.

• Reviewing:
• Agarwal PP et al., AJR Am J Roentgenol 2009 Oct 12

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Methohexital vs. Pentobarbital for Head CT Sedation in Children

• October 30, 2009
• Katherine Bakes, MD

Methohexital is superior to pentobarbital for sedation of children during head CT.

• Reviewing:
• Chun TH et al., Pediatr Emerg Care 2009 Oct; 25:648

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Intranasal Naloxone Is Effective for Opioid Overdose

• October 30, 2009
• Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

Time from patient contact to clinical response was the same with intranasal and intravenous naloxone.

• Reviewing:
• Robertson TM et al., Prehosp Emerg Care 2009 Oct-Dec; 13:512

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Systematic Screening for Blunt Cervical Vascular Injury Reduces Time to Diagnosis and Incidence of Stroke

• October 30, 2009
• John A. Marx, MD, FAAEM

A standardized scoring system and computed tomographic angiography greatly reduced time to diagnosis from the old standard of conventional angiography.

• Reviewing:
• Eastman AL et al., J Trauma 2009 Sep; 67:551

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Compress the Chest: Better CPR Improves Survival from Out-of-Hospital Cardiac ArrestFree

• October 23, 2009
• Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

Implementation of the 2005 AHA CPR guidelines that focus on uninterrupted chest compressions nearly doubled the odds of survival among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

• Reviewing:
• Sayre MR et al., Prehosp Emerg Care 2009 Oct-Dec; 13:469

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Might Be a Common Cause of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

• October 23, 2009
• Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

In this Japanese study, 16% of survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest had subarachnoid hemorrhage.

• Reviewing:
• Inamasu J et al., Resuscitation 2009 Sep; 80:977