Emergency Department Management of Acute Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Obesity With Intravenous Unfractionated Heparin and Anti-Xa Monitoring.

Unfractionated heparin (UFH) remains a frequently utilized agent in the emergency department (ED) for management of acute venous thromboembolism (VTE). While various protocols of UFH dosing have been proposed for patients with obesity, the optimal dosing and monitoring strategy is unclear. This study aims to compare the time to the first therapeutic anti-Xa level in obese acute VTE patients following the use of either total body weight (TBW) or adjusted body weight-based (AdjBW) dosing of UFH in the ED, and to analyze the impact of different dosing strategies on patient outcomes.

Ketamine for Pain Management: A Review of Literature and Clinical Application.

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used increasingly as analgesia for different manifestations of pain, including acute, chronic, cancer and perioperative pain as well as pain in the critically ill patient population. Its distinctive pharmacologic properties may provide benefits to individuals suffering from pain, including increased pain control and reduction in opioid consumption and tolerance. Despite wide variability in proposed dosing and method of administration when used for analgesia, it is important all clinicians be familiar with the pharmacodynamics of ketamine in order to appropriately anticipate its therapeutic and adverse effects.

A Multifaceted Intervention to Improve Patient Knowledge and Safe Use of Opioids: Results of the ED EMC Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: Despite increased focus on opioid prescribing, little is known about the influence of prescription opioid medication information given to patients in the emergency department (ED). The study objective was to evaluate the effect of an Electronic Medication Complete Communication (EMC ) Opioid Strategy on patients' safe use of opioids and knowledge about opioids.

Methods: This was a three-arm prospective, randomized controlled pragmatic trial with randomization occurring at the physician level.

A Review on the New and Old Anticoagulants.

Anticoagulants serve as the primary strategy for the prevention and treatment of both arterial and venous thromboembolism. Anticoagulants disrupt coagulation by interfering at various points in the coagulation cascade. This class of medications does not lyse clots that already exist; rather, it prevents thrombus formation and prevents or slows the extension of an existing clot.

Common Medication Management Approaches for Older Adults in the Emergency Department.

Adverse drug events (ADEs) can lead to emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Many ADEs are preventable. Incomplete information, poor understanding, and time constraints often lead to use of potentially inappropriate medications and drug-drug interactions.

Impact of Discharge Anticoagulation Education by Emergency Department Pharmacists at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center.

Background: Although pharmacists commonly provide patient education and help manage high-risk anticoagulant medications in inpatient and outpatient settings, the evidence for these interventions in the emergency department (ED) is less established, especially in the era of direct-acting oral anticoagulants. In 2013, a formal program was initiated whereby patients discharged with a new prescription for any anticoagulant receive education from an ED pharmacist when on-site. In addition, they received follow-up phone calls from an ED pharmacist within 72 hours of discharge.

Electronic medication complete communication strategy for opioid prescriptions in the emergency department: Rationale and design for a three-arm provider randomized trial.

Background: Thousands of people die annually from prescription opioid overdoses; however there are few strategies to ensure patients receive medication risk information at the time of prescribing.

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of the Emergency Department (ED) Electronic Medication Complete Communication (EMC) Opioid Strategy (with and without text messaging) to promote safe medication use and improved patient knowledge as compared to usual care.

Methods: The ED EMC Opioid Strategy consists of 5 automated components to promote safe medication use: 1) physician reminder to counsel, 2) inbox message sent on to the patient's primary care physician, 3) pharmacist message on the prescription to counsel, 4) MedSheet supporting prescription information, and 5) patient-centered Take-Wait-Stop wording of prescription instructions.

Management of hemorrhage complicated by novel oral anticoagulants in the emergency department: case report from the northwestern emergency medicine residency.

Anticoagulation has long complicated the care of hemorrhage in the emergency department and other acute care settings. With the advent of novel anticoagulants such as direct thrombin inhibitors and direct factor Xa inhibitors, the absence of any direct antidote for these medications presents new and difficult challenges in the management of hemorrhagic complications in these patients. We present 2 cases of patients with hemorrhagic complications taking novel oral anticoagulants, their management, and outcomes.