Publications by authors named "Ahmet Demircan"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effectiveness of bougie-guided cricothyrotomy versus traditional surgical cricothyrotomy in emergency airway management for obese patients using a 3D-printed manikin.
- It involved 24 emergency residents who practiced both techniques, recording success rates, procedure times, and difficulty scores.
- Results indicated that bougie-guided cricothyrotomy had a higher first-attempt success rate and was considered easier, especially for less experienced residents, though overall success rates and procedure times were similar for both methods.
Article Synopsis
- Rib fractures are common in trauma patients and often indicate additional serious injuries, increasing the risk of death.
- A study of 1,338 trauma patients found that 20.4% had rib fractures, mainly due to motor vehicle accidents, and these patients were more likely to experience complications like pneumothorax and intra-abdominal injuries.
- The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher for those with rib fractures (5.9%) compared to those without, highlighting the need for thorough evaluations of trauma patients with rib injuries for better survival chances.
Article Synopsis
- - The study assessed trauma CT interpretation proficiency among emergency medicine residents in Turkey, finding a median accuracy rate of 64.9% with factors influencing interpretation performance analyzed.
- - Four main factors linked to interpretation failure were identified: shorter interpretation times, lower self-confidence, over-reliance on radiology reports, and lack of departmental training programs.
- - The findings suggest the necessity for improved educational strategies in radiology for emergency medicine residents to enhance their skills in trauma CT interpretation and ultimately improve patient care outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- Fentanyl, a commonly used opioid in emergency departments, may significantly prolong QT intervals in patients, particularly females over 40.
- A study monitored 109 patients receiving intravenous fentanyl, showing a notable increase in QT values at 5, 15, 30, and 60 minutes after administration, with the most significant change occurring at 30 minutes.
- Although the QT prolongation was evident, no patients experienced serious arrhythmias during the observation period, highlighting the need for caution in using fentanyl for those at risk of heart complications.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) data in Türkiye, focusing on prognostic outcomes and influencing factors for patients aged 18 and older who were treated at 28 medical centers.
- It found a survival rate upon hospital discharge of only 4.4%, with a significant majority of patients not receiving bystander CPR, which was only performed in 2.9% of cases.
- Key predictors for better outcomes included male gender, initial shockable heart rhythms, shorter prehospital CPR duration, and no need for CPR in the emergency department, highlighting the importance of timely and effective CPR in emergencies.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on using venous system ultrasound (VExUS) in the emergency department (ED) to determine the causes of acute kidney injury (AKI), which can be complex to diagnose.
- Conducted over a year, the study evaluated 150 AKI patients, finding that hypovolaemia was the most common cause, followed by cardiorenal, systemic vasodilatation, and renal types.
- VExUS demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy for cardiorenal AKI and fair accuracy for hypovolaemic AKI, but was less effective in identifying the other subtypes.
Objectives: This study aims to examine the effect of upper extremity performance using the Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST) on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality criteria according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015, including chest compression rate, depth, and recoil.
Patients And Methods: This simulation-based study included 105 paramedic students (43 males, 62 females; median age: 19 years; range, 18 to 20 years) attending a two-year paramedic program between February 2018 and April 2018. The CKCUEST was used to determine upper extremity performance scores, including the touch number, normalized, and power score of the paramedic students.
Background: Violence is a common issue without an exact number worldwide. The types are interpersonal, spousal, or domestic violence. We aim to reveal the demographic characteristics of cases involving violence, mechanisms of injury, and their relationship with head and face trauma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the diagnostic performance of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for acute kidney injury (AKI) etiological subgroups in emergency department (ED) patients. Multi-organ POCUS including kidney, bladder, inferior vena cava (IVC), lung and cardiac examinations were used to identify five AKI subgroups: hypovolemia, reduced cardiac output, systemic vasodilatation and renal vasomodulation, renal and post-renal. One hundred sixty-five AKI patients were included in the study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Emergency room conditions and the characteristics of the patients followed up pose a risk for pressure injury.
Aim: This study was conducted as a pilot study to assess the effectiveness of a training program in increasing the awareness of healthcare professionals working in an emergency department about how to manage pressure injuries.
Methods: The study was a prospective, pre-test post-test intervention study without a control group.
Emergency departments have always been the first point of contact for hospitals in many situations, including man-made and natural disasters. The first places where patients with symptoms of COVID-19 were met in health institutions were also emergency departments. Emergency departments play an important role in diagnosing the disease and isolating patients (by hospitalization if necessary).
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- A study evaluated the effectiveness of early systolic notching (ESN), a cardiac ultrasound finding, in diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) in emergency department patients.
- Conducted in 4 academic emergency departments, the study included 201 patients who underwent CT angiography for suspected PE, with 183 meeting the criteria for analysis.
- Results showed that ESN had low sensitivity (34%) but high specificity (97%) for PE in all patients, while showing moderate specificity (90%) and better sensitivity (69%) in patients at higher risk.
Objective: Whether the use of metronome affects the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of metronome use on CPR quality.
Methods: This was a prospective, simulation-based CPR manikin study.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on determining risk factors for pneumonia in COVID-19 patients at Gazi University hospital during a specific period.
- Out of 247 analyzed patients, 58% were female with a median age of 40, and 21.4% had pneumonia among confirmed COVID-19 cases.
- Key predictive factors for pneumonia included male gender, hypertension, and shortness of breath at admission, suggesting that such patients require closer evaluation.
Introduction: The long-term trends of medical students' choice for emergency medicine (EM) in Turkey are unclear. With this background, we aimed to determine the change in the rate of EM preferences of students over the years.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study originated from 6-year medical students' feedback forms, to examine trends of EM carrier preferences between 2005 and 2018 in a tertiary care academic emergency department.
Objective: Dyspnea is a common Emergency Department (ED) symptom requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment. The bedside lung ultrasonography in emergency (BLUE) protocol is defined as a bedside diagnostic tool in intensive care units. The aim of this study was to investigate the test performance characteristics of the BLUE-protocol ultrasonography in ED patients presenting with acute dyspnea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: The number of elderly people (≥65 years old) is increasing both in Turkey and internationally due to improved living conditions and decreased mortality rates. Knowing the characteristics of elderly patients admitted to emergency departments can provide guidance for diagnosis and treatment approaches. In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of very old patients (4≥85 years old) admitted to the emergency department and put together data for use in forward planning in healthcare services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The readmission in the early period (RAEP) is defined as the admission of a patient to emergency department (ED) for the second time within 72 hours after discharge from the ED.
Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the disease, patient, doctor, and system related causes of RAEP.
Study Design: Descriptive study.
Background/aim: To compare local infiltration anesthesia (LIA) and peripheral nerve block (PNB) in repairing hand lacerations.
Materials And Methods: This prospective study was designed as a randomized, controlled, unblinded trial. Fifty four patients with hand lacerations were included in the study.
Objective: To determine the impact of a fast track area on emergency department crowding and its efficacy for non-urgent patients.
Methods: The prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in an adult emergency department of a university-affiliated hospital in Turkey from September 17 to 30, 2010. Non-urgent patients were defined as those with Canadian Triage Acuity Scale category 4/5.
The number of elderly patients presenting to emergency services is gradually increasing. Given that the needs of older patients differ from those of other patients, the quality of emergency care for this patient group also varies. This mixed-method study aimed to reveal the views of emergency service staff concerning ageing and elderly patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Unnecessary diagnostic tests are usually ordered to most of the patients with dyspnea or pleuritic chest pain, because of the worse outcomes of missed diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). To identify rates and causes of over investigation for PE and to search whether it was possible to reduce this over investigation by using Wells score and Pulmonary Embolism Rule Out Criteria (PERC).
Materials And Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study performed in an emergency department of a tertiary care university hospital.
Objective: To investigate the variations of mean platelet volume in patients with ischaemic cerebrovascular complaints, and to find out its diagnostic utility in an acute setting to help risk stratification in patients with ischaemic stroke and transient ischaemic attacks.
Methods: The prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Gazi University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, from November 2009 to June 2010. It comprised 143 consecutive patients of acute ischaemic stroke, 39 patients of transient ischaemic attacks and 60 healthy volunteers.
Introduction: Previous studies have shown that carbon monoxide, which is endogenously produced, is increased in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, it has not been studied enough whether severity of pneumonia is correlated with increased carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) concentrations in CAP. The aim of this study was to determine whether endogenous carbon monoxide levels in patients with CAP were higher compared with the control group and, if so, to determine whether COHb concentrations could predict severity in CAP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning causes hypoxia that results tissue injury, especially in the brain and heart. Delayed neurologic sequela is one of the most serious complications that may occur up to 40% of severe CO poisoning cases.
Objective: The aim of the study was to determine an association between the serum tau protein and severe neurologic symptoms/signs upon presentation.