Clinical Effects of Balanced Crystalloids vs Saline in Adults With Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Subgroup Analysis of Cluster Randomized Clinical Trials.

Importance: Saline (0.9% sodium chloride), the fluid most commonly used to treat diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), can cause hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis. Balanced crystalloids, an alternative class of fluids for volume expansion, do not cause acidosis and, therefore, may lead to faster resolution of DKA than saline.

Implementation of an Opioid Detoxification Management Pathway Reduces Emergency Department Length of Stay.

Objectives: With the rise of opioid use in the United States, the increasing demand for treatment for opioid use disorders presents both a challenge and an opportunity to develop new care pathways for emergency department (ED) patients seeking opioid detoxification. We set out to improve the care of patients presenting to our ED seeking opioid detoxification by implementing a standardized management pathway and to measure the effects of this intervention.

Methods: We conducted a before-after study of the effects of an opioid detoxification management pathway on ED length of stay (EDLOS), use of resources (social worker consultation, laboratory tests obtained), and return visits to the same ED within 30 days of discharge.

Balanced Crystalloids versus Saline in Noncritically Ill Adults.

Background: Comparative clinical effects of balanced crystalloids and saline are uncertain, particularly in noncritically ill patients cared for outside an intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: We conducted a single-center, pragmatic, multiple-crossover trial comparing balanced crystalloids (lactated Ringer's solution or Plasma-Lyte A) with saline among adults who were treated with intravenous crystalloids in the emergency department and were subsequently hospitalized outside an ICU. The type of crystalloid that was administered in the emergency department was assigned to each patient on the basis of calendar month, with the entire emergency department crossing over between balanced crystalloids and saline monthly during the 16-month trial.

Measuring Emergency Department Acuity.

Background: Emergency department (ED) acuity is the general level of patient illness, urgency for clinical intervention, and intensity of resource use in an ED environment. The relative strength of commonly used measures of ED acuity is not well understood.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of ED-level data to evaluate the relative strength of association between commonly used proxy measures with a full spectrum measure of ED acuity.

Warming intravenous fluids for improved patient comfort in the emergency department: a pilot crossover randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to test if intravenous (IV) fluids warmed to body temperature are associated with greater patient comfort than room temperature IV fluids in adult emergency department (ED) patients.

Methods: This was a pilot double-blind, crossover, randomized controlled trial. Enrolled subjects sequentially received boluses of body temperature (36°C) and room temperature (22 °C) IV fluid, with the order of boluses randomized.

Sodium disorders in the emergency department: a review of hyponatremia and hypernatremia.

Identifying and correcting sodium abnormalities is critical, since suboptimal management potentially leads to substantial morbidity and mortality. Manifestations of hyponatremia, which is one of the more common electrolyte abnormalities in clinical medicine, depend on multiple factors, including the chronicity of the symptoms, the absolute level of sodium, and the patient's overall health. In symptomatic hyponatremia, emergency clinicians must understand the importance of determining the proper rate of sodium correction in order to avoid encephalopathy, cerebral edema, and death.

Predictors of ambulance transport in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Despite intense public awareness campaigns, many patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) do not utilize Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transportation to the Emergency Department (ED). Predictors for mode of transport by EMS versus private vehicle in patients with an acute STEMI were investigated. Hypothesis It was hypothesized that patient characteristics, specifically older age, male sex, and a history of a prior cardiac intervention, would be associated with a higher likelihood of EMS utilization.

Assessment of the Framingham risk factors among ED patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation.

Study Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is often first diagnosed in the emergency department (ED) and accounts for nearly 1% of all emergency department (ED) visits. Our objective was to assess the Framingham Heart Study risk score for AF development in ED patients with newly diagnosed AF.

Methods: We systematically reviewed the electronic medical records of ED patients with newly diagnosed AF between August 2005 and July 2008.

Emergency medical services transport decisions in posttraumatic circulatory arrest: are national practices congruent?

Objective: To catalog the 9-1-1 emergency medical services (EMS) transport practices for posttraumatic circulatory arrest patients (PTCAPs) in the majority of the nation's largest municipalities and to compare those practices to guidelines recommended by the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) and American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT).

Methods: A survey was conducted in 33 of the nation's largest cities primarily to determine whether or not individual EMS systems transport PTCAPs to hospitals and, if so, whether or not the initial electrocardiographic (ECG) rhythm or mechanism of injury affected those transport decisions.

Results: All 33 cities (100%) responded.

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of ondansetron, metoclopramide, and promethazine in adults.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess whether ondansetron has superior nausea reduction compared with metoclopramide, promethazine, or saline placebo in emergency department (ED) adults.

Methods: This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded superiority trial was intended to enroll a convenience sample of 600 patients. Nausea was evaluated on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) at baseline and 30 minutes after treatment.

Placing physician orders at triage: the effect on length of stay.

Study Objective: Emergency department (ED) crowding is a significant problem nationwide, and numerous strategies have been explored to decrease length of stay. Placing a physician in the triage area to rapidly disposition low-acuity patients and begin evaluations on more complex patients is one strategy that can be used to lessen the effect of ED crowding. The goal of this study is to assess the effect of order placement by a triage physician on length of stay for patients ultimately treated in a bed within the ED.

Evolving AMI care, 2010.

The care of the patient with an acute coronary syndrome, specifically STEMI, continues to evolve. Although the goal of caring for any patient with STEMI is a D2B time of less than 90 minutes, research shows that every minute counts, and "time is muscle". Thus, even if a hospital has an acceptable D2B time, EMS on-scene and transport times must be minimized to ensure optimal treatment and recovery of a dying heart.

Kaizen: a method of process improvement in the emergency department.

Introduction: Recent position statements from health care organizations have placed a strong emphasis on continuous quality improvement (CQI). CQI finds many of its roots in kaizen, which emphasizes small, low-cost, low-risk improvements. Based on the successful Kaizen Programs at organizations such as Toyota, the authors thought the emergency department (ED) would be an ideal environment to benefit from such a program.

Pitfalls in evaluating the low-risk chest pain patient.

Risk stratification and management of the patient with low-risk chest pain continues to be challenging despite the considerable effort of numerous investigators. Evidence exists that a specific subset of young patients can be defined as low risk in whom further testing may not be necessary. A high index of suspicion of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and an understanding of the many, subtle, and atypical presentations of ischemic heart disease are required.

Resident involvement in civilian tactical emergency medicine.

Background: Tactical emergency medicine services (TEMS) has emerged as a specialized niche within the field of emergency medicine. With increasing demand for physician participation in civilian tactical teams, there will be efforts by residents to become involved at earlier points in their clinical training.

Objectives: This article discusses resident involvement with a civilian TEMS unit and provides five maxims for emergency physicians to better understand the difference between working in the emergency department or with emergency medical services vs.