Can emergency physicians identify a high mortality subgroup of patients with sepsis: role of procalcitonin.

Objective: To assess the potential role of procalcitonin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6 and interleukin-8, in the prognosis of patients with sepsis.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: The emergency unit of a teaching hospital.

Analgesic efficacy of orodispersible paracetamol in patients admitted to the emergency department with an osteoarticular injury.

Introduction: Acute pain still persists in patients under treatment after admission to emergency departments (ED). The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of 1 g of paracetamol in patients presenting an osteoarticular injury.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study included all patients admitted to the ED with an osteoarticular injury and a pain score above 30 on the visual analogue scale (VAS).

Risk factors associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in patients admitted to the ED.

Objectives: The objective of our study was to define the characteristics of patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) presenting with a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.

Patients And Methods: The study included all patients admitted to the ED between January 2003 and December 2004 in whom a staphylococcal infection was documented. The risk factors associated with carriage of MRSA, the diagnosis made in the ED, and the treatment administered were established from the patients' medical files.

[Creatinine clearance and drug prescriptions for the elderly. A study of 419 patients older than 70 years admitted through the emergency department].

Introduction: The incidence of drug-related adverse events increases with age. In approximately 20% of cases, these events necessitate hospitalization. By taking into account the physiological changes associated with aging when prescribing drugs, physicians can prevent some of these events.

Decrease in serum procalcitonin levels over time during treatment of acute bacterial meningitis.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to describe the change in serum procalcitonin levels during treatment for community-acquired acute bacterial meningitis.

Methods: Out of 50 consecutive patients presenting with bacterial meningitis and infection at no other site, and who had received no prior antibiotic treatment, 48 had a serum procalcitonin level above 0.5 ng/ml on admission and were enrolled in the study.