A Statewide Mobile Simulation Program For Improving Obstetric Skills in Rural Hospitals.

Background: Closure of rural obstetric (OB) units has led to maternal care deserts, causing mothers to travel long distances for maternity care. Emergency departments (EDs) in hospitals where OB units have closed require regular training for personnel to maintain OB skills, as do rural Level-1 OB units with low volumes of maternity cases. We used a federal grant to develop an OB mobile simulation program to bring simulation-based training to rural providers.

Obstetrical Readiness: Preparing Rural Emergency Departments Without Hospital-Based Obstetrical Services.

In rural states, hospitals that provide birthing services are closing at an alarming rate, increasing the distance birthing people are traveling, rural Emergency Departments play a vital role in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. An interdisciplinary education and simulation with debriefing program was created to improve the care by non-obstetric providers for routine and emergent obstetrical care. The program includes monthly lectures, hands on skills training, and in-situ interdisciplinary simulations with debriefings to build a foundation of knowledge and skill for rural Emergency Department staff statewide.

Pulmonary mucormycosis associated with medical marijuana use.

A 66-year-old man with diabetes presented to the hospital with a two-month history of dyspnea, cough, rust-colored sputum, night sweats and 20 pound weight loss. He had begun smoking medical marijuana 3 months earlier. CT of the chest showed multiple bilateral large ground glass opacities with surrounding consolidation.

Profile of Acute Asthma Exacerbation in Drug Users.

The characteristics of patients who use heroin, cocaine, or both and present with acute asthma exacerbations have not been well studied. In this retrospective study, we aimed to study the demographic characteristics of this patient population, the characteristics of their asthma attack, and the risk factors for the need for invasive mechanical ventilation in this patient population. We reviewed the charts of patients discharged from an inner-city hospital with a diagnosis of acute asthma exacerbation.

Near Fatal Asthma in an Inner City Population.

Near-fatal asthma (NFA) is highly prevalent in inner city population. Patients who present with NFA require timely intervention, which necessitates knowledge of appropriate associated risk factors. The purpose of the study was to look and identify the salient features of an asthma exacerbation that are more likely to be associated with NFA in inner city population.