Prognostic Implication of Ventricular Volumetry in Early Brain Computed Tomography after Cardiac Arrest.

Brain swelling after cardiac arrest may affect brain ventricular volume. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic implications of ventricular volume on early thin-slice brain computed tomography (CT) after cardiac arrest. We measured the gray-to-white matter ratio (GWR) and the characteristics and volumes of the lateral, third, and fourth ventricles.

Association between early lactate-related variables and 6-month neurological outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.

Introduction: The role of lactate measurement in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors remains controversial. We assessed the association between early lactate-related variables, OHCA characteristics, and long-term neurological outcome.

Methods: In OHCA patients who received targeted temperature management, lactate levels were measured at 0, 12, and 24 h after the return of spontaneous circulation.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on revisits to emergency department.

Aim: This study presents the impact of COVID-19 on revisits to the emergency department comparing revisit rates and characteristics between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods.

Methods: This multi-center retrospective study included patients over 18 years of age who visited emergency departments during the pre-COVID-19 period and the COVID-19 pandemic. The revisit rates were analyzed according to five age groups; 18-34, 35-49, 50-64, 65-79, and ≥ 80 years, and three revisit time intervals; 3, 9, and 30 days.

A novel cardiac arrest severity score for the early prediction of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and in-hospital death.

Introduction: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes are unsatisfactory despite postcardiac arrest care. Early prediction of prognoses might help stratify patients and provide tailored therapy. In this study, we derived and validated a novel scoring system to predict hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI) and in-hospital death (IHD).

A Comparison of Emergency Department Revisit Rates of Pediatric Patients between Pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 Periods.

Unscheduled revisits to emergency departments (EDs) are important because they indicate the quality of emergency care. However, the characteristics of pediatric patients visiting EDs changed during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and these changes may have affected their revisit patterns. Therefore, we aimed to compare the ED revisit patterns of pediatric patients between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods.

Can Optic Nerve Sheath Images on a Thin-Slice Brain Computed Tomography Reconstruction Predict the Neurological Outcomes in Cardiac Arrest Survivors?

We analyzed the prognostic performance of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) on thin-slice (0.6 mm) brain computed tomography (CT) reconstruction images as compared to routine-slice (4 mm) images. We conducted a retrospective analysis of brain CT images taken within 2 h after cardiac arrest.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with cardio/cerebrovascular disease who visit the emergency department.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic situation is a state that has had a great impact on the medical system and society. To respond to the pandemic situation, various methods, such as a pre-triage system, are being implemented in the emergency medical field. However, there are insufficient studies on the effects of this pandemic situation on patients visiting the emergency department (ED), especially those with cardio/cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) classified as time-dependent emergencies.

The relationship between body mass index and neurologic outcomes in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest treated with targeted temperature management.

Background: The association of body mass index with outcome in patients treated with targeted temperature management (TTM) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of body mass index (BMI) on neurological outcomes and mortality in resuscitated patients treated with TTM after OHCA.

Methods: This multicenter, prospective, observational study was performed with data from 22 hospitals included in the Korean Hypothermia Network KORHN-PRO registry.

Prognostic value of brainstem auditory and visual evoked potentials in cardiac arrest patients with targeted temperature management.

Purpose: We analysed the prognostic value of somatosensory, brainstem auditory and visual evoked potentials (SSEPs, BAEPs and VEPs, respectively) for outcome prediction in cardiac arrest patients with targeted temperature management (TTM) and assessed whether BAEP and VEP measurements conferred added value to SSEP measurements.

Methods: Cases with SSEPs and VEPs or BAEPs were reviewed in a TTM registry. We focused on whether the following responses were clearly discernible: N20 for SSEPs, V for BAEPs, and P100 for VEPs.

Higher Frequency of Undetected Acute Coronary Syndrome in Elderly Patients with Chest Pain Who Visited the Emergency Department: A Large-Cohort Retrospective Study.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a critical disease encountered in the emergency department (ED). Despite the development of diagnostic tools, it may be difficult to diagnose ACS because of atypical symptoms and equivocal test results. We investigated the difference in the rates of revisit and undetected ACS between adult and elderly patients who visited the ED with chest pain.

Identifying Potentially Avoidable Emergency Department Visits of Long-Term Care Hospital Residents in Korea: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

The aims of this study were to investigate the reasons of transfers from long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) to emergency departments (EDs) of university hospitals in geriatric patients and to categorize the avoidable causes of these transfers. This retrospective multicenter study involved patients aged 65 years and older who were transferred from LTCHs to 5 EDs of university hospitals located in the metropolitan area of South Korea between January 2017 and December 2017. The expert panel reviewed and categorized the reason of transfers as avoidable or not.

Characteristics of Elderly Long-Term Care Residents Who Were Injured and Transferred to Hospital Emergency Departments in Korea: A Retrospective Multicenter Study.

The objective of this retrospective multicenter study was to investigate the mechanism and characteristics of trauma experienced by patients aged ≥65 years who were transferred from a long-term care hospital to one of five university hospital emergency departments. Of 255,543 patients seen in one of the five emergency departments, 79 were transferred from a long-term care hospital because of trauma. The most common trauma mechanism was slipping down, with 33 (58.

Mortality prediction using serum biomarkers and various clinical risk scales in community-acquired pneumonia.

We evaluated the predictive value of serum biomarkers and various clinical risk scales for the 28-day mortality of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Serum biomarkers including procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated in the emergency department. Scores for the pneumonia severity index (PSI); CURB65 (confusion, urea, respiration, blood pressure; age >65 years); Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines for severe CAP; Acute Physiology, Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II; Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA); and quick SOFA (qSOFA) were calculated.

Does rapid blood sampling affect the retention time of patients with low-acuity complaints in the emergency department?

Introduction: The objective of this study was to investigate whether rapid blood sampling during triage led to shorter stays in the emergency department for patients with low-acuity complaints.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary university hospital in South Korea. A pre- and post-intervention comparison analysis was completed over one-month periods in June and September 2014.

Hypoxic hepatitis in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Introduction: Hypoxic hepatitis (HH) is commonly observed in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence, clinical courses, and outcomes of as well as predisposing factors for HH in OHCA survivors.

Methods: The study was based on a registry of cardiac arrest cases from 2009 to 2012 at a tertiary university hospital.