Effect of waiting time estimates on patients satisfaction in the emergency department in a tertiary care center.

To examine the influence of emergency department (ED) waiting time estimate provision on the satisfaction of patients.  Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between September 2017 and May 2018. It included 18 to 70 years old Arabic-speaking acute care patients.

Developing an emergency medicine handoff tool: an electronic Delphi approach.

Background: Handoffs at the end of clinical shifts occur with high frequencies in the emergency department setting and they pose an increased risk to patients. There is a need to standardize handoff practices. This study aimed to use an electronic Delphi method to identify the core elements essential for an emergency department physician to physician handoff and propose a framework for implementation.

Ultrasonography for the diagnosis of patients with clinically suspected skin and soft tissue infections: a systematic review of the literature.

Background: In patients presenting with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), the use of ultrasound may lead to a more accurate distinction between cellulitis and abscess compared with clinical assessment alone.

Objectives: This systematic review aims to determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound for detecting skin abscesses. In addition, it aims to assess the impact of using ultrasound on management decisions in patients with SSTI.

Intracranial bleeds after minor and minimal head injury in patients on warfarin.

Background: There is little evidence to guide physicians on management of patients who sustain head injuries while on warfarin.

Objectives: Our objective was to determine the rate of intracranial bleeding in anticoagulated patients with minor and minimal head injuries and the association with clinical features and international normalized ratio (INR).

Methods: We conducted a historical cohort study of adult patients, taking warfarin, at two tertiary care emergency departments over 2 years with minor (Glasgow Coma Score 13-15, with loss of consciousness, amnesia, or confusion) or minimal (Glasgow Coma Score 15 without loss of consciousness, amnesia, or confusion) head injuries.

ED ultrasound diagnosis of a type B aortic dissection using the suprasternal view.

Aortic dissection (AD) is one of the most challenging diagnoses in emergency medicine. This is due, in part, to its variable presentation, ranging from abrupt tearing chest pain in a hemodynamically unstable patient to back pain in a stable patient, as well as its high mortality rates. (1) With the expanding role of ultrasound (U/S) performed by emergency physicians, it is possible to make the diagnosis of AD at the bedside before any other imaging modality has been accessed.

Test characteristics of ultrasonography for the detection of pneumothorax: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: A pneumothorax is a potentially life-threatening condition. Although CT scan is the reference standard for diagnosis, chest radiographs are commonly used to rule out the diagnosis. We compared the test characteristics of ultrasonography and supine chest radiography in adult patients clinically suspected of having a pneumothorax, using CT scan or release of air on chest tube placement as reference standard.