Walking Route-Based Calculation is Recommended for Optimizing Deployment of Publicly Accessible Defibrillators in Urban Cities.

Background A straight line-based model is often used to calculate the distance between an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and the location of an automated external defibrillator (AED). This model may be inaccurate as it overlooks any obstacles between the OHCA and AED. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of the straight line-based and walking route-based calculation on the average distance between an historical OHCA and the closest AED and the coverage rate of AEDs, ie, the proportion of historical OHCAs that were within 100 meters of an AED.

A cluster of patients with rhabdomyolysis after eating crayfish.

Crayfish or Procambarus clarkii is a freshwater crustacean with worldwide distribution. Tons of crayfish are consumed each year. In this report, four adult patients with rhabdomyolysis after consuming crayfish were described.

Outcomes of Cardiac Arrest in Residential Care Homes for the Elderly in Hong Kong.

Objective: Studies done in the 1990's suggested nursing home residents with cardiac arrest had minimal chance of survival and resuscitation was not recommended. More recent studies showed opposing results. In Hong Kong, the proportion of elderly living in the residential care homes for the elderly is increasing.

Delayed Antitoxin Treatment of Two Adult Patients with Botulism after Cosmetic Injection of Botulinum Type A Toxin.

Background: Injection of botulinum toxin type A for cosmetic purposes is common. It is believed to be safe, but adverse reactions have been reported, including dysphagia, generalized paralysis, respiratory depression, and death caused by focal injection of the toxin. Early administration of antitoxin in patients with adverse reactions is the mainstay of management, but the time window for its clinical efficacy is not well defined.

Utilization of the Accident & Emergency Departments by Chinese elderly in Hong Kong.

Background: The epidemiological data on elderly patients attending Accident and Emergency Departments (AEDs) in Hong Kong is lacking. The study aimed to examine the epidemiology of geriatric patient visits to AEDs in Hong Kong, including demographic data and predictors of life-saving interventions (LSI) and admission.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of geriatric patients older than 64 years old attending three AEDs during the year 2012, with a sample of 1 200 patient visits recruited.

Performance of a prehospital trauma diversion system in Hong Kong, China.

Purpose: To evaluate the performance of a prehospital trauma diversion system in Hong Kong, China.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data in the trauma registry of Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2013 was done. All adult patients aged 18 years or above, either primarily or secondarily diverted to Queen Mary Hospital according to the trauma patient diversion protocol, were recruited.

Can prehospital Modified Early Warning Score identify non-trauma patients requiring life-saving intervention in the emergency department?

Objective: We aim to investigate whether prehospital Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) can identify non-trauma patients requiring life-saving intervention (LSI) within 4 h of presentation to the ED.

Methods: It was a prospective study of non-trauma ED patients by ambulance who were 16 years or older from 1 to 27 November 2013. Prehospital MEWS was calculated according to vital signs measured by the ambulance crew.