Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction Scores Are Lower for Patients Who Arrive During the Night Shift.

Background: Increasingly, patient satisfaction scores are being used to assess emergency physicians. We sought to determine whether the patient satisfaction scores collected by our hospital system are lower for patients who are treated in the emergency department (ED) on night shifts as compared to those treated on day shifts.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of patient satisfaction scores from three EDs in Florida.

Patients utilizing emergency medical services - Does facility type matter?

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) play a critical role in the US healthcare system. As freestanding EDs (FSEDs) are integrated into the acute care landscape, local EMS providers are transporting to these facilities, which may be closer in proximity and provide faster turnaround times. We hypothesized that patients transported via EMS to a freestanding ED required fewer tests and are admitted less frequently than those transported to a HBED.

Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Block for Man o' War Stings: A Case Report.

Introduction: The Portuguese man o' war, an aquatic invertebrate, is responsible for a large proportion of cnidarian stings worldwide. Cnidaria is a phylum that contains the genus Physalia. These injuries result in severe pain and skin irritation, which are often difficult to control.

Assessment and Management of Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) in the Emergency Department: Current Perspectives.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is characterized by a platelet count less than 100 × 10^9/L without anemia or leukopenia. Patients with ITP may be asymptomatic, or they may have mild bleeding like petechiae, purpura, or epistaxis. In rare cases, they may present to the emergency department (ED) with life-threatening bleeding as a result of their thrombocytopenia.

Determination of Total and A1-Type β-Casein in Milk and Milk-Derived Ingredients by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Using Characteristic Tryptic Peptides.

Background: Gastrointestinal digestion of A1-type β-casein is conducive to β-casomorphin-7 with potential adverse digestive health effects. Monitoring of A1-type β-casein concentration in milk and milk-derived ingredients used in the formulation of A2-type nutritional products with associated health claims is important from a quality standpoint.

Objective: New analytical methods were developed and validated for total and A1-type β-casein in milk and milk-derived ingredients.

Urinary Concentrations of Topically Administered Pain Medications.

A common treatment for chronic pain is prescription of analgesics, but their long-term use entails risk of morbidity, addiction and misuse. One way to reduce the risk of abuse is prescribing of analgesics in a topical form. Physicians are urged to perform urine drug testing to ensure that patients are compliant with their medication regimens.

Kayexalate-induced colonic ulcer.

A 61-year-old male presents to the emergency room with complaints of fatigue, dizziness and bright red blood per rectum (BRBPR) for 2 days. Past medical history was significant for gastroesophageal reflux disease, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) induced ulcer, and end-stage renal disease (GFR < 30) status post 2 failed renal grafts. Pertinent medications include pantoprazole and sodium polystyrene sulfonate in sorbitol (Kayexalate 30 g/d orally).

A multicenter, prospective, randomized comparison of a novel signal transmission capsule endoscope to an existing capsule endoscope.

Background: MiroCam, a capsule endoscope, uses a novel transmission technology, electric-field propagation, which uses the human body as a conduction medium for data transmission.

Objective: To compare the ability of the MiroCam (MC) and PillCam (PC) to identify sources of obscure GI bleeding (OGIB).

Design: Prospective, multicenter, comparative study.