Initiating palliative care consults for advanced dementia patients in the emergency department.

Background: Patients with dementia, an underrecognized terminal illness, frequently visit the emergency department (ED). These patients may benefit from ED-initiated palliative care (PC) consultation.

Objective: The study's objective was to track the rate of ED-initiated PC consultation for patients with advanced dementia (AD) after an educational intervention, and to categorize decision making for physicians who chose not to initiate consultation.

IV magnesium sulfate in the treatment of acute severe asthma: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Studies of IV magnesium sulfate as a treatment for acute asthma have had mixed results, with some data suggesting a benefit for acute severe asthma, but not for mild-to-moderate asthma. In a multicenter cohort, this study tests the hypothesis that administration of magnesium sulfate improves pulmonary function in patients with acute severe asthma.

Design: Placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial.