Pulse wave velocity and short-term outcome in patients requiring intravascular volume expansion: a pilot study.

Background: Fluid therapy has a pivotal role in the management of acutely ill patients. However, whether or not a patient can tolerate additional intravascular volume is controversial and optimal strategy is unknown. Carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) evaluates arterial stiffness.

Ultrasound to reduce cognitive errors in the ED.

Emergency medicine setting is intrinsically prone to a greater risk of medical errors than other specialties. Cognitive errors are particularly frequent when the clinical decision-making process heavily relies on heuristics. These could be defined as "mental shortcuts," which enable physicians to rapidly overcome both time and efforts required by the normative reasoning.

Standard-length catheters vs long catheters in ultrasound-guided peripheral vein cannulation.

Purpose: Ultrasound (US) is a useful tool for peripheral vein cannulation in patients with difficult venous access. However, few data about the survival of US-guided peripheral catheters in acute care setting exist. Some studies showed that the survival rate of standard-length catheters (SC) is poor especially in obese patients.

Continuous positive airway pressure vs. pressure support ventilation in acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema: a randomized trial.

Background: Both non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) and non-invasive pressure support ventilation (nPSV) have been shown to be effective treatment for acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (ACPE). In patients with severe ACPE who are treated with standard medical treatment, the baseline intubation rate is approximately 24%.

Study Objective: This study was conducted to compare the endotracheal intubation (ETI) rate using two techniques, nCPAP vs.