Impact of a Coordinated Sepsis Response on Time to Treatment in a Pediatric Emergency Department.

Background: Sepsis is responsible for 75 000 pediatric hospitalizations annually, with an associated mortality rate estimated between 11% and 19%. Evidence supports the use of timely fluid resuscitation and antibiotics to decrease morbidity and mortality. Our emergency department did not meet the timeliness goals for fluid and antibiotic administration suggested by the 2012 Surviving Sepsis Campaign.

Undiagnosed hypertension in the ED setting--an unrecognized opportunity by emergency nurses.

Introduction: Hypertension is often undiagnosed, untreated, undertreated, and poorly controlled. Many patients use the emergency department as their primary source of health care, and the emergency department represents an opportunity to identify undiagnosed hypertension. We sought to (1) identify the prevalence of elevated blood pressures in low-acuity patients and (2) describe the existing practice of reassessment, treatment, and referral of abnormal vital signs in these patients.

Factors affecting pain scores during female urethral catheterization.

Objectives: To compare pain and discomfort ratings of female patients undergoing urethral catheterization randomized to topical application of plain lubricant versus lidocaine gel prior to the procedure.

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind study involving female patients requiring urethral catheterization at an urban university-based academic emergency department. A staff nurse blinded to the lubricant type injected 5 mL of sterile surgical lubricant or 2% lidocaine gel into the urinary meatus.