Publications by authors named "S Maureen Nemetski"
Trends in cannabis use in New Jersey: Effects of COVID-19 and cannabis legalization.
J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open
June 2024
Article Synopsis
- The legalization of cannabis in New Jersey raised concerns about potential adverse events, prompting a study on trends and risk factors for cannabis-related harm in adults and children at a healthcare institution.
- A retrospective analysis of electronic health records from May 2019 to October 2022 showed an increase in adult cannabis-related emergency department visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, while pediatric visits remained stable, primarily due to accidental exposures for younger children.
- The findings suggest that increased cannabis use occurred before legalization, influenced by the pandemic's mental health impacts, highlighting the need for attention to cannabis use disorder and related psychiatric issues by both healthcare providers and policymakers.
Background: Although procedural pain is effectively treated with analgesics, managing anxiety during laceration repair is more challenging.
Objectives: We examined the feasibility of using immersive virtual reality (VR) as anxiolysis during laceration repair in the pediatric emergency department (ED).
Methods: We conducted a non-blinded, observational, pilot study in an urban pediatric ED that enrolled a convenience sample of children aged 5-13 years undergoing sutured repair of non-facial lacerations.
Introduction: COVID-19 infection has been hypothesized to precipitate venous and arterial clotting events more frequently than other illnesses.
Materials And Methods: We demonstrate this increased risk of blood clots by comparing rates of venous and arterial clotting events in 4400 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a large multisite clinical network in the United States examined from April through June of 2020, to patients hospitalized for non-COVID illness and influenza during the same time period and in 2019.
Results: We demonstrate that COVID-19 increases the risk of venous thrombosis by two-fold compared to the general inpatient population and compared to people with influenza infection.
Rat-bite Fever: A Rare Diagnosis for a Common Pediatric Presentation: Case Report.
Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med
November 2021
Introduction: Fever and rash is a common pediatric presentation to the emergency department but can present a diagnostic challenge to the clinician. Here we report the successful identification and treatment of a rare zoonotic exanthem that was facilitated by a thorough history and physical exam.
Case Report: Rat-bite fever is a potentially fatal systemic illness characterized by relapsing fever, rash, and migratory polyarthralgias.
Context: Recommendations for COVID-safe, in-person, high school education have included masks and distancing between students but do not describe a scalable surveillance solution to rapidly identify and mitigate disease prevalence or exposure.
Methods: Through an Internet application, all school participants reported symptoms, illness, or exposure daily. Physician-supervised follow-up interviews were reviewed and recorded in daily rounds.