Approach to primary headache patients in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Quintas ◽  
Alba Somovilla ◽  
Carlos Hervás ◽  
Jaime Alonso ◽  
Ana Beatriz Gago-Veiga
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Primary Headache ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Headache Patients

scholarly journals Management of Primary Headache in the Emergency Department

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Pescatore
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Symptom Relief ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Primary Headache ◽  
Overwhelming Majority ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
Primary Headaches ◽  
Emergency Setting ◽  
Headache Management ◽  
Headache Patients

Headache is a common presentation to emergency departments (EDs), comprising nearly 4% of all ED admissions.‎1 While the overwhelming majority of patients present with a primary headache disorder, particularly migraine, the emergency physician’s role calls for the simultaneous exclusion of severe or life-threatening pathology while providing judicious and effective symptom relief.‎2 Notably, recent investigations suggest that this dual mandate performs well, excluding more than 99% of conditions resulting in serious adverse neurologic sequelae, though at the cost of high-frequency and low-yield advanced imaging utilization.‎3‎, 4 While a comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic process and underlying pathophysiology associated with headache disorders is critical for the emergency clinician, this review is meant to chiefly describe the treatment of primary headache and the variety, efficacy, and indications of those interventions. While individual headache type classification can be helpful in targeting approach or therapy, diagnosis can be difficult in the emergency setting, and primary headaches of most types are often approached similarly in the ED. Interestingly, the overwhelming majority of patients who present to an emergency department with acute primary headache have migraine, but the majority of patients receive a less specific diagnosis and a treatment that is correspondingly nonspecific.‎5 Importantly, however, the dynamic, diverse, and unique nature of different headache presentations to the ED make an algorithmic or step-wise approach to headache management ill-advised. The emergency practitioner must have a working knowledge of the array of treatment options available and apply therapies in a considered and informed manner. Following effective analgesia, however, the most important intervention emergency physicians can deliver for their headache patients is to connect them with outpatient physicians savvy about headache management, who will then provide these headache patients with appropriate acute therapeutics, initiate preventive therapy and provide anticipatory guidance about their disease process.‎6

scholarly journals Clinical availability of SNOOP4 in acute non-traumatic headache patients admitted to the emergency department

2020 ◽  
pp. 102490792092868
Author(s):  
Wachira Wongtanasarasin ◽  
Borwon Wittayachamnankul
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Negative Predictive Value ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Primary Headache ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Secondary Headache ◽  
Headache Disorders ◽  
Primary Headache Disorders ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Objectives: Non-traumatic headache accounts for up to 4.5% of all patients presenting to the emergency department. Non-traumatic headache is generally classified into two categories: primary and secondary headache disorders. Differentiating secondary from primary headache disorders is essential. SNOOP4 is known as a mnemonic for suggesting clinicians send neuroimaging to rule out serious conditions. Yet, the benefit of using this mnemonic in the emergency department is not well established. This study aimed to assess the significance of SNOOP4 in detecting serious causes of non-traumatic headache in adults presenting to the emergency department. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of adult patients presenting to the emergency department of the single tertiary hospital over a period of 12 months. Patients with acute non-traumatic headache presented at the emergency department were included. A standard record form was used. Patients were investigated and treated following the pre-existing protocols. Results were interpreted by attending radiologists. Each factor, according to SNOOP4, was then evaluated for the ability to predict serious causes of non-traumatic headache. Results: A total of 90 patients were included in this study with complete details obtained on 83 (92.2%) patients. Of these, 63 (75.9%) were female. The mean age was 44.5 years (inter-quartile range: 27–58.5). The duration of the headache ranged from 10 min to 7 days. Out of 83, 27 (32.5%) had at least one SNOOP4 criterion. In all, 25 patients (30.1%) underwent neuroimaging. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of SNOOP4 were 77.8%, 73.0%, 25.9%, and 96.4% respectively. Conclusion: SNOOP4 criteria show very high negative predictive value for excluding serious causes of acute non-traumatic headache in adult patients presenting to the emergency department.

scholarly journals Management of Primary Headache in the Emergency Department

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Pescatore
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Symptom Relief ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Primary Headache ◽  
Overwhelming Majority ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
Primary Headaches ◽  
Emergency Setting ◽  
Headache Management ◽  
Headache Patients

Headache is a common presentation to emergency departments (EDs), comprising nearly 4% of all ED admissions.‎ While the overwhelming majority of patients present with a primary headache disorder, particularly migraine, the emergency physician’s role calls for the simultaneous exclusion of severe or life-threatening pathology while providing judicious and effective symptom relief.‎ Notably, recent investigations suggest that this dual mandate performs well, excluding more than 99% of conditions resulting in serious adverse neurologic sequelae, though at the cost of high-frequency and low-yield advanced imaging utilization.‎ While a comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic process and underlying pathophysiology associated with headache disorders is critical for the emergency clinician, this review is meant to chiefly describe the treatment of primary headache and the variety, efficacy, and indications of those interventions. While individual headache type classification can be helpful in targeting approach or therapy, diagnosis can be difficult in the emergency setting, and primary headaches of most types are often approached similarly in the ED. Interestingly, the overwhelming majority of patients who present to an emergency department with acute primary headache have migraine, but the majority of patients receive a less specific diagnosis and a treatment that is correspondingly nonspecific.‎ Importantly, however, the dynamic, diverse, and unique nature of different headache presentations to the ED make an algorithmic or step-wise approach to headache management ill-advised. The emergency practitioner must have a working knowledge of the array of treatment options available and apply therapies in a considered and informed manner. Following effective analgesia, however, the most important intervention emergency physicians can deliver for their headache patients is to connect them with outpatient physicians savvy about headache management, who will then provide these headache patients with appropriate acute therapeutics, initiate preventive therapy and provide anticipatory guidance about their disease process.‎

scholarly journals Occupational Sharp Injury and Splash Exposure among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Hospital

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roshan Mathew ◽  
Ritin Mohindra ◽  
Ankit Sahu ◽  
Rachana Bhat ◽  
Akshaya Ramaswami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Hepatitis B ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Hepatitis B Surface Antigen ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Needle Stick Injury ◽  
Medical Procedures ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
History Of ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus Antibody

Abstract Background Occupational hazards like sharp injury and splash exposure (SISE) are frequently encountered in health-care settings. The adoption of standard precautions by healthcare workers (HCWs) has led to significant reduction in the incidence of such injuries, still SISE continues to pose a serious threat to certain groups of HCWs. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective study which examined the available records of all patients from January 2015 to August 2019 who self-reported to our emergency department with history of sharp injury and/or splash exposure. Details of the patients, mechanism of injury, the circumstances leading to the injury, status of the source (hepatitis B surface antigen, human immunodeficiency virus, and hepatitis C virus antibody status), and the postexposure prophylaxis given were recorded and analyzed. Data were represented in frequency and percentages. Results During the defined period, a total of 834 HCWs reported with SISE, out of which 44.6% were doctors. Majority of the patients have SISE while performing medical procedures on patients (49.5%), while 19.2% were exposed during segregation of waste. The frequency of needle stick injury during cannulation, sampling, and recapping of needle were higher in emergency department than in wards. More than 80% of HCWs received hepatitis B vaccine and immunoglobulin postexposure. Conclusion There is need for periodical briefings on practices of sharp handling as well as re-emphasizing the use of personal protective equipment while performing procedures.

A 12-year retrospective analysis of differences between elderly and oldest old patients referred to the emergency department of a large tertiary hospital

Maturitas ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 120 ◽  
pp. 7-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcello Covino ◽  
Carmine Petruzziello ◽  
Graziano Onder ◽  
Alessio Migneco ◽  
Benedetta Simeoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Retrospective Analysis ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Old Patients

scholarly journals Diagnostic Accuracy of Neurological Problems in the Emergency Department

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy J Moeller ◽  
Joelius Kurniawan ◽  
Gordon J Gubitz ◽  
John A Ross ◽  
Virender Bhan
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Retrospective Chart Review ◽  
Primary Headache ◽  
Final Diagnosis ◽  
Initial Diagnosis ◽  
Educational Strategies ◽  
Diagnostic Uncertainty ◽  
Peripheral Vertigo

Background:Previous studies describe significant rates of misdiagnosis of stroke, seizure and other neurological problems, but there are few studies examining diagnostic accuracy of all emergency referrals to a neurology service. This information could be useful in focusing the neurological education of physicians who assess and refer patients with neurological complaints in emergency departments.Methods:All neurological consultations in the emergency department at a tertiary-care teaching hospital were recorded for six months. The initial diagnosis of the requesting physician was recorded for each patient. This was compared to the initial diagnosis of the consulting neurologist and to the final diagnosis, as determined by retrospective chart review.Results:Over a six-month period, 493 neurological consultations were requested. The initial diagnosis of the requesting physician agreed with the final diagnosis in 60.4% (298/493) of cases, and disagreed or was uncertain in 35.7% of cases (19.1% and 16.6% respectively). In 3.9% of cases, the initial diagnosis of both the referring physician and the neurologist disagreed with the final diagnosis. Common misdiagnoses included neurocardiogenic syncope, peripheral vertigo, primary headache and psychogenic syndromes. Often, these were initially diagnosed as stroke or seizure.Conclusions:Our data indicate that misdiagnosis or diagnostic uncertainty occurred in over one-third of all neurological consultations in the emergency department setting. Benign neurological conditions, such as migraine, syncope and peripheral vertigo are frequently mislabeled as seizure or stroke. Educational strategies that emphasize emergent evaluation of these common conditions could improve diagnostic accuracy, and may result in better patient care.

scholarly journals A Sample of The Relationship Between The Non-Integrated Healthcare System And National Epidemic of Emergency Department Overcrowding In Turkey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cihad Dundar ◽  
Seydanur Dal Yaylaoglu
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Diagnostic Code ◽  
Diagnostic Codes ◽  
Logistic Analysis ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
Negative Impacts

Abstract Background: The use of EDs has significantly increased, and a majority of this increase is attributed to non-urgent visits, which has negative impacts. We aim to explore the frequency of non-urgent emergency department (ED) visits and to identify risk factors for non-urgent ED visits. Methods: This retrospective, the record-based study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Samsun province of Turkey. The records of all adult patients who visited to the ED between January 1 and December 31, 2017, were included in this study. All emergency department visits were evaluated according to age, gender, time of visit, means of arrival, ICD diagnostic codes, and the number of repeated non-urgent ED visits. The number of ED visits was 87,528 for the year 2017. Results: The non-urgent emergency visit rate was 9.9%. According to binary logistic analysis, non-urgent visits were associated with young age (OR = 2.75), female gender (OR = 1.11) and non-ambulance transportation (OR = 9.86). The prevalence of non-emergent visits was very similar between weekends and weekdays but was significantly higher in work hours on weekdays than non-work hours (p<0.001). The most frequent diagnostic code was “Pain, unspecified” (R52) and the rate of repeated visits was 14.8% of non-urgent ED visits. Conclusions: Harmonization of various databases at the primary level in terms of design and connectivity and integration with hospital information systems will contribute to the identification of problems and the generation of solutions. The next step is establishing an integrated health care system that can benefit emergency care organizations in Turkey.

scholarly journals Clinical profile of patients presenting to emergency with upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a tertiary hospital of Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-111
Author(s):  
Sunil Adhikari ◽  
Suraj Rijal ◽  
Darlene Rose House
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Gastrointestinal Bleeding ◽  
Variceal Bleeding ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Clinical Profile ◽  
Ulcer Bleeding ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Upper Gastrointestinal

Introduction: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is an acute emergency condition. It is an important cause for the hospital admission. This study descriptively analyses the clinical profile of upper gastrointestinal bleeding presenting to a tertiary hospital in Nepal. Method: This is a cross-sectional study of patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding from 01 Oct 2018 to 30 Sep 2019 at Patan Hospital Emergency Department, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal. Patient’s demographics, clinical presentation, duration of illness before presenting to Emergency, vitals, and laboratory parameters were descriptively analyzed. Ethical approval was obtained. Result: There were 121 patients, male 82(67.8%) and female 38(31.4%) aging 14 to 90 years. Fifty-three patients (43.8 %) presented with hematemesis, 38(31.4%) with melena, and 27(22.3%) with both hematemesis and melena. Variceal bleeding was the main cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding found in 73(60.33%) followed by ulcer bleeding in 48(39.66%). Conclusion: Variceal bleeding was the main cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and hematemesis was the most common clinical presentation in patients presenting to the Emergency Department.

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