More teamwork needed to improve patient care   MPs expose Quarry House "disaster"   Hospitals told not to close emergency departments   BMA calls for confidential firearms hotline   Rural pharmacists win test case   BMA rejects terms for public health registrars

BMJ ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 313 (7070) ◽  
pp. 1489-1489
Author(s):  
L. Beecham
CJEM ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 5 (02) ◽  
pp. 104-107 ◽  
Author(s):  

BACKGROUND The Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) has been recognized as a significant improvement in standardizing triage in Canadian emergency departments (EDs), both urban and rural. Since its publication an increasing number of Canadian EDs have implemented the CTAS. It was intended to improve patient care through more appropriate triaging of patients, but a number of adverse effects from its implementation have been encountered in rural EDs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer V. Pope ◽  
Jonathan A. Edlow

Approximately 5% of patients presenting to emergency departments have neurological symptoms. The most common symptoms or diagnoses include headache, dizziness, back pain, weakness, and seizure disorder. Little is known about the actual misdiagnosis of these patients, which can have disastrous consequences for both the patients and the physicians. This paper reviews the existing literature about the misdiagnosis of neurological emergencies and analyzes the reason behind the misdiagnosis by specific presenting complaint. Our goal is to help emergency physicians and other providers reduce diagnostic error, understand how these errors are made, and improve patient care.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 144 (Suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Weissman ◽  
Mariam Bramah Lawani ◽  
Thomas Rohan ◽  
Clifton W CALLAWAY

Introduction: Pneumonia is common after OHCA but is difficult to diagnose in the first 72 hours following ROSC, this results in early untargeted antibiotic administration based on non-specific imaging and laboratory findings. Antibiotic resistance is rising, is influenced by untargeted antibiotic administration, and can increase patient morbidity and mortality as well as healthcare costs. Precision methods of bacterial pathogen detection in OHCA patients are needed to improve patient care. This proof-of-concept pilot study aimed to assess feasibility of bacterial pathogen sequencing and comparability of sequencing results to clinical culture after OHCA. Methods: Blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were obtained from residual clinical specimens collected within 12 hours of ROSC. Bacterial DNA was extracted using the Qiagen PowerLyzer PowerSoil DNA kit, sequenced using the MinION nanopore sequencer, and analyzed with Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ EPI2ME bioinformatics software. Sequencing results were compared to culture results using McNemar’s chi-square statistic. Study-defined pneumonia was based on presence of at least two characteristics within 72 hours of ROSC: fever (temperature ≥38°C); persistent leukocytosis >15,000 or leukopenia <3,500 for 48 hours; persistent chest radiography infiltrates for 48 hours per clinical radiology read; bacterial pathogen cultured. Results: We enrolled 38 consecutive OHCA subjects: mean age 61.8 years (18.0); 16 (42%) female; 25 (66%) White, 7 (18%) Black, 6 (16%) “Other” race; 7 subjects (18%) survived and 31 (82%) died; 16 (42%) subjects had pneumonia. Sequencing results were available in 12 hours while culture results were available in 48-72 hours after collection. There was a non-significant difference in the proportion of the same pathogens identified for each method per McNemar’s chi-square: p = 0.38, difference of 0.095 (-0.095, 0.286). Conclusions: Nanopore sequencing detects pathogenic bacteria comparable to clinical microbiologic culture and in less time. This technology can produce a paradigm shift in early bacterial pathogen detection in OHCA survivors, which can improve patient care. The technology is applicable to other patient populations and for viral and fungal pathogens.


2021 ◽  
pp. 875647932110668
Author(s):  
Amanda Hogan ◽  
Natalie Ullmer

Encephaloceles are considered neural tube defects, but their exact cause is unknown. The outcome is dismal, and essential management and counseling are needed for patients. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional sonography can be used to detect encephaloceles as early as 11 weeks, assist in treatment planning, and improve patient care. This case report presents an occipital encephalocele diagnosed by sonography and followed until delivery.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 874-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Øvretveit ◽  
Lisa Zubkoff ◽  
Eugene C Nelson ◽  
Susan Frampton ◽  
Janne Lehmann Knudsen ◽  
...  

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