Disaster preparedness: Experience from a smoke inhalation mass casualty incident.

OBJECTIVE: We describe a modified triage system used in managing a smoke inhalation mass casualty incident that we recently encountered at our community hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients were triaged as priority 1, 2 or 3 on the basis of their symptoms, signs and circumstances at scene. In addition, the use of fibre-optic examinations of the upper airway, chest radiography and carboxyhaemoglobin levels with arterial blood gas analyses were used to aid in disposal plans. RESULTS: Of the 22 patients evacuated, 15 were triaged as priority 2 and the remaining seven as priority 3. None of the patients was identified as priority 1. All the priority 2 patients underwent further investigations. Those with mild upper airway oedema (four patients) or raised carboxyhaemoglobin levels (two patients) were admitted. Only one patient had both. Another patient who was a known asthmatic developed bronchospasm and was admitted as well. All six were admitted to the general ward with subsequent good recovery and were discharged within 3 days. The remaining nine priority 2 and seven priority 3 patients were discharged from the emergency department. CONCLUSIONS: These modified triage criteria, with selective use of fibre-optic examinations, chest radiography and arterial blood gas analyses with carboxyhaemoglobin levels, are useful in smoke inhalation mass casualty incidents without dermal burns. Systemic injury and poisoning by toxic fumes often coexist with airway burns and should not be overlooked. Lastly, disaster planning and frequent drills at both local and national levels will optimize the response to future mass casualty incidents.     

Randomized, controlled trial of immediate versus delayed goal-directed ultrasound to identify the cause of nontraumatic hypotension in emergency department patients

OBJECTIVE: We examined a physician-performed, goal-directed ultrasound protocol for the emergency department management of nontraumatic, symptomatic, undifferentiated hypotension. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial of immediate vs. delayed ultrasound. SETTING: Urban, tertiary emergency department, census >100,000. PATIENTS: Nontrauma emergency department patients, aged >17 yrs, and initial emergency department vital signs consistent with shock (systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg or shock index >1.0), and agreement of two independent observers for at least one sign and symptom of inadequate tissue perfusion. INTERVENTIONS: Group 1 (immediate ultrasound) received standard care plus goal-directed ultrasound at time 0. Group 2 (delayed ultrasound) received standard care for 15 mins and goal-directed ultrasound with standard care between 15 and 30 mins after time 0. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Outcomes included the number of viable physician diagnoses at 15 mins and the rank of their likelihood of occurrence at both 15 and 30 mins. One hundred eighty-four patients were included. Group 1 (n = 88) had a smaller median number of viable diagnoses at 15 mins (median = 4) than did group 2 (n = 96, median = 9, Mann-Whitney U test, p <.0001). Physicians indicated the correct final diagnosis as most likely among their viable diagnosis list at 15 mins in 80% (95% confidence interval, 70-87%) of group 1 subjects vs. 50% (95% confidence interval, 40-60%) in group 2, difference of 30% (95% confidence interval, 16-42%). CONCLUSIONS: Incorporation of a goal-directed ultrasound protocol in the evaluation of nontraumatic, symptomatic, undifferentiated hypotension in adult patients results in fewer viable diagnostic etiologies and a more accurate physician impression of final diagnosis.     

Smoke inhalation and airway management at a regional burn unit: 1974 to 1983. II. Airway management

According to criteria established to define patients with smoke inhalation, the airway management of all victims of smoke and burns (1974 to 1984; n = 805) was reviewed. Fourteen percent of all patients were intubated (n = 117); patients intubated on the day of injury (n = 41) were more likely to extubate themselves or have technical problems with the endotracheal tube. Twelve percent of patients with smoke inhalation without burns required endotracheal intubation versus 62% of those with burns. An endotracheal tube was required for a median of 5 days. Tracheotomies were performed in 48 patients: 40% of those intubated and 6% of all patients. The mean postburn day for tracheotomy was day 15. There was no difference in the mortality rate for patients with an endotracheal tube only and those who had a tracheotomy as well: 42% and 37%, respectively. The prolonged length of stay for patients with a tracheotomy relates to the severity of the burn. Tracheotomy was not the cause of death in any patient. The strategy of grafting the neck before tracheotomy was used successfully in eight patients.     

新型气管插管固定器在临床急诊中的应用效果分析

目的:探索新型气管插管固定器在临床急诊中的应用效果。方法:选择2016年6月至2017年6月至我院急诊科就诊需行气管插管患者97例作为研究对象,观察组(n=50)采用新型气管插管固定器固定气管插管,对照组(n=47)采用传统方式固定气管插管,记录和对比分析两组患者固定效果、操作时间、病人的耐受程度以及意外事件发生情况。结果:观察组患者固定效果明显优于对照组患者,二者比较具有显著统计学意义(P0.05);观察组患者的操作时间(2.5±0.9)min,显著低于对照组患者(6.7±2.2)min(P0.05);观察组患者的耐受率也明显优于对照组患者,二者比较具有统计学意义(P0.05)。观察组与对照组患者意外事件发生率分别为2.00%与14.89%,观察组显著低于对照组患者,二者比较具有统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:新型气管插管固定器在临床急诊中的应用能够显著增强固定效果,缩短操作时间,提高病人的耐受程度,且具有更低的意外事件发生率,是一种行之有效的方法,值得在临床中推广使用。     

Extreme leukocytosis in the emergency department

BACKGROUND: Extreme leukocytosis in the absence of haematological disease, is a topic about which little is known, although it may be associated with increased mortality among patients admitted to the intensive care department. The significance of extreme leukocytosis in patients presenting to hospital is uncertain. AIM: To study the correlates and prognostic significance of extreme leukocytosis, in patients admitted to an emergency department. DESIGN: Observational study. METHODS: Consecutive adult patients with extreme leukocytosis (>25 x 10(9)/l, n=54) presenting to the emergency department of a university-affiliated hospital were compared to age-matched controls (+/-5 years) with moderate leukocytosis (12-25 x 10(9)/l, n=118) presenting to the same department. Data were collected on demographic features, emergency room findings and hospital course. RESULTS: Patients with extreme leukocytosis were more likely to suffer from infectious disease (74% vs. 48%, p<0.01), to be hospitalized (100% vs. 80%, p<0.001), and to die (32.1% vs. 12.7%, p<0.01), and had a longer median length of stay (7.5 vs. 4.0 days, p<0.005). There was no significant difference in vital signs between the two groups. DISCUSSION: In our patients, extreme leukocytosis appeared to be predominantly caused by infectious disease, and was associated with a high case fatality rate. The degree of leukocytosis may provide prognostic information beyond that reflected in traditional vital signs.     

Alveolar macrophage chemotaxis in fire victims with smoke inhalation and burns injury

In vitro migration of alveolar macrophages was studied in 24 fire victims and 19 controls; all subjects were cigarette smokers. Unstimulated (P = 0.01) and stimulated migration towards casein-(P = 0.01) and zymosan-activated serum (P = 0.002) of macrophages from smoke inhalation patients (SI) (n = 19) was increased when compared to control subjects (CS). Migration of alveolar macrophages from patients with burns without smoke inhalation (burns only, BO) was not increased. Patients with smoke inhalation and no burns (smoke only, SO) (n = 9) had increased migration when compared to controls but this was not statistically significant. Patients with smoke inhalation and burns (SB) (n = 10) had increased unstimulated migration (P = 0.01) and increased migration towards casein (P less than 0.005), ZAS (P less than 0.002) and F-met-leu-phe (P less than 0.05) when compared to controls (CS). Lavage fluid from the fire victims displayed chemotactic activity towards normal human neutrophils and its analysis for the components of the complement cascade proved positive (Clq, Clr, Factor B and C3). These data suggest that activation of alveolar macrophages may contribute to the development of pathophysiological changes in patients with smoke inhalation (SI) and particularly those with smoke inhalation and burns (SB).     

Effectiveness of lavender inhalation aromatherapy on pain level and vital signs in children with burns: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundBurns are a source of pain, which cannot be fully treated with medications.ObjectivesThis study aims is to test the effectiveness of lavender oil inhalation aromatherapy applied before dressing change on vital signs and pain levels of children with burns.DesignThis randomized controlled study was held between May 2018 and May 2019. A total of 108 children who met the inclusion criteria were studied in three groups: Lavender-15 Group inhaled lavender oil for 15 min before dressing (n:36), Lavender-60 Group inhaled lavender oil for 60 min before dressing (n:36), and Control Group inhaled jojoba (placebo) oil for 15 min before dressing (n:36). Baseline pain levels and vital signs of the children were measured before inhalation. Pain levels and vital signs of the children were re-measured at the 1st and 30th minutes after dressing.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the groups in terms of pain levels (p = 0.750) and vital signs before dressing. In post-dressing measurements, the number of respiration (after 1 min p = 0.000, after 30 min p = 0.000), heart rate (after 1 min p = 0.000, after 30 min p = 0.000), mean arterial blood pressure (after 1 min p = 0.010, after 30 min p = 0.000) and pain levels (after 1 min p = 0.000, after 30 min p = 0.000) were lower in the Lavender groups compared to the placebo group.DiscussionThe result of this research reveals that inhalation aromatherapy which applied before dressing in children with burns affects the reduction of pain levels and stabilization of vital signs.     

Importance of emergency identification schemes

Objective: To establish awareness and credibility of emergency identification schemes among emergency personnel and to assess if information on specific medical conditions would influence ambulance personnel regarding destination hospitals.

Methods: Questionnaires were sent to senior staff (n=380) of accident and emergency (A&E) departments and operational directors of ambulance headquarters (n=39) throughout the United Kingdom. Hospitals were divided into regional divisions to assess differences in responses across regions.

Results: The majority of respondents (99%) had heard of emergency identification schemes and felt that it was important for patients with special conditions to carry some form of identification. Nearly all ambulance respondents (97%) indicated it was routine to search for body worn emblems in contrast with only 71% of A & E staff. However, more than half of ambulance respondents (53.9%) stated information on emblems/cards would not influence their choice of destination hospital.

Conclusions: The importance of how information on pre-existing medical conditions can influence care, is highlighted by the BSCC valve issue, where immediate diagnosis is essential for patient survival. It is vital that all staff routinely search patients for this information and if necessary act upon the information provided.

     

Predictors of safe discharge for pediatric drowning patients in the emergency department

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to determine if stable, well-appearing, drowning patients who have normal age-adjusted vital signs and pulse oximetry upon arrival to the emergency department may be safely discharged without a prolonged observation period.

Blood cultures ordered in the adult emergency department are rarely useful.

OBJECTIVES: Although blood cultures are commonly ordered in the emergency department, there is controversy about their utility. This study aimed to determine the usefulness of blood cultures in the management of patients presenting to a tertiary adult teaching hospital emergency department in Perth, Western Australia. METHODS: A detailed chart review was undertaken of all blood cultures taken in our emergency department over a 2-month period. All patients within the hospital having blood cultures taken were identified; from this group, blood cultures originating from the emergency department were reviewed. Data were collected concerning patient demographics, culture indication, vital signs, culture outcome, disposition and alterations in management resulting from the blood culture. RESULTS: 218 blood cultures were ordered from the emergency department during the study period. This represented 4.0% (218/5478) of the total number of patients seen. Of the 218 cultures, only 30 were positive (13% of the study population), with 16 (7.3%) probable contaminants and 14 (6.4 %) true positives. No anaerobic isolates were identified. Of the 14 significantly positive blood cultures, the result influenced management in six patients, resulting in a useful culture rate of 2.8% (6/218). CONCLUSION: Blood cultures are ordered on a significant number of patients seen in the emergency department but rarely alter management. Our findings in conjunction with other studies suggest that eliminating blood cultures in immunocompetent patients with common illnesses such as urinary tract infection, community acquired pneumonia and cellulitis, may significantly reduce the number of blood cultures, producing substantial savings without jeopardizing patient care. This needs prospective study and validation.     

Patient dependency in the emergency department (ED): reliability and validity of the Jones Dependency Tool (JDT)

BACKGROUND: Rising patient demand in emergency departments is an international problem. Patient dependency (the degree of nursing care required) has major implications for nursing. Nurse skill mix and staffing levels can be addressed more effectively when dependency can be measured. A valid and reliable method of determining patient dependency in the emergency department in the United Kingdom is required. AIM: To test the validity, reliability and generalisability of the Jones Dependency Tool. METHODS: Six emergency departments across England were included. The sample was 140 adult patients from each site (n=840). Information was collected by nurses on: demographics, triage, chief complaint, vital clinical signs, nurse's own subjective rating of patient dependency, Jones Dependency Tool ratings and a comparative tool ratings. For a sub-sample of 40 patients, observation data were collected. RESULTS: There was a highly significant correlation between the Jones Dependency Tool scores and the nurses' subjective ratings of patient dependency (R=0.786,P<0.001). There was a significant correlation between triage rating and Jones Dependency Tool scores (R=0.58,P<0.001). The higher the dependency, the higher the proportion of patients with abnormal pulse rates (chi2=7.45,df=1,P=0.006), abnormal respiratory rates (chi2=15.683,df=1,P<0.001) and abnormal oxygen saturation (chi2=15.583,df=1,P<0.001). The higher the amount of time spent by nurses in direct care of patients the higher the patient's level of dependency (R=0,72,P<0.001). Length of time spent by nurses with patients was also significantly and positively correlated with the nurses' subjective ratings of patient dependency (R=0.49,P=0.001). There was a positive and significant correlation between Jones Dependency Tool scores and comparator scores (R=0.726,P<0.001). There was a good correlation between JDT scores measured over time (kappa=0.68) and good inter-rater reliability (kappa=0.75). CONCLUSIONS: The Jones Dependency Tool can be recommended as a valid and reliable tool for the measurement of patient dependency in the emergency department.     

Reduced length of stay in medical emergency department patients: a prospective controlled study on emergency physician staffing.

OBJECTIVE: Patients, emergency department staff and hospital managers are often confronted with a prolonged length of stay of emergency department patients, with resulting overcrowding in the emergency department. We hypothesized that additional medical personnel would reduce the length of stay. METHODS: We prospectively studied consecutive patients managed in a medical emergency department by internal medicine residents during the evening shift. Data were collected on patients managed before (n=200) and after (n=160) the addition of a second physician on the shift. RESULTS: The addition of a physician in the busy evening shift decreased the length of stay from 176+/-137 to 141+/-86 min (mean+/-SD, P=0.012) for outpatients discharged after evaluation and management in the emergency department. The length of stay for emergency department inpatients admitted for hospitalization was not significantly reduced. CONCLUSION: An additional physician significantly reduced the length of stay of medical emergency department outpatients.     

Frequency of safety net errors in the emergency department: Effect of patient handoffs

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to determine physician awareness of abnormal vital signs and key clinical interventions (oxygen provision, intravenous access) in the emergency department, and to measure the effect of patient handoffs on this awareness.MethodsThis was a prospective observational study at two large, urban, academic emergency departments. Emergency department physicians were asked the following about each of the physician's patients: 1) the number of IV lines, 2) whether the patient was on supplemental oxygen, and 3) whether the patient had any abnormal vital signs. Physicians were blind to the nature of the study prior to enrollment. Error rates between physician responses and actual patient status were calculated, and logistic regression, adjusted for physician clustering, was used to calculate association of errors with multiple situational factors, including handoff status.ResultsWe analyzed 463 patient encounters from 74 physicians. Physicians missed abnormal vital signs in 19.4% of encounters. They made errors in oxygen status and number of IV lines in 16.6% and 35.8% of encounters, respectively. Physicians were significantly more likely to make all types of errors on patients who had undergone handoff as opposed to their primary patients.ConclusionEmergency physicians make frequent errors regarding awareness of their patients' vital signs, oxygen and vascular status and patient handoffs are associated with an increased frequency of such errors.     

急诊脓毒症改良死亡风险评分对急诊脓毒症患者危险分层的应用

目的 探讨急诊脓毒症改良死亡风险评分(NMEDS)对急诊脓毒症患者危险分层的应用价值.方法 连续入选海南省农垦总医院急诊科2015年1月1日至2015年8月31日急诊就诊并且明确诊断为脓毒症患者164例,随访28 d按照患者预后分为死亡组(48例)和存活组(116例)两组,比较两组患者入院后24h内NMEDS与急性生理学与慢性健康状况评分系统Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ)评分;并描绘受试者工作特征曲线(ROC曲线),分析NMEDS与APACHEⅡ评分对急诊脓毒症患者死亡危险预后能力的比较.结果 死亡组患者在入院24h内NMEDS分值明显高于存活组(13.4±1.8)vs.(5.8±2.1),P ＜0.01;APACHEⅡ评分相比较,死亡组(27.4±3.6)分较存活组(17.6±4.1)分高,P=0.003;NMEDS评分不同分值28 d患者病死率:≤4分为4.5％,5～8分为10.0％,9～12分为19.4％,13～16分为42.4％,≥17分为66.7％.NMEDS对患者28 d死亡风险预测的ROC曲线下面积为0.788,数值上较APACHEⅡ评分曲线下面积为0.701高,但差异无统计学意义,P=0.056.结论 NMEDS对急诊脓毒症患者是可以应用的危险分层评分系统,在急诊临床工作中具有应用价值.     

Uncovering the burden of intentional injuries among children and adolescents in the emergency department

Background

Vital signs play a critical role in prioritizing patients in emergency departments (EDs), and are the foundation of most triage methods and disposition decisions. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of vital signs documentation anytime during emergency department treatment and to explore if abnormal vital signs were associated with the likelihood of admission for a set of common presenting complaints.

Methods

Data were collected over a four-month period from the EDs of seven urban tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. The variables included age, sex, hospital type (government run vs. private), presenting complaint, ED vital signs, and final disposition. Patients who were >12 years of age were included in the analysis. The data were analyzed to describe the proportion of patients with documented vitals signs, which was then crossed-tabulated with top the ten presenting complaints to identify high-acuity patients and correlation with their admission status.

Results

A total of 274,436 patients were captured in the Pakistan National Emergency Department Surveillance (Pak-NEDS), out of which 259,288 patients were included in our study. Vital signs information was available for 90,569 (34.9%) patients and the most commonly recorded vitals sign was pulse (25.7%). Important information such as level of consciousness was missing in the majority of patients with head injuries. Based on available information, only 13.3% with chest pain, 12.8% with fever and 12.8% patients with diarrhea could be classified as high-acuity. In addition, hospital admission rates were two- to four-times higher among patients with abnormal vital signs, compared with those with normal vital signs.

Conclusion

Most patients seen in the EDs in Pakistan did not have any documented vital signs during their visit. Where available, the presence of abnormal vital signs were associated with higher chances of admission to the hospital for the most common presenting symptoms.

     

Clinical criteria for the detection of pneumonia in adults: guidelines for ordering chest roentgenograms in the emergency department

Adults presenting to an emergency department with acute respiratory illness were studied prospectively in an effort to identify sensitive clinical criteria for the diagnosis of pneumonia. Of 308 patients studied, 118 (38%) had definite or equivocal infiltrates and were considered to have pneumonia. No single symptom or sign was reliably predictive of pneumonia. Cough was the most common symptom in patients with pneumonia (86%), but was equally common in those with other respiratory illness. Fever was absent in 36 patients with pneumonia (31%). Abnormal findings on lung examination, that is, rales, rhonchi, decreased breath sounds, wheezes, altered fremitus, egophony, and percussion dullness, were each found in fewer than half of the patients with pneumonia. Twenty-six patients (22%) with a completely normal chest examination had pneumonia. Abnormal vital signs (temperature greater than 37.8 degrees C (100 degrees F), pulse greater than 100/min, or respirations greater than 20/min) were 97% sensitive for the detection of pneumonia. These criteria retained their sensitivity when films were subjected to a second, blinded interpretation by a senior radiologist. We conclude that restricting chest roentgenograms to patients with at least one abnormal vital sign will detect almost all radiographically demonstrable pneumonia in adult emergency department patients.     

Effect of physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service on blunt trauma patient survival and prehospital care.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the immediate and long-term effect of a helicopter emergency physician giving advanced life support on-scene compared with conventional load and go principle in urban and rural settings in treating blunt trauma patients. METHODS: In a retrospective study, 81 blunt trauma patients treated prehospitally by a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service were compared with 77 patients treated before the era of the helicopter emergency medical service. The data were collected in the prehospital and hospital files and a questionnaire was sent to the survivors 3 years after the trauma. RESULTS: The physicians treated the patients more aggressively (gave drugs, intubated and cannulated) and had the patients transported directly to a university hospital. The given treatment did not delay arrival at the hospital. No statistically significant difference was found, but a trend (P = 0.065) to lower survival in the helicopter emergency medical service group. Almost half of the deaths in the helicopter emergency medical service group and none in the control group, however, occurred in the emergency department. No difference was found 3 years later between the groups in the health-related quality of life or decrease in the income owing to the accident. CONCLUSION: The physicians treated the patients more aggressively, but it did not delay the arrival at the hospital. A beneficial effect of this aggressive treatment or direct transport to a university hospital could not be seen in the immediate physiological parameters or later health-related quality of life. The physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service was not beneficial to blunt trauma patients in this setting.     

快速急诊预检分诊方法及分诊工具的研究进展

综述国内外现推广使用的急诊预检分诊标准、预检分诊测量生命体征的工具及其测量数据的准确性和相互之间的差异,根据目前国内急诊拥挤并且预检分诊耗时较长的现状,提出对预检分诊更加快速准确的展望以及末梢感知无创生命体征快速监测腕带在急诊预检分诊时的生命体征测量中的必要性。希望研制出末梢感知无创生命体征快速监测腕带,缩短预检分诊时间,快速准确掌握病人生命体征信息,智能录入,医护快捷共享。     

一氧化氮对吸入性损伤犬肺功能的改善作用及机制

目的：评价吸入一氧化氮（ＮＯ）对烟雾吸入性损伤犬肺功能的改善效果，并验证其作用机制。方法：２１只犬随机分为３组，烟雾吸入后的对照组（８只）给予单纯吸氧（ＦｉＯ２０．４５）；治疗组（９只）吸氧（ＦｉＯ２０．４５）＋０．００４５％ＮＯ，连续监测１２小时血气变化；正常组（４只）不致伤，用于建立组织学对照。数据行多个样本均数间方差分析。结果：治疗组肺氧合功能明显改善（Ｐ均＜０．０５），肺通气功能也明显改善（Ｐ均＜０．０５）；动脉血和肺组织环磷酸鸟苷（ｃＧＭＰ）明显升高（Ｐ均＜０．０１）。结论：吸入ＮＯ能明显改善肺功能，其作用机制为提高平滑肌细胞内ｃＧＭＰ水平。推荐临床应用吸入ＮＯ作为吸入性损伤的综合治疗方法。     

Intracardiac therapy following emergency thoracotomy in the accident and emergency department: an experimental model.

For a select group of patients with penetrating chest trauma, immediate thoracotomy in the accident and emergency department offers the only chance of survival. Foley catheters have been used to achieve haemostasis in cardiac wounds but are not widely used for intracardiac fluid and drug administration during resuscitation. In an anatomical model designed to assess this procedure an average flow rate of 275 ml min-1 was achieved. The equipment required is readily available and easily assembled.