Ketamine administration for acute painful sickle cell crisis: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of single-dose ketamine infusion in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) who presented with acute sickle vasoocclusive crisis (VOC). METHODS: This study was a parallel-group, prospective, randomized, double-blind, pragmatic trial. Participants were randomized to receive a single dose of either ketamine or morphine, infused over 30 min. Primary outcome was mean difference in the numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) score over 2 h. NPRS was recorded every 30 min for a maximum of 180 min and secondary outcomes were cumulative dose of opioids, emergency department (ED) length of stay, hospital admission, change in vital signs, and drug-related side effects. Authors performed the analysis using intention-to-treat principle. RESULT: A total of 278 adults with SCD and who presented with acute sickle VOC participated in this trial. A total of 138 were allocated to the ketamine group. Mean (±standard deviation [SD]) NPRS scores over 2 h were 5.7 (±2.13) and 5.6 (±1.90) in the ketamine and morphine groups. The ketamine group received significantly lower cumulative doses of morphine during their ED stay (mean ± SD = 4.5 ± 4.6 mg) than of the morphine group (mean ± SD = 8.5 ± 7.55 mg). Both groups had similar rates of hospital admission: 6.3% in the ketamine group had drug-related side effects compared to 2.2% in the morphine group. CONCLUSION: Early use of ketamine in adults with VOC resulted in a meaningful reduction in pain scores over a 2-h period and reduced the cumulative morphine dose in the ED with no significant drug-related side effects in the ketamine-treated group.

Patient-Focused Online Resources for Melanoma: Highly Variable Content and Quality.

When patients are diagnosed or concerned with the diagnosis of melanoma, they commonly use the Internet for information. We assessed the content of patient-focused websites about melanoma. We searched for "melanoma" in four search engines then assessed the first 30 websites in each search. Among included sites, we describe potentially useful content about melanoma: website quality, readability, popularity, and social media sharing. In 31 included websites, > 80% mentioned the definition and risk factors for melanoma, when to seek medical help, how to diagnose, and treatment options, and > 70% described preventive measures. However, website quality was variable: 61% of websites had disclosures, 54% were dated, 41% had a clear author, and 41% had references. Average readability ranged from 8th to 12th grade, which is above recommended reading levels for patient websites. Despite this variation and high reading levels, we identified many high-quality melanoma websites for patients.

National trends in stroke and TIA care in U.S. emergency departments and inpatient hospitalizations (2006-2014).

BACKGROUND: We examine recent trends in U.S. emergency department (ED) and hospital care for stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). METHOD: We used national ED and inpatient data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project 2006-14. We explored trends in care and outcomes for patients treated in U.S. hospitals with stroke and TIA using descriptive statistics, as well as intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), a complication of stroke treatment. RESULTS: From 2006 to 14, there were 3.9 million U.S. ED visits with stroke and 2.5 million with TIA. Over the study, stroke visits grew 25% while TIA decreased 2%. Both conditions were more common among women and older adults, and most had Medicare insurance; however, Medicaid increased from 5.8% to 9.6% for stroke and 4.3% to 7.5% for TIA. Full inpatient hospitalizations fell for stroke from 89% to 83%, and TIA from 61% to 47%. Transfers from the ED for stroke & TIA increased from 4% to 8% and 2% to 5%, respectively. Inpatient mortality decreased for stroke & ICH and costs increased for all three conditions; however, length of stay (LOS) did not significantly change. CONCLUSION: Over this nine-year study period, the average age of stroke & TIA patients was unchanged in U.S. hospitals; however, the proportion with Medicaid insurance increased considerably. Stroke incidence increased while TIA decreased slightly. Full inpatient hospitalizations are declining for both conditions, while transfers are on the rise. Average inpatient costs increased dramatically for all three conditions while mortality for stroke & ICH fell significantly.