Player age and initial helmet contact among American football players.

OBJECTIVE: Concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) related to professional football has received much attention within emergency care and sports medicine. Research suggests that some of this may be due to a greater likelihood of initial helmet contact (IHC), however this association has not been studied across all age groups. This study aims to investigate the association between player age and IHC in American football. METHODS: Retrospective review of championship games between 2016 and 2018 at 6 levels of amateur tackle football as well as the National Football League (NFL). Trained raters classified plays as IHC using pre-specified criteria. A priori power analysis established the requisite impacts needed to establish non-inferiority of the incidence rate of IHC across the levels of play. RESULTS: Thirty-seven games representing 2912 hits were rated. The overall incidence of IHC was 16% across all groups, ranging from 12.6% to 18.9%. All but 2 of the non-NFL divisions had a statistically reduced risk of IHC when compared with the NFL, with relative risk ratios ranging from 0.55-0.92. IHC initiated by defensive participants were twice as high as offensive participants (RR 2.04, p < 0.01) while 6% [95% CI 5.4-7.2] of all hits were helmet-on-helmet contact. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high rate of IHC with a lower relative risk of IHC at most levels of play compared to the NFL. Further research is necessary to determine the impact of IHC; the high rates across all age groups suggests an important role for education and prevention.

Performance After Concussion in National Hockey League Players.

CONTEXT: Concussions in ice hockey players are an interesting area of study due to the fast-paced and high-impact nature of the sport. Recently, researchers have focused on player performance after return from concussion to evaluate subclinical deficits that were previously missed. OBJECTIVE: To examine National Hockey League (NHL) player performance from 2013 to 2019 and compare performance before a concussion with performance immediately after recovering to assess the current NHL return-to-play protocol. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: The NHL Injury Viz and sports reporting websites. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Players in the NHL who sustained concussions from 2013 to 2019. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Goals, assists, points, plus-minus, time on ice (TOI), and hits. RESULTS: When goals, assists, points, plus-minus, TOI, and hits were examined, only TOI was different after the players returned from injury, and this TOI difference was not substantively important. CONCLUSIONS: After concussion, NHL player performance did not change.

Intubation rate of patients with hypoxia due to COVID-19 treated with awake proning: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Awake prone positioning (PP), or proning, is used to avoid intubations in hypoxic patients with COVID-19, but because of the disease's novelty and constant evolution of treatment strategies, the efficacy of awake PP is unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of the literature to assess the intubation rate among patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or noninvasive ventilatory support who underwent awake PP. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases through August 15, 2020 to identify relevant randomized control trials, observational studies, and case series. We performed random-effects meta-analyses for the primary outcome of intubation rate. We used moderator analysis and meta-regressions to assess sources of heterogeneity. We used the standard and modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scales (NOS) to assess studies' quality. RESULTS: Our search identified 1043 articles. We included 16 studies from the original search and 2 in-press as of October 2020 in our analysis. All were observational studies. Our analysis included 364 patients; mean age was 56.8 (SD 7.12) years, and 68% were men. The intubation rate was 28% (95% CI 20%-38%, I2 = 63%). The mortality rate among patients who underwent awake PP was 14% (95% CI 7.4%-24.4%). Potential sources of heterogeneity were study design and setting (practice and geographic). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated an intubation rate of 28% among hypoxic patients with COVID-19 who underwent awake PP. Awake PP in COVID-19 is feasible and practical, and more rigorous research is needed to confirm this promising intervention.

Utility of Ottawa Ankle Rules in an Aging Population: Evidence for Addition of an Age Criterion.

The Ottawa ankle rules (OAR) indicate that any patient with the inability to ambulate up to four steps or with tenderness at either malleoli should receive diagnostic imaging for an acute ankle injury. Current trends indicate that health care providers tend to order more images in practice than necessary according to OAR. The purpose of this study is to analyze OAR in geriatric versus nongeriatric patients. Secondarily, we hope to refine these guidelines for ankle imaging in the hopes that health care providers will be comfortable in adhering to these guidelines more strictly. A retrospective chart review was conducted of 491 adult patients with an average (± standard deviation) age of 54.4 ± 21.6 years (range 18 to 96). Applying the current OAR resulted in a sensitivity of 98.2% and a specificity of 58.6% in this entire cohort. The calculated sensitivities were comparable between the nongeriatric and geriatric cohorts, at 98.60% and 97.99%, respectively. The specificities varied between the nongeriatric and geriatric cohorts, at 60.13% and 33.33%. We propose new guidelines that would mandate imaging studies for any patient ≥65 years of age presenting to the emergency department with ankle pain. When applying these proposed guidelines, the sensitivity of the entire study population was found to be improved to 99.0%, whereas the specificity dropped to 56.7%. The slight decrease in specificity was deemed acceptable because these guidelines are meant to be used as a screening tool and because the risk of OAR not correctly identifying ankle fracture (2% of geriatric fractures) was completely mitigated in the geriatric population.

Increased opioid consumption in diabetics with operative ankle fractures: a retrospective case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Opioids are commonly used for post-operative pain control. It is known that diabetic patients with ankle fractures will experience prolonged healing, higher risk of hardware failure, and an increased risk of infection. However, the opioid requirements amongst this patient cohort have not been previously evaluated. Thus, the purpose of this study is to retrospectively compare opioid utilization amongst ankle fracture patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: An IRB approval was obtained for the retrospective review of patients who presented with an ankle fracture and underwent surgery between November 2013 and January 2017. A total of 180 patients (144 without DM, 36 with DM) with a mean age of 50 years (± 18 years) were included. Opioid consumption was quantified utilizing a morphine-milliequivalent conversion algorithm. A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to compare opioid consumption. A two-tailed p value of 0.05 was set as the threshold for statistical significance. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a statistically significant decrease in total opioid consumption during the 4-month duration (p < 0.001). The model demonstrated a mean difference in opioid consumption of - 214.3 morphine meq between the patients without and with DM (p = 0.022). Post hoc pair-wise comparison revealed less opioid consumption amongst non-diabetic patients at 2 (- 418.5 Meq; p = 0.009), 3 months (- 355.6 Meq; p = 0.021), and 4 months (- 152.6 Meq; p = 0.006) after surgery. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed increased opioid consumption amongst diabetic patients who are treated surgically for ankle fractures. With increasing efforts aimed at reducing opioid administration, orthopaedic surgeons should be aware of higher opioid consumption amongst this patient cohort. Further studies are needed to verify the results of this study.

Dynamic motor tracking is sensitive to subacute mTBI.

Effective screening for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is critical to accurate diagnosis, intervention, and improving outcomes. However, detecting mTBI using conventional clinical techniques is difficult, time intensive, and subject to observer bias. We examine the use of a simple visuomotor tracking task as a screening tool for mTBI. Thirty participants, 16 with clinically diagnosed mTBI (mean time since injury: 36.4 ± 20.9 days (95 % confidence interval); median = 20 days) were asked to squeeze a hand dynamometer and vary their grip force to match a visual, variable target force for 3 min. We found that controls outperformed individuals with mTBI; participants with mTBI moved with increased variability, as quantified by the standard deviation of the tracking error. We modeled participants' feedback response-how participants changed their grip force in response to errors in position and velocity-and used model parameters to classify mTBI with a sensitivity of 87 % and a specificity of 93 %, higher than several standard clinical scales. Our findings suggest that visuomotor tracking could be an effective supplement to conventional assessment tools to screen for mTBI and track mTBI symptoms during recovery.

Age-related differences in biomarkers of acute inflammation during hospitalization for sepsis.

The authors aimed to evaluate age-related differences in inflammation biomarkers during the first 72 h of hospitalization for sepsis. This was a secondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort of adult patients (n = 855) from 10 urban academic emergency departments with confirmed infection and two or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria. Six inflammation-related biomarkers were analyzed-chemokine (CC-motif) ligand-23, C-reactive protein, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), peptidoglycan recognition protein, and tumor necrosis factor receptor-1a (TNFR-1a)-measured at presentation and 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, or 72 h later. The median age was 56 (interquartile range, 43 - 72) years, and sepsis severity was 38% sepsis, 16% severe sepsis without shock, and 46% septic shock; the overall 30-day mortality was 12%. Older age was associated with higher sepsis severity: 41% of subjects aged 18 to 34 years had severe sepsis or septic shock compared with 71% for those aged 65 years or older (P < 0.001). In longitudinal models adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and infection source, older age was associated with higher baseline values for chemokine (CC-motif) ligand-23, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, NGAL, and TNFR-1a (all P < 0.05). However, older adults had higher mean values during the entire 72-h period only for NGAL and TNFR-1a and higher final 72-h values only for TNFR-1a. Adjustment or stratification by sepsis severity did not change the age-inflammation associations. Although older adults had higher levels of inflammation at presentation and an increased incidence of severe sepsis and septic shock, these age-related differences in inflammation largely resolved during the first 72 h of hospitalization.

Emergency department variation in utilization and diagnostic yield of advanced radiography in diagnosis of pulmonary embolus.

BACKGROUND: There is growing pressure to measure and reduce unnecessary imaging in the emergency department. OBJECTIVE: We study provider and hospital variation in utilization and diagnostic yield for advanced radiography in diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) and to assess patient- and provider-level factors associated with diagnostic yield. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of all adult patients presenting to four hospitals from January 2006 through December 2009 who had a computed tomography or ventilation/perfusion scan to evaluate for PE. Demographic data on the providers ordering the scans were collected. Diagnostic yield (positive scans/total scans ordered) was calculated at the hospital and provider level. The study was not designed to assess appropriateness of imaging. RESULTS: There was significant variation in utilization and diagnostic yield at the hospital level (chi-squared, p < 0.05). Diagnostic yield ranged from 4.2% to 8.2%; after adjusting for patient- and provider-level factors; the two hospitals with an emergency medicine residency training program had higher diagnostic yields (odds ratio [OR] 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-2.5 and OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.5-2.4). There was no significant variation in diagnostic yield among the 90 providers after adjusting for patient, hospital, and provider characteristics. Providers with < 10 years of experience had lower odds of diagnosing a PE than more experienced graduates (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-0.9). CONCLUSIONS: Although we found significant variation in utilization of advanced radiography for PE and diagnostic yield at the hospital level, there was no significant variation at the provider level after adjusting for patient-, hospital-, and provider-level factors.

The prevalence of quality issues and adverse outcomes among 72-hour return admissions in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Records of patients discharged from the Emergency Department (ED) who return within 72 h and are admitted are often reviewed for potential quality issues. OBJECTIVES: We explored 72-h return admissions and determined the prevalence and predictors for substandard management on the initial visit or any adverse outcome. METHODS: Retrospective review of quality assurance data from 72-h return admissions in three hospitals from 2006-2010 was performed. Any substandard quality on the first visit or change in outcome on the return admission was considered "low quality." Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between cases judged as low quality vs. not low quality. RESULTS: Of 741,132 ED visits across 5 years, 3682 (0.5%) were 72-h return admissions. Of those, 192 (5%) were low quality. In 158 (4%) and 8 (0.2%) there were moderate and severe deviations from care standards, respectively. Similarly, in 53 (1%) and 14 (0.4%) there were moderate and severe changes in outcome. In adjusted analysis, there were higher rates of low-quality 72-h return admissions in ambulance arrivals (odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-2.1); and lower rates in Medicaid patients (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.7). There were higher rates in low-quality 72-h return admissions in hospital 1 (OR 3.6, 95% CI 2.2-6.1) and hospital 3 (OR 3.2, 95% CI 2.0-4.7) compared to hospital 2. CONCLUSIONS: Poor care on the initial visit or any poor outcome upon returning in 72-h return admissions is relatively rare in the ED. Reporting 72-h return admissions without chart review may not be a good way to measure clinical quality.

Use of the relationship between absolute lymphocyte count and CD4 count to improve earlier consideration of pneumocystis pneumonia in HIV-positive emergency department patients with pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: The ability to accurately assess the level of immunosuppression in HIV+ patients in the emergency department (ED) is often limited and can affect management of these patients. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and CD4 count in HIV patients admitted through the ED with pneumonia and how utilization of this relationship may affect early consideration and evaluation of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP). METHODS: Retrospective multicenter 5-year study of HIV+ patients with an ICD-9 diagnosis of pneumonia. Included patients had an ALC measured on ED presentation and a CD4 count measured in < 24 h. A receiver operator curve (ROC), decision plot analysis, and McNemar test of proportions were used to characterize the relationship between study variables. RESULTS: Six hundred eighty six patients were enrolled, 23.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 20.2-26.1) were diagnosed with PCP. The geometric mean CD4 count and ALC were 81 and 1089, respectively. The correlation between ALC and CD4 was r = 0.60 (95% CI 0.55-65, p < 0.01). The ROC was 0.78 (0.75-0.82). An ALC < 1700 cells/mm(3) had a sensitivity of 84% (95% CI 80-87) and specificity of 55% (95% CI 48-70) for a CD4 < 200 cells/mm(3). An ALC threshold of 1700 cells/mm(3) would have identified 86% of patients with PCP but falsely identified 2.5 patients without PCP for every one accurately identified. CONCLUSION: The ALC threshold of 1700 cells/mm(3) retains significant discriminatory value and would moderately improve identification of patients with a CD4 < 200 cells/mm(3) but is not likely to be reliable as the sole method of early recognition and evaluation of PCP.

Prevalence of bicycle helmet use by users of public bikeshare programs.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Public bikeshare programs are becoming increasingly common in the United States and around the world. These programs make bicycles accessible for hourly rental to the general public. We seek to describe the prevalence of helmet use among adult users of bikeshare programs and users of personal bicycles in 2 cities with recently introduced bikeshare programs (Boston, MA, and Washington, DC). METHODS: We performed a prospective observational study of adult bicyclists in Boston, MA, and Washington, DC. Trained observers collected data during various times of the day and days of the week. Observers recorded the sex of the bicycle operator, type of bicycle, and helmet use. All bicycles that passed a single stationary location in any direction for a period of between 30 and 90 minutes were recorded. RESULTS: There were 43 observation periods in 2 cities at 36 locations; 3,073 bicyclists were observed. There were 562 (18.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 16.4% to 20.3%) bicyclists riding shared bicycles. Overall, 54.5% of riders were unhelmeted (95% CI 52.7% to 56.3%), although helmet use varied significantly with sex, day of use, and type of bicycle. Bikeshare users were unhelmeted at a higher rate compared with users of personal bicycles (80.8% versus 48.6%; 95% CI 77.3% to 83.8% versus 46.7% to 50.6%). Logistic regression, controlling for type of bicycle, sex, day of week, and city, demonstrated that bikeshare users had higher odds of riding unhelmeted (odds ratio [OR] 4.4; 95% CI 3.5 to 5.5). Men had higher odds of riding unhelmeted (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4 to 1.9), as did weekend riders (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.6). CONCLUSION: Use of bicycle helmets by users of public bikeshare programs is low. As these programs become more popular and prevalent, efforts to increase helmet use among users should increase.

Absolute lymphocyte count in the emergency department predicts a low CD4 count in admitted HIV-positive patients.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine if the automated absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) predicts a "low" (<200 × 10(6) cells/µL) CD4 count in patients with known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+) who are admitted to the hospital from the emergency department (ED). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study over an 8-year period was performed in a single, urban academic tertiary care hospital with over 85,000 annual ED visits. Included were patients who were known to be HIV+ and admitted from the ED, who had an ALC measured in the ED and a CD4 count measured within 24 hours of admission. Back-translated means and confidence intervals (CIs) were used to describe CD4 and ALC levels. The primary outcome was to determine the utility of an ALC threshold for predicting a CD4 count of <200 × 10(6) cells/µL by assessing the strength of association between log-transformed ALC and CD4 counts using a Pearson correlation coefficient. In addition, area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) and a decision plot analysis were used to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, and the positive and negative likelihood ratios to identify prespecified optimal clinical thresholds of a likelihood ratio of <0.1 and >10. RESULTS: A total of 866 patients (mean age 42 years, 40% female) met inclusion criteria. The transformed means (95% CIs) for CD4 and ALC were 34 (31-38) and 654 (618-691), respectively. There was a significant relationship between the two measures, r = 0.74 (95% CI = 0.71 to 0.77, p < 0.01). The AUC was 0.92 (95% CI = 0.90 to 0.94, p < 0.001). An ALC of <1700 × 10(6) cells/µL had a sensitivity of 95% (95% CI = 93% to 96%), specificity of 52% (95% CI = 43% to 62%), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.09 (95% CI = 0.05 to 0.2) for a CD4 count of <200 × 10(6) cells/µL. An ALC of <950 × 10(6) cells/µL has a sensitivity of 76% (95% CI = 73% to 79%), specificity of 93% (95% CI = 87% to 96%), and positive likelihood ratio of 10.1 (95% CI = 8.2 to 14) for a CD4 count of <200 × 10(6) cells/µL. CONCLUSIONS: Absolute lymphocyte count was predictive of a CD4 count of <200 × 10(6) cells/µL in HIV+ patients who present to the ED, necessitating hospital admission. A CD4 count of <200 × 10(6) cells/µL is very likely if the ED ALC is <950 × 10(6) cells/µL and less likely if the ALC is >1,700 × 10(6) cells/µL. Depending on pretest probability, clinical use of this relationship may help emergency physicians predict the likelihood of susceptibility to opportunistic infections and may help identify patients who should receive definitive CD4 testing.

Relationship between B-type natriuretic peptide and adverse outcome in patients with clinical evidence of sepsis presenting to the emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: Myocardial dysfunction is an important aspect of sepsis pathophysiology. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a neurohormone released from the ventricles in response to myocardial stretch and volume overload. The authors hypothesized that an elevated BNP in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with suspected sepsis are at increased risk for development of adverse events. METHODS: This was a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study in 10 EDs. Patients were eligible if they were older than 18 years, had two or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, and had suspected infection or a serum lactate level > 2.5 mmol/L. Patients were excluded if they were pregnant, had do-not-attempt-resuscitation status, sustained a cardiac arrest prior to hospital arrival, had known chronic renal insufficiency, or were on dialysis. BNP levels were obtained at arrival. The primary outcome was a composite of severe sepsis, septic shock within 72 hours, or in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: There were 825 patients enrolled (mean ± standard deviation [SD] age = 53.5 ± 19.6 years; 51% were female and 37% were African American). The area under the curve (AUC) for BNP to predict the triple composite outcome was 0.69, and the optimal cut-point of BNP was 49 pg/mL. Patients with a BNP > 49 pg/mL had a greater mortality rate (11.6% vs. 2.1%; p = 0.0001), a greater risk of development of severe sepsis (67.7% vs. 36.8%; p = 0.0001) and septic shock (51.7% vs. 26.4%; p = 0.0001), and a higher rate of the triple composite outcome (69% vs. 37%; unadjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6 to 2.1; p < 0.001). The sensitivity was 63% (95% CI = 58% to 67%), specificity was 69% (95% CI = 65% to 73%), negative predictive value (NPV) was 63% (95% CI = 58% to 67%), and positive predictive value (PPV) was 69% (95% CI = 65% to 74%). In multivariate modeling, after adjusting for age, sex, heart rate, white blood cell count, and creatinine, an elevated BNP was associated with increased odds of having the composite outcome. The outcome was similar in the subset of patients who did not have severe sepsis or septic shock upon arrival. CONCLUSIONS: In patients who present to the ED with SIRS criteria and suspected infection, an elevated BNP is associated with a worse prognosis but has limited diagnostic utility.

The diagnostic accuracy of plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in the prediction of acute kidney injury in emergency department patients with suspected sepsis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We assess the diagnostic accuracy of plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) to predict acute kidney injury in emergency department (ED) patients with suspected sepsis. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study of a convenience sample of patients from 10 academic medical center EDs. Inclusion criteria were adult patients aged 18 years or older, with suspected infection or a serum lactate level greater than 2.5 mmol/L; 2 or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria; and a subsequent serum creatinine level obtained within 12 to 72 hours of enrollment. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, do-not-resuscitate status, cardiac arrest, or dialysis dependency. NGAL was measured in plasma collected at ED presentation. Acute kidney injury was defined as an increase in serum creatinine measurement of greater than 0.5 mg/dL during 72 hours. RESULTS: There were 661 patient enrolled, with 24 cases (3.6%) of acute kidney injury that developed within 72 hours after ED presentation. Median plasma NGAL levels were 134 ng/mL (interquartile range 57 to 277 ng/mL) in patients without acute kidney injury and 456 ng/mL (interquartile range 296 to 727 ng/mL) in patients with acute kidney injury. Plasma NGAL concentrations of greater than 150 ng/mL were 96% sensitive (95% confidence interval [CI] 79% to 100%) and 51% (95% CI 47% to 55%) specific for acute kidney injury. In comparison, to achieve equivalent sensitivity with initial serum creatinine level at ED presentation required a cutoff of 0.7 mg/dL and resulted in specificity of 17% (95% CI 14% to 20%). CONCLUSION: In this preliminary investigation, increased plasma NGAL concentrations measured on presentation to the ED in patients with suspected sepsis were associated with the development of acute kidney injury. Our findings support NGAL as a promising new biomarker for acute kidney injury; however, further research is warranted.

Physiologic affects of altitude on recreational climbers.

OBJECTIVES: Previous analyses of physiologic parameter changes during ascent to altitude have incorporated small numbers of well-trained climbers. The effects of altitude illness are more likely to occur and may come to medical attention more frequently in unacclimatized recreational individuals. We sought to evaluate acute changes in physiologic parameters during ascent to high altitude (14,100 ft) in recreational climbers. METHODS: We performed a prospective naturalistic study of 221 recreational climbers at Mount Shasta (peak altitude of 14,162 ft). Baseline vital signs were recorded at 3500 ft (blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, pulse oximetry, and peak flow). Subsequent measurements were obtained at 6700 ft, 10,400 ft, and at the summit. Mean vital signs and the amount they changed with altitude were estimated using mixed linear models. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-five climbers (56.6%) reached the summit. Heart rate increased and pulse oximetry decreased with ascent (mean, 71.9, 79, 97, and 102.4 beats/min and 96.9%, 93.9%, 88.8%, and 80.8%, respectively), with estimates at each altitude differing statistically at P < .0001. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures varied significantly by altitude (not measured at summit), but the changes were not monotonic. Peak flow progressively declined with ascent, but the difference between 6700 and 10,400 was not statistically significant. Respiratory rate did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Acute compensation for altitude-induced hypoxia involves numerous physiologic changes; this is supported by our data that demonstrate significant changes in blood pressure and stepwise changes in pulse oximetry, peak flow, and heart rate. Consideration of these changes can be incorporated in future studies of the affect of altitude on recreational climbers.

Mental health and emergency medicine: a research agenda.

The burden of mental illness is profound and growing. Coupled with large gaps in extant psychiatric services, this mental health burden has often forced emergency departments (EDs) to become the de facto primary and acute care provider of mental health care in the United States. An expanded emergency medical and mental health research agenda is required to meet the need for improved education, screening, surveillance, and ED-initiated interventions for mental health problems. As an increasing fraction of undiagnosed and untreated psychiatric patients passes through the revolving doors of U.S. EDs, the opportunities for improving the art and science of acute mental health care have never been greater. These opportunities span macroepidemiologic surveillance research to intervention studies with individual patients. Feasible screening, intervention, and referral programs for mental health patients presenting to general EDs are needed. Additional research is needed to improve the quality of care, including the attitudes, abilities, interests, and virtues of ED providers. Research that optimizes provider education and training can help academic settings validate psychosocial issues as core components and responsibilities of emergency medicine. Transdisciplinary research with federal partners and investigators in neuropsychiatry and related fields can improve the mechanistic understanding of acute mental health problems. To have lasting impact, however, advances in ED mental health care must be translated into real-world policies and sustainable program enhancements to assure the uptake of best practices for ED screening, treatment, and management of mental disorders and psychosocial problems.

A prospective, multicenter derivation of a biomarker panel to assess risk of organ dysfunction, shock, and death in emergency department patients with suspected sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: To define a biomarker panel to predict organ dysfunction, shock, and in-hospital mortality in emergency department (ED) patients with suspected sepsis. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: EDs of ten academic medical centers. PATIENTS: There were 971 patients enrolled. INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1) ED patients age > 18; 2) suspected infection or a serum lactate level > 2.5 mmol/L; and 3) two or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: pregnancy, do-not-resuscitate status, or cardiac arrest. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Nine biomarkers were assayed from blood draws obtained on ED presentation. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify an optimal combination of biomarkers to create a panel. The derived formula for weighting biomarker values was used to calculate a "sepsis score," which was the predicted probability of the primary outcome of severe sepsis (sepsis plus organ dysfunction) within 72 hrs. We also assessed the ability of the sepsis score to predict secondary outcome measures of septic shock within 72 hrs and in-hospital mortality. The overall rates of each outcome were severe sepsis, 52%; septic shock, 39%; and in-hospital mortality 7%. Among the nine biomarkers tested, the optimal 3-marker panel was neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, protein C, and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. The area under the curve for the accuracy of the sepsis score derived from these three biomarkers was 0.80 for severe sepsis, 0.77 for septic shock, and 0.79 for death. When included in multivariate models with clinical variables, the sepsis score remained highly significant (p < 0.001) for all the three outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: A biomarker panel of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, interleukin-1ra, and Protein C was predictive of severe sepsis, septic shock, and death in ED patients with suspected sepsis. Further study is warranted to prospectively validate the clinical utility of these biomarkers and the sepsis score in risk-stratifying patients with suspected sepsis.

Knowledge about the initial presentation of smallpox among emergency physicians in Washington, DC.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the current knowledge of full-time emergency physicians in Washington, DC, regarding the initial diagnosis of smallpox and the initial care of the patient with smallpox. METHODS: A written true/false test was prepared based on information accessed from the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site on smallpox. The 20-question test was administered to full-time emergency physicians practicing emergency medicine in all seven adult civilian hospitals in Washington, DC. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 81% (52 of the 64 eligible full-time emergency physicians). The average score was 59% correct. The facts most likely to be known were 1) that the symptoms of smallpox begin with a two- to four-day prodrome of fever and myalgia (before the appearance of any rash), 2) that no antiviral treatment is of more proven value than vaccination of contacts, and 3) that a person with smallpox may be contagious before any rash appears (average, 90% correct). The facts least likely to be known were 1) that when dealing with a known case of smallpox, fit-tested N95 masks are not needed by treating personnel if they have been vaccinated; 2) that the rash of smallpox begins with 24-48 hours of flat, erythematous macules (not papules or vesicles); and 3) that very typically the rash of smallpox begins in the mouth (average, 22% correct). CONCLUSIONS: Some facts from the current CDC Web site on smallpox are known by a large majority of full-time emergency physicians in Washington, DC, whereas questions based on other facts were answered incorrectly by a majority of the physicians tested.

Age 14 starts a child's increased risk of major knife or gun injury in Washington, DC.

This retrospective review of eight years of trauma registry data at an inner-city level-1 trauma center was undertaken to discover at what age urban children start to become at high risk of being victims of either a major gunshot wound or stabbing. We reviewed data from 2,191 patients who were the victim of either a gunshot wound or stabbing, were 18 years of age or under, and met pre-established criteria to qualify as a major trauma victim. There was a rise and subsequent fall in both overall crime and intentional injury rates during the eight-year period. Nevertheless, in each of the eight years studied, the risk of being a victim of a major gunshot wound or stabbing rose abruptly at age 14 (p<0.01) and the incidence continued to rise sharply through age 18.