Brief Risk Communication for Emergency Department Patients With Sustained Asymptomatic Hypertension.

INTRODUCTION: Sustained asymptomatic hypertension in ED patients is a powerful predictor of chronic uncontrolled hypertension. In this study, we assess the feasibility of using a storyboard video and communicating real-time cardiovascular imaging results on blood pressure control and primary care engagement. METHODS: This was a prospective observational exploratory sub-study. Following Institutional Review Board approval (#18-00197), 20 English-speaking adults in an urban emergency department with an initial blood pressure ≥160/100 mm Hg and a second blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg were enrolled. Patients watched a 60-second storyboard video about uncontrolled hypertension in the ED setting, featuring racially and ethnically diverse avatars. They then received a real-time bedside echocardiogram. Emergency nurses communicated the echocardiogram results using a standard script and advised follow-up within 2 weeks after discharge. Patient characteristics, blood pressure control, primary care engagement, and acceptability of the intervention were assessed at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks post-discharge. RESULTS: All 20 enrolled patients (mean age 55, 70% female, and 95% from underrepresented groups [30% Black, 50% Hispanic, and 15% Black and Hispanic]) exhibited subclinical heart disease on echocardiograms. Blood pressure control improved from baseline (systolic 166 mm Hg, diastolic 97 mm Hg) to 24 weeks (systolic 137 mm Hg, diastolic 78 mm Hg). Seventy percent of patients engaged with primary care post-discharge, and the intervention had high acceptability (94.8% approval). DISCUSSION: The Brief Risk Communication for ED patientswith sustained asymptomatic hypertension study demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of using a brief video and real-time cardiovascular imaging for risk communication in the emergency department. Future research will build on these findings with a larger, more comprehensive study.

Stage B Heart Failure Is Ubiquitous in Emergency Patients with Asymptomatic Hypertension.

Introduction: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for morbidity and mortality throughout the world and is pervasive in United States emergency departments (ED). This study documents the point prevalence of subclinical heart disease in emergency patients with asymptomatic hypertension. Method: This was a prospective observational study of ED patients with asymptomatic hypertension conducted at two urban academic EDs that belong to an eight-hospital healthcare organization in New York. Adult (≥18 years of age) English- or Spanish-speaking patients who had an initial blood pressure (BP) ≥160/100 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and second BP ≥140/90 mm Hg, and pending discharge, were invited to participate in the study. We excluded patients with congestive heart failure, renal insufficiency, and atrial fibrillation, or who were pregnant, a prisoner, cognitively unable to provide informed consent, or experiencing symptoms of hypertension. We assessed echocardiographic evidence of subclinical heart disease (left ventricular hypertrophy, and diastolic and systolic dysfunction). Results: A total of 53 patients were included in the study; a majority were young (mean 49.5 years old, [SD 14-52]), self-identified as Black or Other (n = 39; 73.5%), and female (n = 30; 56.6%). Mean initial blood pressure was 172/100 mm Hg, and 24 patients (45.3%) self-reported a history of hypertension. Fifty patients completed an echocardiogram. All (100%) had evidence of subclinical heart disease, with 41 (77.4%) displaying left ventricular hypertrophy and 31 (58.5%) diastolic dysfunction. There was a significant relationship between diastolic dysfunction and female gender [x2 (1, n = 53) = 3.98; P = 0.046]; Black or other race [x2 (3, n = 53) = 9.138; P = 0.03] and Hispanic or other ethnicity [x2 (2, n = 53) = 8.03; P = 0.02]. Less than one third of patients demonstrated systolic dysfunction on echocardiogram, and this was more likely to occur in patients with diabetes mellitus [x2 (1, n = 51) = 4.84; P = 0.02]. Conclusion: There is a high probability that Black, Hispanic, and female patients with asymptomatic hypertension are on the continuum for developing overt heart failure. Emergency clinicians should provide individualized care that considers their unique health needs, cultural backgrounds, and social determinants of health.

[Spontaneous intramural hematoma of the small bowel due to use of oral anticoagulants: case report and review of the literature]. / Hematoma intramural espontáneo de intestino delgado debido al uso de anticoagulantes orales: reporte de caso y revisión de la literatura.

We describe a case of 78 year-old woman under anticoagulant therapy who presented abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and an elevated prothrombin time levels (INR = 9.03). The ultrasound and abdominal CT showed a thickened small bowel wall mainly involving duodenum and jejunum. The endoscopy showed an ecchymotic aspect of duodenum and jejunum. The patient received conservative medical treatment and her symptoms spontaneously subsided.

Hematoma intramural espontáneo de Intestino Delgado debido al uso de anticoagulantes orales: reporte de caso y revisión de la literatura / Spontaneous intramural hematoma of the small bowel due to use of oral antocoagulants: case report and review of the literature

A continuación describimos un caso de una mujer de 78 años anticoagulada que presentó dolor abdominal, náuseas, vómitos y niveles elevados de tiempo de protrombina (INR= 9.07). La ecografía y tomografía abdominal mostraron un engrosamiento de las paredes del intestino delgado dependiente de duodeno y yeyuno. La endoscopía mostró un aspecto equimótico del duodeno y yeyuno. La paciente recibió tratamiento médico conservador logrando que sus síntomas remitan espontáneamente.

We describe a case of 78 year-old woman under anticoagulant therapy who presented abdominal pain, nauseas, vomiting and an elevated prothrombin time levels (INR = 9.03). The ultrasound and abdominal CT showed a thickened small bowel wall mainly involving duodenum and jejunum. The endoscopy showed an ecchymotic aspect of duodenum and jejunum. The patient received conservative medical treatment and her symptoms spontaneously subsided.