Validation of a Novel, Rapid Sepsis Diagnostic for Emergency Department Use.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the in vitro IntelliSep test, a microfluidic assay that quantifies the state of immune activation by evaluating the biophysical properties of leukocytes, as a rapid diagnostic for sepsis. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Five emergency departments (EDs) in Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Washington. PATIENTS: Adult patients presenting to the ED with signs (two of four Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome criteria, where one must be temperature or WBC count) or suspicion (provider-ordered culture) of infection. INTERVENTIONS: All patients underwent testing with the IntelliSep using ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid-anticoagulated whole blood followed by retrospective adjudication for sepsis by sepsis-3 criteria by a blinded panel of physicians. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 599 patients enrolled, 572 patients were included in the final analysis. The result of the IntelliSep test is reported as the IntelliSep Index (ISI), ranging from 0.1 to 10.0, divided into three interpretation bands for the risk of sepsis: band 1 (low) to band 3 (high). The median turnaround time for ISI results was 7.2 minutes. The ISI resulted band 1 in 252 (44.1%), band 2 in 160 (28.0%), and band 3 in 160 (28.0%). Sepsis occurred in 26.6% (152 of 572 patients). Sepsis prevalence was 11.1% (95% CI, 7.5-15.7%) in band 1, 28.1% (95% CI, 21.3-35.8%) in band 2, and 49.4% (95% CI, 41.4-57.4%) in band 3. The Positive Percent Agreement of band 1 was 81.6% and the Negative Percent Agreement of band 3 was 80.7%, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.74. Compared with band 1, band 3 correlated with adverse clinical outcomes, including mortality, and resource utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing ISI interpretation band is associated with increasing probability of sepsis in patients presenting to the ED with suspected infection.

Football Saturday: are collegiate football stadiums adequately prepared to handle spectator emergencies?

BACKGROUND: Mass gatherings are a commonly occurring event, especially on college campuses. Any mass gathering gives rise to possible small- or large-scale emergencies. Mass gathering medicine is an integral part of emergency medical services (EMS). An assessment was performed to see if collegiate stadiums possess capabilities for advanced medical care when emergencies arise among attendees. METHODS: A standardized survey was sent by a single researcher to all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I programs regarding medical services they currently have in place at their stadiums during Saturday football games. A follow-up inquiry was made at each local community office of emergency management (OEM) to confirm responses or obtain missing data. RESULTS: Only 21.5% (N.=17) of stadium facilities reported having physicians solely dedicated to the care of fans and other support staff. Most stadiums (N.=70, 88.6%) offered ALS services for their fans, with the remaining ALS services provided by paramedics (N.=46, 58.2%) or registered nurses (N.=7, 8.9%). The remaining stadiums only offered BLS services (N.=6, 7.6%) or basic first aid (N.=3, 3.8%). One stadium offered athletic trainer services to its fan in addition to the ALS care. CONCLUSIONS: Given the potential for a large influx of patients at sporting events, almost all stadiums have some degree of prehospital emergency care on site. More than a 10% of stadiums lacked ALS services and very few stadiums have physicians on site. Many stadiums were unaware of the resources available during these events. The ability to have ALS services on site who can provide rapid, advanced care to spectators is important due to likely delays in 911 response. At a minimum ALS services should be available within the stadium with consideration of physician coverage as well.

Novel, Inexpensive Portable Respiratory Protection Unit (PRPU) for Healthcare Workers.

INTRODUCTION: Given concern for increased aerosolization during intubation of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, we sought to create a portable, inexpensive, and easily constructed device to help protect healthcare workers. METHODS: A respiratory protection unit can be constructed in approximately 30 minutes and for less than 50 United States dollars in materials, using polyvinylchloride pipe and automobile collision wrap. CONCLUSION: This device provides possible increased protection during video laryngoscopy and can easily be replicated.

Endometriosis: An Unusual Cause of Bilateral Pneumothoraces.

A 27-year-old female presented to the emergency department with sudden onset shortness of breath. A diagnosis of bilateral catamenial pneumothoraces was made following chest radiograph. Catamenial pneumothorax is a recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax that occurs in 90% of affected women 24-48 hours after the onset of their menstruation; 30-50% of cases have associated pelvic endometriosis. Symptoms can be as simple as chest pain or as severe as the presentation of this patient who was initially found to be in significant respiratory distress.

A Full Uterus: Hematometra from Cervical Scarring.

A 29-year-old female presented with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. She reported no menstrual period for one year. She did report monthly episodes of severe cramping. A loop electrosurgical excision procedure was performed approximately 10 months prior. On pelvic exam, a smooth cervix with scarring over the os was visualized with no evidence of cervical opening. A pelvic ultrasound showed an enlarged uterus with contents within the endometrial cavity likely representing hemorrhage of different ages and ongoing bleeding. Gynecology was consulted and performed an incisional opening of the cervix. The patient was diagnosed with hematometra from scarred cervical os.

Leftover narcotic analgesics among emergency department patients and methods of disposal.

OBJECTIVE: Given the increase in narcotic addiction and diversion, understanding how patients use their opioid prescriptions and store or dispose of any remainders is important. We set out to determine the frequency in which patients had leftover opioid quantities from prescriptions received in the emergency department (ED). In addition, we sought to describe patients' reasons for taking or not taking all of their prescribed medications and their strategies to manage and/or dispose of any excess or leftovers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study took place at an academic center in an urban environment in mid-Missouri with an annual emergency department volume of 55,000 patients. Potential participants were identified using a patient discharge prescription log and consisted of adult patients who received opioid prescriptions. A single researcher recruited participants via phone and invited them to participate in the study by completing a short phone survey. RESULTS: The discharge log included 301 patient encounters; of those, 170 potential participants were successfully contacted by phone and 89 agreed to participate in the survey. A majority of the participants indicated that they did not take the full prescription amount. Only 4.1% of participants disposed of their leftover opioids according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations. Those who did not dispose of their leftover opioids most frequently stored their remaining medication in a medicine cabinet or box, and a majority (77%) indicated that this storage location was unlocked. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of patients discharged from the emergency department have leftover opioids, and almost all of these leftover medications were not disposed of or stored in compliance with US Food and Drug Administration recommendations. Future research to determine what interventions could increase proper storage and disposal of leftover opioids is recommended.

Description and Yield of Current Quality and Safety Review in Selected US Academic Emergency Departments.

OBJECTIVES: Quality and safety review for performance improvement is important for systems of care and is required for US academic emergency departments (EDs). Assessment of the impact of patient safety initiatives in the context of increasing burdens of quality measurement compels standardized, meaningful, high-yield approaches for performance review. Limited data describe how quality and safety reviews are currently conducted and how well they perform in detecting patient harm and areas for improvement. We hypothesized that decades-old approaches used in many academic EDs are inefficient and low yield for identifying patient harm. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study to evaluate the efficiency and yield of current quality review processes at five academic EDs for a 12-month period. Sites provided descriptions of their current practice and collected summary data on the number and severity of events identified in their reviews and the referral sources that led to their capture. Categories of common referral sources were established at the beginning of the study. Sites used the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's definition in defining an adverse event and a modified National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (MERP) Index for grading severity of events. RESULTS: Participating sites had similar processes for quality review, including a two-level review process, monthly reviews and conferences, similar screening criteria, and a grading system for evaluating cases. In 60 months of data collection, we reviewed a total of 4735 cases and identified 381 events. This included 287 near-misses, errors/events (MERP A-I) and 94 adverse events (AEs) (MERP E-I). The overall AE rate (event rate with harm) was 1.99 (95% confidence interval = 1.62%-2.43%), ranging from 1.24% to 3.47% across sites. The overall rate of quality concerns (events without harm) was 6.06% (5.42%-6.78%), ranging from 2.96% to 10.95% across sites. Seventy-two-hour returns were the most frequent referral source used, accounting for 47% of the cases reviewed but with a yield of only 0.81% in identifying harm. Other referral sources similarly had very low yields. External referrals were the highest yield referral source, with 14.34% (10.64%-19.03%) identifying AEs. As a percentage of the 94 AEs identified, external referrals also accounted for 41.49% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: With an overall adverse event rate of 1.99%, commonly used referral sources seem to be low yield and inefficient for detecting patient harm. Approximately 6% of the cases identified by these criteria yielded a near miss or quality concern. New approaches to quality and safety review in the ED are needed to optimize their yield and efficiency for identifying harm and areas for improvement.

Prehospital amputation: An experimental comparison of techniques.

OBJECTIVE: Prehospital limb amputation is a rare but potentially life-saving intervention. When patients cannot be extricated due to limb entrapment or have hemodynamic compromise that precludes a prolonged extrication, they may benefit from an emergent prehospital amputation. The objective was to experimentally compare three prehospital amputation techniques on porcine legs. METHODS: The three techniques studied were a scalpel with a Gigli saw, a hacksaw, and a reciprocating saw. For the first technique, a scalpel was used to make a circumferential incision in the soft tissue and a Gigli wire saw to cut through the bone. The second and third techniques only used a saw and did not require soft tissue incision with a scalpel. Three providers including an emergency medicine physician, a paramedic, and a medical student performed three amputations of each technique, resulting in twenty-seven total amputations. The primary outcome was amputation time. Secondary outcomes were rate of instrument malfunction and cleanliness of cut. RESULTS: The primary outcome of amputation time was different between techniques. The Gigli saw technique took 32.86 ± 16.53 s (mean ± SD), hacksaw technique 6.28 ± 0.76 s, and reciprocating saw technique 2.84 ± 0.40 s. There were no differences in amputation time between participants for a given amputation technique. The Gigli saw technique had an instrument malfunction on 3/9 trials which was distinct from the other techniques. Differences in cleanliness of cut were nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Prehospital limb amputation with a hacksaw or reciprocating saw may result in faster completion of the time-sensitive procedure with fewer instrument malfunctions.

Extravasation from a Misplaced Intraosseous Catheter.

A 75-year old female presented in cardiac arrest with a right tibial intraosseous (IO) catheter through which prehospital medications were administered. The catheter, which had been placed by emergency medical services, was noted in the emergency department to be misplaced and was removed. Due to extravasation of the medications, the patient suffered localized tissue necrosis and eventually required skin grafting. This case illustrates the importance of confirming appropriate IO placement.

Use of Emergency Department Pharmacists in Emergency Medicine Resident Milestone Assessment.

INTRODUCTION: The use of competency-based milestones for emergency medicine (EM) was mandated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in 2013. However, clinical competency committees (CCC) may lack diverse, objective data to assess these new competencies. To remedy the lack of objective data when assessing the pharmacotherapy sub-competency (PC5) we introduced a unique approach that actively involves departmental clinical pharmacists in determining the milestone level achieved by the resident. METHODS: Our pharmacists assess the pharmacotherapy knowledge of the residents through multiple methods: direct observation of orders, communication with the residents while performing patient care within the emergency department (ED), and real-time chart review. This observation occurs informally on a daily basis in the ED and is incorporated into the routine work of the pharmacist. The pharmacists use the PC5 sub-competency as their standard evaluation tool in this setting to keep all assessments consistent. RESULTS: Since our residency program introduced pharmacist assessment of resident pharmacotherapy knowledge, the CCC has conducted seven biannual meetings. Of the 120 separate PC5 sub-competency assessments made during those meetings there was 100% agreement between the pharmacist's assessment and the CCC's final assessment of the trainee. A survey of the CCC members concluded that the pharmacists' assessments were useful and aided in accurate resident evaluation. CONCLUSION: The use of ED pharmacists in assessing the pharmacotherapy sub-competency provides important information used in resident assessment of the PC5 milestone.

Simulation-based Remediation in Emergency Medicine Residency Training: A Consensus Study.

INTRODUCTION: Resident remediation is a pressing topic in emergency medicine (EM) training programs. Simulation has become a prominent educational tool in EM training and been recommended for identification of learning gaps and resident remediation. Despite the ubiquitous need for formalized remediation, there is a dearth of literature regarding best practices for simulation-based remediation (SBR). METHODS: We conducted a literature search on SBR practices using the terms "simulation," "remediation," and "simulation based remediation." We identified relevant themes and used them to develop an open-ended questionnaire that was distributed to EM programs with experience in SBR. Thematic analysis was performed on all subsequent responses and used to develop survey instruments, which were then used in a modified two-round Delphi panel to derive a set of consensus statements on the use of SBR from an aggregate of 41 experts in simulation and remediation in EM. RESULTS: Faculty representing 30 programs across North America composed the consensus group with 66% of participants identifying themselves as simulation faculty, 32% as program directors, and 2% as core faculty. The results from our study highlight a strong agreement across many areas of SBR in EM training. SBR is appropriate for a range of deficits, including procedural, medical knowledge application, clinical reasoning/decision-making, communication, teamwork, and crisis resource management. Simulation can be used both diagnostically and therapeutically in remediation, although SBR should be part of a larger remediation plan constructed by the residency leadership team or a faculty expert in remediation, and not the only component. Although summative assessment can have a role in SBR, it needs to be very clearly delineated and transparent to everyone involved. CONCLUSION: Simulation may be used for remediation purposes for certain specific kinds of competencies as long as it is carried out in a transparent manner to all those involved.

Death by Disimpaction: A Bradycardic Arrest Secondary to Rectal Manipulation.

Rectal examination and fecal disimpaction are common procedures performed in the Emergency Department on a daily basis. Here, we report a rare case of a patient suffering a cardiac arrest and ultimately death likely due to rectal manipulation. A 66-year-old male presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with a complaint of abdominal distention and constipation. A rectal exam was performed. During the examination the patient became apneic. On the cardiac monitor the patient was found to be in pulseless electrical activity with a bradycardic rate. Our recommendation would be to provide adequate analgesia and close patient monitoring of those undergoing this procedure especially patients with significant stool burdens.

Lipid emulsion therapy given intraosseously in massive verapamil overdose.

Intravenous fat emulsion (IFE) therapy has been widely used in the emergency department (ED) for treating various medication overdoses. The standard recommended route to administer IFE therapy is intravenously through a peripheral or central vein. No reports of intraosseous (IO) administration in humans could be found in the literature after a brief search. We report of a patient emergently receiving IFE through the IO route. A 24-year-old woman presented to ED after a massive deliberate verapamil overdose. A decision was then made to start both vasopressors and 20% IFE therapy. Central access was established, and a norepinephrine drip was started. Intravenous fat emulsion was to be started, but peripheral access was lost at that time and not able to be reestablished. An IO line was then placed without difficulty in the left proximal tibia using an EZ-IO system. Approximately half way during the bolus administration, the intravenous pump began to alarm that the infusion was not flowing adequately. At this point, peripheral access was obtained, and IFE infusion was moved to that site. We believe that this is the first report of IFE administered via the IO route in a human. This case report illustrates a novel way of administering IFE therapy in an emergency situation where intravenous access may be difficult to obtain.