Headache in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Observational Study from Singapore.

Background and Objectives: There is scarce data about the epidemiology, clinical features, investigations, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome in patients attending Singapore emergency departments (EDs) with nontraumatic headache. We sought to describe these characteristics of adult patients presenting to the ED with a primary complaint of headache. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on adult patients with nontraumatic headache over 4 consecutive weeks from 18 March 2019 to 14 April 2019 across four EDs in Singapore. Exclusion criteria were history of head trauma within 48 h of presentation, missing records, interhospital transfers, representation with the same headache as a recent previous visit and headache as an associated symptom. Results: During the study period, 579 patients (representing 1.8% of the total ED census) comprising 55.3% males and with a median age of 36 years presented to the four Singapore EDs with a primary complaint of nontraumatic headache. Paracetamol (41.5%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (34.4%) and tramadol (31.5%) were the three commonest analgesics used either singly or in combination. Prochlorperazine (22.9%) and metoclopramide (17.4%) were frequent anti-emetic adjuncts. One-third of patients had computed tomography of the brain performed, which found abnormalities among 20.9% of them. ED diagnoses of primary headache conditions were made in 73.6% of patients. Conclusions: Primary headaches constituted most ED headache diagnoses. ED imaging of selected patients yielded a relatively high pick-up rate for significant intracranial abnormalities. Opioid use for symptomatic relief of headaches in the ED was found to be high, underscoring the need for improvement in headache analgesia relief practices in the ED.

Beta-blockers' effect on Levels of Lactate in patients with suspected sepsis - The BeLLa study.

OBJECTIVE: In the assessment and management of septic patients in the emergency department (ED), serum lactate is often measured to stratify severity to guide decision making. Increased adrenergic drive has been postulated as a contributory factor for hyperlactatemia in sepsis. We aim to prospectively evaluate the effect of chronic beta-blocker use on serum lactate levels in sepsis at initial presentation to the ED. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study at the ED of a tertiary care academic medical center in Singapore. One hundred and ninety-five ED patients who fulfilled all of the following: (1) age 45 years and above, (2) tympanic temperature ≥ 37.8 °C or clinically suspected to have an infection, and (3) quick Sequential (Sepsis-Related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score ≥ 1 were included in the study. Serum venous lactate was sampled within two hours from presentation to the ED. The primary outcome measure was the difference in initial serum venous lactate concentration at presentation to the ED in patients on chronic beta-blockers versus patients without. RESULTS: Seventy patients (35.9%) were on long-term beta-blocker therapy. The primary outcome of mean initial serum venous lactate concentration was similar between patients prescribed chronic beta-blocker therapy and patients without (1.78 mmol/L versus 1.70 mmol/L, p = .540). Chronic beta-blocker therapy also did not significantly affect mean initial serum venous lactate concentration across all subgroups of sepsis risk stratification. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term beta-blocker therapy did not significantly affect initial serum venous lactate concentration in ED patients with suspected sepsis.

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax--the role of the emergency observation unit.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare an expedited 24-hour management pathway against traditional inpatient ward management of patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) and recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax (RSP). METHOD: This was a retrospective chart review of all patients who presented with either PSP or RSP to an urban tertiary university hospital in 2007. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were included in the study, of which approximately a third (27) were managed in the emergency department observation unit (EDOU). Five of the EDOU patients were admitted to the ward. Emergency department observation unit treatment failures as defined by recurrences within a week were comparable to those managed in the ward. One of 5 PSP patients receiving only oxygen therapy managed in the EDOU had their pneumothorax recur within a week on discharge, whereas none of the 15 receiving needle aspiration recurred within a week. For the RSP patients managed in the EDOU, 1 of 3 managed with oxygen therapy alone and discharged recurred within a week, whereas with needle aspiration, 1 of 4 recurred within a week. The success rate of aspiration in our study was comparable with that of published rates (75% versus 50%-60%). CONCLUSIONS: Small to moderate PSPs can be safely and efficiently managed within 24 hours in an EDOU.