Management and outcome of obstructive ureteral stones in the emergency department: Emphasis on urine tests and antibiotics usage.

BACKGROUND: Kidney stone related complaints in the Emergency Department (ED) are common. Current guidelines recommend antibiotic therapy for infected obstructive stones and stone removal in a timely fashion, but there is no clear recommendation for prophylactic antibiotic use for bacteriuria or pyuria in the setting of obstructive ureteral stones. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the current management of patients with obstructive ureteral stones in a single ED with emphasis on urine tests and antibiotics use. METHODS: The picture archiving and communication system (PACS) was used to filter the list of patients who received a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis that positively identified obstructive ureteral stones. Demographics and clinical data were also recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Of the patients discharged, 278 patients did not receive antibiotics in the ED or a prescription. Of these, 8 patients had positive culture, 4 patients followed up, and one developed and was treated for a urinary-tract infection. One hundred ninety two patients were not given antibiotics in the ED but received an antibiotics prescription, and 4 patients had positive cultures grow. Two followed up and had no infection-related complications. Fourteen patients were discharged without a prescription after receiving a single dose of antibiotics in the ED, with no positive urine cultures and 9 patients following up without complication. CONCLUSION: Antibiotics were given at the discretion of the provider without clear pattern. A high rate of infectious complication did not occur in the followed up patient group.

Acute stent thrombosis: Should preventative measures start in the emergency department?

Stent thrombosis is a potentially life threatening condition caused by several factors or a combination factors, such as resistance to platelet agents and type of anticoagulation used as well as stent types. We report a case of acute thrombosis and discuss potential areas of intervention with literature review.

Epidemiology of ambulance utilized patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Well organized and appropriately utilized pre-hospital emergency services play a critical role in augmenting emergency care systems. The primary objective of this study was to understand the demographic and clinical profile of patients who used ambulances in Addis Ababa. The secondary objectives were to assess ambulance response time, transport time and reasons for referral amongst inter-facility transported patients in Addis Ababa. METHODS: The study was designed as a cross-sectional retrospective chart review of ambulance transported patients using ambulance station records from Addis Ababa Fire and Emergency Prevention and Control Authority. With IRB approval, simple random sampling and manual review of six months of clinical records was performed. Data were collected by trained data collectors and descriptive analysis was done using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: Female patients used ambulance services more often than males (female to male ratio of 3:1) and the mean age of the patients was 26 years. The most commonly transported age group was 16-30 years, followed by 31-50 years and neonatal patients (i.e. < 1 month). The majority of the patients had pregnancy related illnesses (n = 492, 61.4%), followed by general medical issues (n = 210, 26.2%) and injury secondary to trauma (n = 99, 12.3%). Most patients (n = 702, 87.6%) were transported for inter-facility transfers, while only 12.4% (n = 99) were primary responses (i.e. from the scene). Prolonged labor was the most common reason (n = 103, 23.4%) for inter-facility transfer of pregnant patients, followed by premature rupture of the amniotic membrane (n = 60, 13.6%). The mean dispatch to scene time interval was 10.1 min, and mean scene to facility time interval was 17.2 min. CONCLUSION: Inter-facility transfers accounted for the largest proportion of ambulance utilization and dispatch in Addis Ababa. Ambulance transport time was twice as long compared to international recommendations of less than eight minutes for emergent transports. The most common reasons for ambulance dispatch were Obstetric. We recommend urgent action to decrease the transport times and to dedicate further pre-hospital resources to address the high burden of inter-facility transfers.