Management of acute ischemic stroke, thrombolysis rate, and predictors of clinical outcome.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Monitoring the quality of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) management is increasingly important since patient outcome could be improved with better access to evidence-based treatments. In this scenario, the aim of our study was to identify thrombolysis rate, reasons for undertreatment, and factors associated with better outcome. METHODS: From January to December 2016, individuals diagnosed with AIS at the Policlinic San Martino Hospital in Genoa, Italy, were prospectively included. Severity of stroke, site of occlusion, rate and time related in-hospital management of systemic thrombolysis, and mechanical thrombectomy were recorded. Safety and clinical outcomes were compared between different subgroups. RESULTS: Of 459 AIS patients (57.3% females, mean age 78.1), 111 received i.v. thrombolysis (24.4%) and 50 received mechanical thrombectomy (10.9%). Apart from arrival behind the therapeutic window, which was the first limitation to thrombolysis, the main reason of undertreatment was minor stroke or stroke in rapid improvement. Baseline NIHSS ≥ 8 was associated with unfavorable clinical outcome (mRS > 2) (OR 20.1; 95% CI, 1.1-387.4, p = 0.047). Age older than 80 years (OR 5.0; 95% CI, 1.4-64.1, p = 0.01), baseline NIHSS ≥ 7 (OR 20.1; 95% CI, 1.1-387.4, p = 0.047), and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR 22.9; 95% CI, 2.0-254.2, p = 0.01) proved independently associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: i.v. thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy rate was higher than that of previous reports. Minor stroke or stroke in rapid improvement was a major reason for exclusion from thrombolysis of eligible patients. Higher NIHSS proved an independent predictor of unfavorable clinical outcome and death. Strategies to avoid in-hospital delays need to be enforced.

Hemorrhagic shock in polytrauma patients: early detection with renal Doppler resistive index measurements.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether renal Doppler resistive index (RI) changes occur early during posttraumatic bleeding and may be predictive of occult hypoperfusion-and thus hemorrhagic shock-in patients with polytrauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. The renal Doppler RI was measured in 52 hemodynamically stable adult patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) because of polytrauma. Renal Doppler RI, hemoglobin, standard base excess, lactate, systolic blood pressure, pH, heart rate, and inferior vena cava diameter values were recorded at admittance and correlated with outcome (progression or nonprogression to hemorrhagic shock). Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the risk factors for progression to hemorrhagic shock. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients developed hemorrhagic shock, and 23 did not. At univariable analysis, the hemorrhagic shock group, as compared with the nonhemorrhagic shock group, had higher renal Doppler RI (mean, 0.80 ± 0.10 [standard deviation] vs 0.63 ± 0.03; P < .01), injury severity score (mean, 36 ± 11 vs 26 ± 5; P < .01), and standard base excess (mean, -4.0 mEq/L ± 4 vs 1 mEq/L ± 3; P = .04) values. At logistic regression analysis, a renal Doppler RI greater than 0.7 (vs less than or equal to 0.7) was the only independent risk factor for progression to hemorrhagic shock (odds ratio, 57.8; 95% confidence interval: 10.5, 317.0) (P < .001). CONCLUSION: In polytrauma patients who are hemodynamically stable at admittance to the ED, renal cortical blood flow redistribution occurs very early in response to occult bleeding and might be noninvasively detected by using the renal Doppler RI. A renal Doppler RI greater than 0.7 is predictive of progression to hemorrhagic shock in polytrauma patients.

An Italian registry of chest pain patients in the emergency department: clinical predictors of acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the population of patients arriving in several Italian Emergency Departments (EDs) complaining of chest pain suggestive of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in order to evaluate the incidence of ACS in this cohort and the association between ACS and different clinical parameters and risk factors. METHODS: This is an observational prospective study, conducted from the 1st January to the 31st December 2014 in 11 EDs in Italy. Patients presenting to ED with chest pain, suggestive of ACS, were consecutively enrolled. RESULTS: Patients with a diagnosis of ACS (N.=1800) resulted to be statistically significant older than those without ACS (NO ACS; N.=4630) (median age: 70 vs. 59, P<0.001), and with a higher prevalence of males (66.1% in ACS vs. 57.5% in NO ACS, P<0.001). ECG evaluation, obtained at ED admission, showed new onset alterations in 6.2% of NO ACS and 67.4% of ACS patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the following parameters were predictive for ACS: age, gender, to be on therapy for cardio-vascular disease (CVD), current smoke, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, heart rate, ECG alterations, increased BMI, reduced SaO2. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this observational study strengthen the importance of the role of the EDs in ruling in and out chest pain patients for the diagnosis of ACS. The analysis put in light important clinical and risk factors that, if promptly recognized, can help Emergency Physicians to identify patients who are more likely to be suffering from ACS.

Syndrome surveillance and molecular epidemiology for early detection and tracing of an outbreak of measles in Liguria, Italy.

The performances of surveillance systems for measles in Europe are poorly investigated, despite the fundamental role they should play in the early detection of outbreaks and in the assessment of the progress towards elimination. A new chief complaint syndrome surveillance system has been developed in Genoa, Italy, using data from the Emergency Department records of the regional reference university hospital and its ability to early detect an outbreak of measles that began during the winter months of 2007/2008 was evaluated. For the 23-month period from January 2007 to November 2008, the Emergency Department registration and triage software was used to obtain the time series of daily counts, that were related with cases notified by the statutory notification system and detection and characterization data from the measles regional reference laboratory. One hundred fifty five cases of measles-like illness were identified by the syndrome surveillance system. Two epidemic threshold breakthroughs were able to anticipate the first notified case by 54 and 11 days. Globally, the new syndrome surveillance system allows the activation of the alert state with a specificity of 94.3% and a sensitivity of 91%. Molecular investigation showed the spread of the virus from United Kingdom to Piemonte and then to Liguria and allowed us to exclude the re- circulation of strains circulating in Northern Italy during the previous seasons. Syndrome surveillance integrated with a rapid detection and characterization of the agent responsible for the disease could be an effective, specific and sensitive tool for measles surveillance.

Multicentre Italian analysis on cardiovascular diseases: impact of immigrants' referral to emergency department.

During the recent years, immigration in Italy has increased. There are few data on the health status of immigrants and there is a need to improve their healthcare. Cardiovascular disorders account for 7.6% of immigrants' diseases and cause 3.6% of the total deaths. Lack of healthcare services to general medicine support and prescriptions leads immigrants to contact the Emergency Department (ED) to receive medical assistance. Primary endpoints of this study were to assess the use of national healthcare system by immigrants and to determine the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, and the frequency and type of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in these patients. A no-profit, observational, multicentre study was conducted from April to September 2012. We studied 642 foreign patients referring to the ED for various symptoms/signs. One hundred and fourteen patients referred for suspected cardiovascular disease and 105 had a confirmed final diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. The more represented ethnic origin was Caucasian (59%), whereas the most represented country was Romania (24%). The main symptom recorded at ED arrival was chest pain (37.1%). Final cardiovascular diagnoses were represented by: hypertensive crisis (28.5%), acute coronary syndrome (20%), acute heart failure (12.3%), atrial fibrillation (10.4%) and chest pain (10.4%). Past medical history of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity and male sex showed independent significant predictive value for cardiovascular disease diagnosis.Our study provides support for the development of specific primary prevention of cardiovascular risk factors in immigrants with the important role of culturally competent education of individuals and families. Better outpatient management seems to be needed in order to limit the need for emergency room referral.

Quantitative analysis of lung ultrasonography for the detection of community-acquired pneumonia: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chest X-ray is recommended for routine use in patients with suspected pneumonia, but its use in emergency settings is limited. In this study, the diagnostic performance of a new method for quantitative analysis of lung ultrasonography was compared with bedside chest X-ray and visual lung ultrasonography for detection of community-acquired pneumonia, using thoracic computed tomography as a gold standard. METHODS: Thirty-two spontaneously breathing patients with suspected community-acquired pneumonia, undergoing computed tomography examination, were consecutively enrolled. Each hemithorax was evaluated for the presence or absence of abnormalities by chest X-ray and quantitative or visual ultrasonography. RESULTS: Quantitative ultrasonography showed higher sensitivity (93%), specificity (95%), and diagnostic accuracy (94%) than chest X-ray (64%, 80%, and 69%, resp.), visual ultrasonography (68%, 95%, and 77%, resp.), or their combination (77%, 75%, and 77%, resp.). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative lung ultrasonography was considerably more accurate than either chest X-ray or visual ultrasonography in the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia and it may represent a useful first-line approach for confirmation of clinical diagnosis in emergency settings.