Incidence of adverse events for procedural sedation and analgesia for cardioversion using thiopental in elderly patients: a multicenter prospective observational study.

Aim: The incidence and characteristics of thiopental-related adverse events (AEs) in elderly patients during procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) have not been well studied. We aimed to characterize thiopental-related AE in elderly patients during PSA and compare the incidence of AE in elderly patients with non-elderly adults. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the Japanese Procedural Sedation and Analgesia Registry (JPSTAR). We included all adult patients who received thiopental for PSA in the emergency departments and excluded patients who received concomitant sedative(s) in addition to thiopental or patients with missing body weight data. We compared the incidence of AE between the non-elderly (18-64 years) and elderly groups (≥65 years). Results: The JPSTAR had data on 379 patients who received thiopental for PSA and included 311 patients for analysis. Most (222/311, 71.3%) were elderly. Cardioversion was the most common reason for PSA (96.1%). The AE incidence between groups overall was similar, however, hypoxia was significantly more frequent in the elderly compared with the non-elderly group (10.3% versus 2.2%; adjusted odds 5.63, 95% confidence interval 1.27-25.0). The initial and total doses of thiopental were significantly lower in the elderly group than in the non-elderly group (1.95 mg/kg versus 2.21 mg/kg and 2.33 mg/kg versus 2.93 mg/kg, respectively). Conclusions: Although elderly patients received lower doses of thiopental, hypoxic events were significantly more frequent in this group compared with the non-elderly patients. However, the AE incidence was similar.

Screening for Excessive Alcohol Consumption in Emergency Departments: A Nationwide Assessment of Emergency Department Physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To assess current screening practices for excessive alcohol consumption, as well as perceived barriers, perceptions, and attitudes toward performing this screening among emergency department (ED) physicians. DESIGN: A brief online assessment of screening practices for excessive drinking was disseminated electronically to a representative panel of ED physicians from November 2016 to January 2017. Descriptive statistics were calculated on the frequency of alcohol screening, factors affecting screening, and attitudes toward screening. SETTING: An online assessment was sent to a national panel of ED physicians. PARTICIPANTS: A panel of ED physicians who volunteered to be part of the American College of Emergency Physicians Emergency Medicine Practice Research Network survey panel. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The primary outcome measures were the percentage of respondents who reported screening for excessive alcohol consumption and the percentage of respondents using a validated excessive alcohol consumption screening tool. RESULTS: Of the 347 ED physicians evaluated (38.6% response rate), approximately 16% reported "always/usually," 70% "sometimes," and 14% "never" screening adult patients (≥18 years) for excessive alcohol use. Less than 20% of the respondents who screened for excessive drinking used a recommended screening tool. Only 10.5% of all respondents (15.4% "always," 9.5% "sometimes" screened) received an electronic health record (EHR) reminder to screen for excessive alcohol use. Key barriers to screening included limited time (66.2%) and treatment options for patients with drinking problems (43.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Only 1 in 6 ED physicians consistently screened their patients for excessive drinking. Increased use of EHR reminders and other systems interventions (eg, electronic screening and brief intervention) could help improve the delivery of screening and follow-up services for excessive drinkers in EDs.

Improving Emergency Access to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prophylaxis for Patients Evaluated After Sexual Assault.

INTRODUCTION: Patients evaluated after sexual assault may benefit from nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis (nPEP) to prevent infection with HIV, yet multiple barriers may prohibit nPEP delivery. The IN-STEP (Integrating nPEP after Sexual Trauma in Emergency Practice) project was designed to improve access to HIV screening and prevention for patients evaluated in the emergency department (ED) of our academic hospital after a sexual assault. METHODS: The IN-STEP team identified and addressed four key areas for improvement: (1) training of ED providers to perform nPEP assessments; (2) access to HIV testing in the ED; (3) provision of nPEP medications, using a patient-centered approach; and (4) continuity of care between the ED and follow-up sites in the community. Improvements were implemented using parallel plan-do-study-act cycles corresponding to these four key areas. RESULTS: IN-STEP resulted in significant systems improvements in HIV screening, prevention, and continuity of care. This program not only improved the care of patients affected by sexual assault but also those evaluated for HIV due to other indications. CONCLUSIONS: Involvement of a multidisciplinary leadership team, clear delineation of a patient-centered project focus, and coordination across four parallel areas for improvement were useful for completing this complex effort.

A collaborative educational intervention on procedural sedation and analgesia across the Pacific.

AIM: Worldwide, health-care providers carry out procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in the emergency department. However, training opportunities are limited in many Asian countries, including Japan. We formed an educational group consisting of board-certified emergency physicians in the USA and Japanese physicians and developed a PSA training module. The aims of our study were to demonstrate the effectiveness of training and to describe PSA practice in Japan. METHODS: We undertook a pretest of PSA knowledge questions and a retest immediately after the training intervention. We also carried out a survey and asked about participants' PSA practice. The training module consisted of four didactic hours and three simulation and skills laboratory hours. Results of all pre- and post-intervention knowledge questions were analyzed with McNemar's test, and overall scores were analyzed with a paired t-test. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-four health-care providers including 123 physicians, 16 nurses, two pharmacists, and three medical students participated in the training. A total of 119 (83%) completed both the pre- and post-intervention knowledge questions. Before the training, participants scored an average 66% (63%-69%) on the written knowledge test. After the intervention, participants showed significant improvement on the knowledge test (improvement 17%; 14%-20%). Among participants who answered the practice survey, 121 (88%) have undertaken PSA. Only 14 (12%) participants always or often use a continuous capnography for PSA. Only 32 (26.4%) participants undertook pre-PSA systematic evaluation. CONCLUSION: Our educational intervention successfully increased participants' knowledge. Only the minority of health-care providers use capnography routinely for PSA, and pre-PSA evaluation is not commonly carried out.

Procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department in Japan: interim analysis of multicenter prospective observational study.

PURPOSE: Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is widely performed outside of the operating theater, often in emergency departments (EDs). The practice and safety of PSA in the ED in an aging society such as in Japan have not been well described. We aimed to characterize the practice pattern of PSA including indications, pharmacology and incidence of adverse events (AEs) in Japan. METHODS: We formed the Japanese Procedural Sedation and Analgesia Registry, a multicenter prospective observation registry of ED patients undergoing PSA. We included all patients who received PSA in the ED. PSA was defined as any systemic pharmacological intervention intended to facilitate a painful or uncomfortable procedure. The main variables in this study were patients' demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, indication of PSA, medication choices, and AEs. The primary outcome measure was overall AEs from PSA. RESULTS: We enrolled 332 patients in four EDs during the 12-month period. The median age was 67 years (IQR, 46-78). In terms of ASA physical status, 79 (23.8%), 172 (51.8%), and 81 (24.4%) patients were class 1, 2, 3 or higher, respectively. The most common indication was cardioversion (44.0%). The most common sedative used was thiopental (38.9%), followed by midazolam (34.0%) and propofol (19.6%). Among all patients, 72 (21.7%, 95% confidence interval, 17-26) patients experienced one or more AEs. The most common AE was hypoxia (9.9%), followed by apnea (7.2%) and hypotension (3.5%). All of the AEs were transient and no patient had a serious AE. CONCLUSION: In a multicenter prospective registry in Japan, PSA in the ED appears safe particularly since the patients who underwent PSA were older and had a higher risk profile compared to patients in previous studies in different countries.

Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Patients in the Emergency Department: What Physicians Know, Think, and Do.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We explore self-reported knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of emergency physicians in regard to the care of transgender and gender-nonconforming patients to identify opportunities to improve care of this population. METHODS: From July to August 2016, we electronically surveyed the American College of Emergency Physicians' Emergency Medicine Practice-Based Research Network of 654 active emergency physician participants. We performed frequency tabulations to analyze the closed-ended response items. RESULTS: Of the 399 respondents (61% response rate), 88.0% reported caring for transgender and gender-nonconforming patients in the emergency department (ED), although 82.5% had no formal training about this population. The majority of physicians (86.0%) were comfortable asking about personal pronouns. Only 26.1% of respondents knew the most common gender-affirming surgery for female-to-male patients; 9.8% knew the most common nonhormone gender-affirming medication that male-to-female patients use. Almost no respondents (<3%) were aware of emergency medicine practitioners' performing inappropriate examinations on transgender and gender-nonconforming patients. CONCLUSION: Although transgender and gender-nonconforming people represent a minority of ED patients nationwide, the majority of respondents reported personally providing care to members of this population. Most respondents lacked basic clinical knowledge about transgender and gender-nonconforming care.

Benefit-cost analysis of SBIRT interventions for substance using patients in emergency departments.

Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) has been widely implemented as a method to address substance use disorders in general medical settings, and some evidence suggests that its use is associated with decreased societal costs. In this paper, we investigated the economic impact of SBIRT using data from Screening, Motivational Assessment, Referral, and Treatment in Emergency Departments (SMART-ED), a multisite, randomized controlled trial. Utilizing self-reported information on medical status, health services utilization, employment, and crime, we conduct a benefit-cost analysis. Findings indicate that neither of the SMART-ED interventions resulted in any significant changes to the main economic outcomes, nor had any significant impact on total economic benefit. Thus, while SBIRT interventions for substance abuse in Emergency Departments may be appealing from a clinical perspective, evidence from this economic study suggests resources could be better utilized supporting other health interventions.

Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta in trauma patients in youth.

BACKGROUND: Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has received increasing attention for critically uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock. However, the efficacy of REBOA in patients in youth is unknown. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the mortality and characteristics of patients of age ≤18 years with severe traumatic injury who received REBOA. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed observational cohort data from the Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB) from 2004 to 2015. All patients ≤18 years old who underwent REBOA were included. Clinical characteristics and mortalities were analyzed and compared among patients ≤15 years old (young children) and 16-18 years old (adolescents). RESULTS: Of the 236,698 patients in the JTDB (2004-2015), 22,907 patients were 18 years old or younger. A total of 3,440 patients without survival data were excluded. Of the remaining 19,467, 54 (0.3%) patients underwent REBOA, among which 15 (27.8%) were young children. Both young children and adolescents who underwent REBOA were seriously injured (median Injury Severity Score [ISS], 41 and 38, respectively). Also, 53.3% of young children and 38.5% of adolescents survived to discharge after undergoing REBOA. CONCLUSION: In a cohort of young trauma patients from the JTDB who underwent REBOA to control hemorrhage, we found that both young children and adolescents who underwent REBOA were seriously injured and had an equivalent survival rate compared to the reported survival rate from studies in adults. REBOA treatment may be a reasonable option in severely injured young patients in the appropriate clinical settings. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level III; therapeutic study, level IV.

Transformation of anesthesia for ambulatory orthopedic surgery: A mixed-methods study of a diffusion of innovation in healthcare.

INTRODUCTION: To provide insight into how an innovation in healthcare is implemented and diffused, we studied the transition from routine use of general anesthesia to peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) for ambulatory orthopedic extremity surgery. Rogers' diffusion of innovations (DOI) theory was used as our theoretical framework. We identified themes that would be helpful for others attempting to diffuse innovations into healthcare settings. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology was used. We retrospectively reviewed operative and anesthesia records of patients who underwent ambulatory repair of distal radius fractures or arthroscopic knee meniscus procedures from 1998 to 2012 to identify whether general anesthetics or PNBs were used and the time course of the innovation. We interviewed orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, and a nursing administrator working in the ambulatory surgery unit during the innovation to identify key themes associated with the adoption of PNBs. RESULTS: From 2003 to 2012, use of PNBs increased from less than 10% to 70% of cases studied. The adoption timeframe followed an S-shaped curve. Key themes included improved safety, quality, efficiency, physician leadership and trust, organizational structure, and technological change. The innovation involved an optional decision-making process and took root in a satellite facility and generally fit with Rogers DOI theory. CONCLUSIONS: The adoption and diffusion of PNBs provides a useful model for understanding innovations with optional decision-making in healthcare. Critical elements in our case were the characteristics of the innovation, which facilitated the decision-making process, and the positioning of the innovation in a peripheral structure away from core clinical facilities.

Survival of severe blunt trauma patients treated with resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta compared with propensity score-adjusted untreated patients.

BACKGROUND: Despite a growing call for use of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) for critically uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock, there is limited evidence of treatment efficacy. We compared the mortality between patients who received a REBOA with those who did not, adjusting for the likelihood of treatment and injury severity, to measure efficacy. METHODS: We analyzed observational prospective data from the Japan Trauma Data Bank (2004-2011) to compare the mortality between adult patients who received a REBOA with those who did not. To adjust for potential treatment bias, we calculated the likelihood of REBOA treatment via a propensity score (PS) using available pretreatment variables (vital signs, age, sex, as well as anatomic and physiologic injury severity) and matched treated patients to up to five similar PS untreated patients. We compared survival to discharge between treated and untreated groups using conditional logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Of 45,153 patients who met inclusion, 452 patients (1.0%) received REBOA placement. These patients were seriously injured (median Injury Severity Score [ISS], 35) and had high mortality (76%). Patients who did not receive a REBOA had significantly lower injury severity (median ISS, 13; p < 0.0001) and lower mortality (16%). After matching REBOA patients with controls with similar PSs for treatment, the crude conditional odds ratio of survival by REBOA treatment was 0.30 (95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.40). CONCLUSION: REBOA treatment is associated with higher mortality compared with similarly ill trauma patients who did not receive a REBOA. The higher observed mortality among REBOA-treated patients may signal "last ditch" efforts for severity not otherwise identified in the trauma registry. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level III; therapeutic study, level IV.

Alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among emergency department patients.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use among emergency department (ED) patients is high and many of these patients have unrecognized and unmet substance use treatment needs. Identification of patients in the ED with problem substance use is not routine at this time. METHODS: We examined screening data, including standardized measures of ATOD use (HSI, AUDIT-C, DAST-10), from 14,866 ED patients in six hospitals across the United States. We expected younger age, male gender, higher triage acuity, and other substance use severity (ATOD) to be associated both with use versus abstinence and with severity of each substance use type. We used negative binomial hurdle models to examine the association between covariates and (1) substance use versus abstinence (logistic submodel) and with (2) severity among those who used substances (count submodel). RESULTS: Rates of use and problem use in our sample were similar to or higher than other ED samples. Younger patients and males were more likely to use ATOD, but the association of age and gender with severity varied across substances. Triage level was a poor predictor of substance use severity. Alcohol, tobacco, and drug use were significantly associated with using other substances and severity of other substance use. CONCLUSION: Better understanding of the demographic correlates of ATOD use and severity and the patterns of comorbidity among classes of substance can inform the design of optimal screening and brief intervention procedures addressing ATOD use among ED patients. Tobacco may be an especially useful predictor.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support improves survival of patients with Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome refractory to medical treatment.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the outcome of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) patients with a predicted mortality of 100%, and the complications associated with this treatment modality and different cannulation techniques. METHODS: A total of 51 patients with refractory HCPS were supported with ECMO between April 1994 and June 2010. They were divided into group A consisting of the 26 patients treated between 1994 and 2000 and group B consisting of 25 patients treated between 2003 and 2010. No patients were treated between September 2000 and December 2003. Patients in group A were intubated when they became hypoxic and placed on ECMO when they became hemodynamically unstable, whereas patients in group B had elective insertion of vascular sheaths and were almost concurrently intubated and placed on ECMO when they decompensated. Cannulation of the femoral vessels was performed percutaneously in 18 (35.3%) patients and with an open technique in 33 (64.7%) patients. RESULTS: Complications from percutaneous cannulation occurred in 4/18 (22.27%) patients: retroperitoneal hematoma in 2/18 (11.1%) and lower-extremity ischemia in 2/18 (11.1%) patients. Complications from open femoral cannulation occurred in 12/33 (36.3%) patients: bleeding in 10/33 (30.3%) patients and ischemia in 2/33 (6.1%) patients. The overall survival was 66.6% (34 of 51 patients); 56% (14/26) for group A and 80% (20/25) for group B (p = 0.048). There was no difference in mortality regarding the method of cannulation. A trend toward increased mortality in patients with cannulation complications was recognized, but it was not statistically significant. Mortality was not associated with ECMO duration (average 121.7h, range: 5-276h). All survivors recovered and were discharged from the hospital after a mean hospital stay of 19.8 days (range: 10-39 days). CONCLUSIONS: Two-thirds of 51 HCPS patients with a predicted mortality of 100%, who were supported with ECMO, survived and recovered completely. Survival was significantly higher in the second half of the study. Complications associated with both types of femoral cannulation were associated with a trend toward decreased survival, which was not significant.

Design of NIDA CTN Protocol 0047: screening, motivational assessment, referral, and treatment in emergency departments (SMART-ED).

BACKGROUND: Medical settings such as emergency departments (EDs) present an opportunity to identify and provide services for individuals with substance use problems who might otherwise never receive any form of assessment, referral, or intervention. Although screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment models have been extensively studied and are considered effective for individuals with alcohol problems presenting in EDs and other medical settings, the efficacy of such interventions has not been established for drug users presenting in EDs. OBJECTIVES: This article describes the design of a NIDA Clinical Trials Network protocol testing the efficacy of an screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment model in medical EDs, highlighting considerations that are pertinent to the design of other studies targeting substance use behaviors in medical treatment settings. METHODS: The protocol is described, and critical design decisions are discussed. RESULTS: Design challenges included defining treatment conditions, study population, and site characteristics; developing the screening process; choosing the primary outcome; balancing brevity and comprehensiveness of assessment; and selecting the strategy for statistical analysis. CONCLUSION: Many of the issues arising in the design of this study will be relevant to future studies of interventions for addictions in medical settings. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Optimal trial design is critical to determining how best to integrate substance abuse interventions into medical care.

Unanticipated death after discharge home from the emergency department.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We measured the frequency of unanticipated death among patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) and reviewed these cases for patterns of potential preventable medical error. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort of ED patients who were discharged to home from an urban tertiary-care facility after their evaluation, with subsequent case review. Subjects were aged 10 years and older, representing 387,334 visits among 186,859 individuals, February 1994 through November 2004. The main outcome was mortality. Deaths were assessed for relatedness to the last ED visit, whether the death was expected, and whether there was possible medical error. Deaths that were unexpected and related to the ED visit were analyzed using grounded theory to identify common themes among these cases. Error cases were identified as a subset of this group. RESULTS: We identified and reviewed 117 patients, or 30.2 deaths within 7 days of discharge per 100,000 ED discharges home (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.2 to 36.2 deaths). Of the 117 cases, 58 (50%) were unexpected but related to the ED visit and 35 (60%) of these had a possible error. For the unexpected, related group, there were 15.0 deaths within 7 days per 100,000 discharges home (95% CI 11.6 to 19.4 deaths); for the possible error group, there were 9.0 (95% CI 6.5 to 12.6 deaths). Four themes repeatedly emerged: atypical presentation of an unusual problem, chronic disease with decompensation, abnormal vital signs, and mental disability or psychiatric problem or substance abuse that may have made it less likely that the patient would return for worsening symptoms. CONCLUSION: Monitoring of death records can identify unanticipated deaths after health care encounters. Further hypothesis-driven research is needed to identify, prevent, or mitigate problems in care and reduce the rate of death after ED visit.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with hepatitis C in ED patients.

The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of and identify risk factors associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in emergency department (ED) patients. Adults presenting to an urban university teaching hospital, having blood drawn as part of their routine evaluation, had an extra tube drawn and tested for HCV. English-speaking adults consenting to participate in the survey portion of the study were administered an in-depth risk factor questionnaire. A case-control analysis was used to identify risk factors in HCV+ compared with HCV- subjects. Contingency table analyses using the Fisher exact test, odds ratios (OR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used for risk factor identification. Of 223 blood samples, 38 (17%) were positive for antibodies for HCV. One hundred twenty-one subjects (54%) agreed to the risk factor survey, 18 (15%) of whom were HCV+. Of the 18 HCV+ survey participants, 12 new diagnoses of HCV were made. A history of injection drug use was the most significant risk factor associated with HCV (OR 858.5, CI 61.8-22,026.5). A high prevalence of HCV is found in selected urban ED patients. Most of these patients have a constellation of risk factors including a history of injection drug use. Efforts to identify at risk patients for serologic testing and follow-up should be initiated. Identifying undiagnosed HCV can lead to interventions to decrease transmission as well as reduce the morbidity and mortality of disease.

Introducing a simple, weight-based, color-coded, medication dosing device.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the time required to withdraw various pediatric resuscitation medications using traditional techniques and the Per-Kilo Doser (PKD), a new weight-based dosing device. METHODS: Seven emergency department nurses were each videotaped as they withdrew medications for four different pediatric resuscitation scenarios. In random order, each nurse performed a total of eight timing trials-four with traditional techniques and four with the PKD. The videotapes were later reviewed and timed by two reviewers who were unaware of the study purpose. The time to drug withdrawal (announcement of medication and dose to be withdrawn until the nurse completed medication withdrawal) was measured in seconds. Nonparametric and exact techniques were used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: Using traditional techniques, the mean time to drug withdrawal was 71.8 seconds; using the PKD, the mean time to drug withdrawal was 43.1 seconds. The mean time difference between the PKD and traditional techniques was 29.2 seconds (95% CI, 16.7-41.7). CONCLUSION: The PKD decreases medication withdrawal time.