A case of telehealth-directed emergency front-of-neck access (FONA).

In this case, we describe the completion of emergency front-of-neck access by a novice provider facilitated by specialist telehealth support. A facility with limited advanced airway skills requested telehealth support for a critically unwell patient with severe hypoxic respiratory failure and acute delirium. Attempts to temporise his physiology with ketamine-facilitated non-invasive ventilation were unsuccessful, and he proceeded to rapid sequence intubation. Ultimately, intubation was unsuccessful and attempts at ventilation by laryngeal mask also failed. A Cannot Intubate, Cannot Oxygenate scenario was identified. The referring team had significant anxiety about performing a surgical front-of-neck access procedure. However, with telehealth support, this was ultimately completed by a novice provider, and the patient stabilised. The key issue identified was the need for the telehealth provider to take clinical governance of the procedure. The referring team also required assistance in completing an adequate neck incision, responding to bleeding, and determining the preferred technique.

Updated guideline on equipment to manage difficult airways: Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) recently reviewed and updated the guideline on equipment to manage a difficult airway. An ANZCA-established document development group, which included representatives from the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand, performed the review, which is based on expert consensus, an extensive literature review, and bi-nationwide consultation. The guideline (PG56(A) 2021, https://www.anzca.edu.au/getattachment/02fe1a4c-14f0-4ad1-8337-c281d26bfa17/PS56-Guideline-on-equipment-to-manage-difficult-airways) is accompanied by a detailed background paper (PG56(A)BP 2021, https://www.anzca.edu.au/getattachment/9ef4cd97-2f02-47fe-a63a-9f74fa7c68ac/PG56(A)BP-Guideline-on-equipment-to-manage-difficult-airways-Background-Paper), from which the current recommendations are reproduced on behalf of, and with the permission of, ANZCA. The updated 2021 guideline replaces the 2012 version and aims to provide an updated, objective, informed, transparent, and evidence-based review of equipment to manage difficult airways.

Capability of Scottish emergency departments to provide physician-based prehospital critical care teams: a national survey.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish the current capabilities of emergency departments in Scotland to provide a prehospital medical team at the request of the ambulance service. METHODS: A prospective telephone survey of all major emergency departments in Scotland was conducted, requesting information on their ability to provide a prehospital team, the configuration of the team and the equipment, transport, training and governance arrangements for this service. RESULTS: All 25 major emergency departments in Scotland responded to the survey (100% response). Eighteen departments (72%) were able to provide a prehospital team, with 15 (60%) able to provide a team 24 h/day. Team composition was variable and only one-third of teams were able to deploy within 15 min. In total, 50% of departments able to respond had received no requests in the preceding 12 months and only two departments had each received more than 50 requests. Less than half of the departments checked prehospital equipment on a weekly or a more frequent basis and only three departments provided ongoing training in prehospital care. CONCLUSION: The majority of emergency departments in Scotland are able to provide a prehospital team on the request of the ambulance service. There is high variability in the composition and seniority of the team, with less ability to provide a team out of hours. With two notable exceptions, the overall activation of these prehospital teams is infrequent, and there are significant improvements required with regard to the clinical governance surrounding the provision of these teams.

Do emergency physicians and radiologists reliably interpret pelvic radiographs obtained as part of a trauma series?

INTRODUCTION: Interpretation of pelvic radiography is an important component of the primary survey and is commonly performed by emergency physicians. Radiologists bring unique skills to trauma care, including choice of imaging modality and image interpretation. It is not clear if this limited resource is most efficiently used in the resuscitation room. No studies have compared radiologists and trauma clinicians in their ability to interpret pelvic radiographs following trauma. OBJECTIVE: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of trauma experienced and trauma inexperienced emergency physicians in detecting pelvic fractures compared with radiologists, the latter subgroup combined report being used as the gold standard. SETTING AND METHODS: Prospective cohort study conducted in two large teaching hospitals in central London. All participants reviewed 144 consecutive pelvic radiographs performed each as part of a 'trauma series' and known to have undergone concomitant pelvic CT imaging. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found between radiologists and emergency physicians from a trauma centre in pelvic radiograph interpretation. Radiologist reporting was associated with an improved specificity compared with emergency physicians working in a non-trauma hospital (p=0.049). The study population missed 30% of fractures on plain radiography against the gold standard of CT. DISCUSSION: The ability to interpret trauma series pelvic radiographs is comparable between emergency physicians and radiologists. If this were also true of trauma chest radiographs, then the most valuable use of the radiologist may not be the resuscitation room but in rapid reporting of more complex imaging techniques. However, plain radiography is insensitive for pelvic fracture detection compared with CT, even in expert hands.

Individual care plans can reduce hospital admission rate for patients who frequently attend the emergency department.

AIM: To investigate the impact, in terms of hospital admission and investigations, of individual care plans for patients who frequently attend the emergency department (ED). METHOD: 32 patients who regularly attended the ED at St Thomas' Hospital were included in the study. After review of ED and hospital case records, an individual care plan was prepared for future attendances. The numbers of ED attendances, hospital admissions and investigations were collated from the electronic patient record system and compared for the 12 months prior to and 12 months after introduction of the care plan. Primary outcome measure was reduction in the number of hospital admissions (as a percentage of ED attendance). Secondary outcome measures were a reduction in the number of investigations and ED attendances. RESULTS: In the 12 months prior to introduction of the individual care plans, the 32 patients accounted for 858 ED attendances and 209 admissions to hospital. In 12 months after introduction of the care plans, the number of ED attendances fell to 517, with only 77 hospital admissions. Median number of hospital admissions (as a percentage of ED attendances) fell from 18.8% to 7.1% (p=0.014) after introduction of the care plan. There were also reductions in median number of ED attendances (19 vs. 5, p=0.001), median number of radiology tests (4 vs 1, p=0.001) and median number of blood tests (55 vs. 12, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Individual care plans for a carefully selected group of patients who frequently attend the emergency department can result in a decrease in the number of hospital admissions and number of investigations.

Incidence of adverse events during prehospital rapid sequence intubation: a review of one year on the London Helicopter Emergency Medical Service.

BACKGROUND: To establish the incidence of hypoxemia and hypotension during prehospital rapid sequence intubation (RSI) in trauma patients attended by the London Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and to compare it with historical control data from published studies of both hospital and prehospital RSI. METHODS: A retrospective observational study during a 12-month period of London HEMS. All mission reports from the period March 1, 2003 to February 28, 2004 were reviewed and all intubations involving the use of drugs were included in the analysis. Measurements of oxygen saturation (SpO2) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were obtained from the printed record produced by the portable monitor. RESULTS: During the 12-month period 244 RSIs were performed. Completed SpO2 data were available on 175 patients (71.7%), and of those 32 (18.3%) experienced hypoxemia (SpO2 <90%, or >10% fall if initial SpO2 <90%). Completed SBP data were available for 192 patients (79.1%), and of those 25 (13%) experienced hypotension (SBP <90 mm Hg or >10 mm Hg fall if initial SBP <90 mm Hg). No patients developed both hypoxemia and hypotension. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of hypoxemia and hypotension during prehospital RSI performed by London HEMS are relatively low. They are less than that found in previous studies of prehospital RSI and are similar to those reported in studies of in-hospital emergency RSI undertaken in the emergency department or ward setting. We therefore conclude that prehospital RSI has an acceptably low complication rate when performed by appropriately trained personnel.

Impact of the new UK licensing law on emergency hospital attendances: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of the new UK alcohol licensing law on overnight attendances to the emergency department. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study at the emergency department of St Thomas' Hospital, London over 2 months, one before and one after the introduction of the new legislation. All people over the age of 16 years who attended the emergency department between 21:00 and 09:00 during the two study periods (March 2005 and March 2006) were included. An alcohol-related attendance was defined as having occurred if there was documentation of alcohol consumption before attendance, or of alcohol intoxication in relation to the patient's physical examination or final diagnosis. The primary outcome measure was change in the number and percentage of alcohol related attendances to the emergency department between the two study periods. Secondary outcome measures, compared between the two study periods, were number and percentage of alcohol-related attendances as a consequence of assault, and of injury; and number and percentage of alcohol-related attendances resulting in admission to hospital. RESULTS: In March 2005 there were 2736 overnight attendances to the ED, of which 79 (2.9%) were classified as alcohol related. In comparison, in March 2006 there were a total of 3135 overnight attendances, of which 250 (8%) were alcohol related, representing a significant increase (p<0.001). There were also significant increases in percentage of alcohol related attendances as a consequence of injury (p<0.001) and assault (p = 0.002); and in admission rates for alcohol related attendances (p<0.001) between the two study periods. CONCLUSIONS: Overnight alcohol related emergency attendances to St Thomas' hospital increased after the introduction of new alcohol licensing legislation. If reproduced over longer time periods and across the UK as a whole, the additional burden on emergency care could be substantial.

Propofol for procedural sedation in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: To observe procedural sedation practice within a district general hospital emergency department (ED) that uses propofol for procedural sedation. METHODS: Prospective observation of procedural sedation over an 11 month period. Patients over 16 years of age requiring procedural sedation and able to give informed consent were recruited. The choice of sedation agent was at the discretion of the physician. The following details were recorded on a standard proforma for each patient: indication for procedural sedation; agent used; depth and duration of sedation; ease of reduction; use of a reversal agent; complications and reasons for delayed discharge from the ED. RESULTS: 48 patients were recruited; propofol was used in 32 cases and midazolam in 16 cases. The median period of sedation was considerably shorter in the propofol group (3 vs 45 min) but this did not confer a shorter median time in the ED (200 vs 175 min). There were no documented cases of over-sedation in the propofol group; however, four patients in the midazolam group were over-sedated, three requiring reversal with flumazenil. There were no other significant complications in either group. There was no difference in the median depth of sedation achieved or ease of reduction between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Propofol is effective and safe for procedural sedation in the ED. Propofol has a considerably shorter duration of action than midazolam, thereby shortening the period of sedation.

Spontaneous retropharyngeal hematoma: an unusual presentation of thoracic aortic dissection.

A 78-year-old woman presented to the Emergency Department with spontaneous ecchymosis and swelling of the neck. Ecchymosis was also evident on the posterior pharyngeal wall. A lateral soft tissue radiograph demonstrated a retropharyngeal hematoma, which was confirmed by computed tomography (CT). At this time there was no evidence of airway obstruction and she was admitted for observation. One week after admission she became acutely short of breath, and a chest radiograph at this time showed a large pleural effusion. Pleural drainage confirmed this to be a hemothorax. Subsequent CT revealed a thoracic aortic dissection with blood communicating into both the retropharyngeal space and the pleural cavity. The case highlights both an unusual presentation of thoracic aortic dissection, and also the potential for occult hemorrhage in cases of spontaneous retropharyngeal hematoma.