Air or Ground Transport to the Critical Care Resuscitation Unit: Does It Really Matter?

OBJECTIVE: Critically ill patients requiring urgent interventions or subspecialty care often require transport over significant distances to tertiary care centers. The optimal method of transportation (air vs. ground) is unknown. We investigated whether air transport was associated with lower mortality for patients being transferred to a specialized critical care resuscitation unit (CCRU). METHODS: This was a retrospective study of all adult patients transferred to the CCRU at the University of Maryland Medical Center in 2018. Our primary outcome was hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes included the length of stay and the time to the operating room (OR) for patients undergoing urgent procedures. We performed optimal 1:2 propensity score matching for each patient's need for air transport. RESULTS: We matched 198 patients transported by air to 382 patients transported by ground. There was no significant difference between demographics, the initial Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, or hospital outcomes between groups. One hundred sixty-four (83%) of the patients transported via air survived to hospital discharge compared with 307 (80%) of those transported by ground (P = .46). Patients transported via air arrived at the CCRU more quickly (127 [100-178] vs. 223 [144-332] minutes, P < .001) and were more likely (60 patients, 30%) to undergo urgent surgical operation within 12 hours of CCRU arrival (30% vs. 17%, P < .001). For patients taken to the OR within 12 hours of arriving at the CCRU, patients transported by air were more likely to go to the OR after 200 minutes since the transfer request (P = .001). CONCLUSION: The transportation mode used to facilitate interfacility transfer was not significantly associated with hospital mortality or the length of stay for critically ill patients.

Patterns of opioid prescribing in emergency departments during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic was superimposed upon an ongoing epidemic of opioid use disorder and overdose deaths. Although the trend of opioid prescription patterns (OPP) had decreased in response to public health efforts before the pandemic, little is known about the OPP from emergency department (ED) clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a pre-post study of adult patients who were discharged from 13 EDs and one urgent care within our academic medical system between 01/01/2019 and 09/30/2020 using an interrupted time series (ITS) approach. Patient characteristics and prescription data were extracted from the single unified electronic medical record across all study sites. Prescriptions of opioids were converted into morphine equivalent dose (MED). We compared the "Covid-19 Pandemic" period (C19, 03/29/2020-9/30/2020) and the "Pre-Pandemic" period (PP, 1/19/2020-03/28/2020). We used a multivariate logistic regression to assess clinical factors associated with opioid prescriptions. RESULTS: We analyzed 361,794 ED visits by adult patients, including 259,242 (72%) PP and 102,552 (28%) C19 visits. Demographic information and percentages of patients receiving opioid prescriptions were similar in both groups. The median [IQR] MED per prescription was higher for C19 patients (70 [56-90]) than for PP patients (60 [60-90], P < 0.001). ITS demonstrated a significant trend toward higher MED prescription per ED visit during the pandemic (coefficient 0.11, 95% CI 0.05-0.16, P = 0.002). A few factors, that were associated with lower likelihood of opioid prescriptions before the pandemic, became non-significant during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that emergency clinicians increased the prescribed amount of opioids per prescription during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. Etiologies for this finding could include lack of access to primary care and other specialties during the pandemic, or lower volumes allowing for emergency clinicians to identify who is safe to be prescribed opioids.

A Survey of Graduates of Combined Emergency Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Programs: An Update.

BACKGROUND: In 1998, emergency medicine-pediatrics (EM-PEDS) graduates were no longer eligible for the pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) sub-board certification examination. There is a paucity of guidance regarding the various training options for medical students who are interested in PEM. OBJECTIVES: We sought to to determine attitudes and personal satisfaction of graduates from EM-PEDS combined training programs. METHODS: We surveyed 71 graduates from three EM-PEDS residences in the United States. RESULTS: All respondents consider their combined training to be an asset when seeking a job, 92% find it to be an asset to their career, and 88% think it provided added flexibility to job searches. The most commonly reported shortcoming was their ineligibility for the PEM sub-board certification. The lack of this designation was perceived to be a detriment to securing academic positions in dedicated children's hospitals. When surveyed regarding which training offers the better skill set for the practice of PEM, 90% (44/49) stated combined EM-PEDS training. When asked which training track gives them the better professional advancement in PEM, 52% (23/44) chose combined EM-PEDS residency, 27% (12/44) chose a pediatrics residency followed by a PEM fellowship, and 25% (11/44) chose an EM residency then a PEM fellowship. No EM-PEDS respondents considered PEM fellowship training after the completion of the dual training program. CONCLUSION: EM-PEDS graduates found combined training to be an asset in their career. They felt that it provided flexibility in job searches, and that it was ideal training for the skill set required for the practice of PEM. EM-PEDS graduates' practices varied, including mixed settings, free-standing children's hospitals, and community emergency departments.

The impact of automatic physician review of prescription drug monitoring program data on opioid prescribing in a Maryland statewide hospital system.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) were implemented to decrease dangerous opioid prescribing but have had variable results. This report details how automatic PDMP review changed opioid prescribing across a statewide medical system. DESIGN: An observational study. SETTING: Fourteen hospital networks in the United States. CASES: Healthcare encountered from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019. INTERVENTION: Starting from July 1, 2018, the patient's PDMP data would be displayed automatically to providers in the unified electronic medical record (EMR) whenever the provider began to write for an opioid prescription. MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes were prescriptions per encounter (PPE) and the morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per prescription. Outcomes were stratified by practice location, medication prescribed, and diagnosis. All data, including whether the prompt was triggered for a given encounter and whether a prescription was given, were extracted from the EMR. An interrupted timeseries analysis was used to determine how PPE and MME changed in response to the implementation of automatic PDMP review. FINDINGS: Of the 624,488 encounters examined, 18.37 percent (n = 114,710) were in emergency departments, 56.79 percent were admissions (n = 354,634), and 24.84 percent (n = 155,144) were outpatient visits. Opioid prescriptions were started and then canceled 24 percent of the time after the PDMP was shown. There was a decline in MME (ßOverall + Policy Trends = -3.17, p = <0.0001), which was driven by inpatient (ßOverall + Policy Trends = -2.10, p < 0.0001) and outpatient providers (ßOverall + Policy Trends = -3.24, p < 0.01). A decline in MME was seen in all medication categories (-1.72 < ßOverall + Policy Trends < -5.87, p < 0.01). There were no changes in these trends after excluding encounters for severe and acute pain. CONCLUSIONS: Automated PDMP review is associated with fewer prescriptions and smaller doses without decreasing appropriate use.

Transport of Peripartum Patients for Medical Management: Predictors of Any Intervention During Transport.

Background When obstetric patients present to a hospital without obstetric consultants for medical care, they are often transferred for a higher level of care. Factors associated with patient care during transport between hospitals are unknown. Our study investigated factors associated with care intensity. Methods We retrospectively reviewed charts from peripartum adult patients who were transported to our academic quaternary center between January 1, 2012, and April 19, 2020. We excluded patients transported for gynecologic or fetus-related complications. We defined any transport interventions as any ventilator management, any titration of continuous infusions, and any continuation or initiation of medication during transport. Results We included 126 patients, and the mean age (SD) was 29 (7) years. There were 87 (695) antepartum patients, with nine (7%) requiring mechanical ventilation. Of the patients, 98 (78%) received at least one intervention during transport. Transport time (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.001-1.06, P = 0.040), preeclampsia (OR: 3.8, 95% CI: 1.1-12.7, P = 0.030), and any obstetric hemorrhage (OR: 8.3, 95% CI: 1.03-68, P = 0.047), either antepartum or postpartum, were associated with higher likelihood of receiving any intervention. Conclusions Peripartum patients often received interventions during transport. Preeclampsia and hemorrhage were associated with the likelihood of interventions. Transport clinicians should be prepared when transporting these patients. Further studies are needed to confirm our observations.

NICU admission hypothermia, chorioamnionitis, and cytokines.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission hypothermia is associated with an intrauterine inflammatory response. METHODS: We analyzed a cohort of 309 very low birthweight infants to determine relationships between admission hypothermia, chorioamnionitis, and serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α. RESULTS: Admission hypothermia <36°C occurred in 72% of patients <26 weeks and 44% of patients ≥26 weeks gestational age. NICU admission hypothermia was not associated with histologic chorioamnionitis or with elevated serum cytokine concentrations. CSF IL-6 concentrations ≥6.3 pg/mL were associated with admission hypothermia in infants <26 weeks' gestation. Clinical chorioamnionitis was associated with a lower risk of admission hypothermia, while cesarean section delivery was associated with increased risk. CONCLUSIONS: NICU admission hypothermia is common among preterm infants and is not associated with the fetal inflammatory response syndrome. Hypothermia is less common in the setting of clinical chorioamnionitis and more common in cesarean section deliveries, identifying two groups in whom extra attention to appropriate thermoregulation is warranted.

Patients leaving against medical advice (AMA) from the emergency department--disease prevalence and willingness to return.

BACKGROUND: How patients fare once they leave the emergency department (ED) against medical advice (AMA), and the extent of illness burden that accompanies them, remains unstudied. OBJECTIVE: To determine the fate of patients leaving the ED AMA for a defined period of time post-discharge. METHODS: This was a prospective follow-up study of a convenience sample of patients leaving the ED AMA during two 6-month periods in consecutive calendar years at an urban academic ED with 32,000 annual patient visits. RESULTS: A total of 199 patients were identified, with 194 enrolled. Categories of discharge diagnoses included cardiovascular, undifferentiated abdominal pain, respiratory, and cellulitis. Of the 194 patients studied, 126 patients (64.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 57.6-71.5%) stated that their symptoms had improved or resolved. Of these 126 patients, 109 (86.5%, 95% CI 78.9-91.7%) had their original AMA discharge diagnoses referable to cardiovascular pathology. Ninety-five patients (75.4%, 95% CI 66.7-82.4%) with improved or abated symptoms did not plan to return. Of those with improved or abated symptoms, 31 patients (24.6%, 95% CI 17.6-33.2%) did return, and with further evaluation, 15 of them were found to have significant clinical findings. Of the 68 patients with continuing symptoms, 36 (52.9%, 95% CI 40.5-64.9%) returned for further evaluation. A total of 127 patients did not return. Twenty-five patients (19.7%, 95% CI 15.9-25.4%) expressed a reluctance to return to the same ED for fear of embarrassment. Seven patients (5.5%, 95% CI 4.8-8.7%) who did not seek alternative care but were still having symptoms did not return due to job or family commitments or because they would follow-up with a personal physician. CONCLUSION: Patients who leave the ED AMA have significant pathology.

Emergency physician ability to predict methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has a high prevalence in Emergency Departments (EDs). The objective of this study was to determine the ability of emergency physicians to predict MRSA infection in purulent wounds. A prospective observational study was conducted in an urban, tertiary academic center in ED patients presenting with purulent wounds and abscesses that received wound culture. Physicians completed a questionnaire with patient demographic data and their own suspicion for MRSA infection in eligible patients. For emergency physician ability to predict positive culture for MRSA, sensitivities, specificities, and positive and negative likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated. Risk factors were assessed for statistical significance using a chi-squared test with p < 0.05. There were 176 patients enrolled, and 19 were eliminated for incomplete data. Physician suspicion of MRSA had a sensitivity of 80% (95% confidence interval [CI] 71%-87%) and a specificity of 23.6% (95% CI 14%-37%) for the presence of MRSA on wound culture with a positive LR of 1.0 (95% CI 0.9-1.3) and a negative LR of 0.8 (95% CI 0.5-1.3). Prevalence was 64%. Only intravenous drug use was significantly associated with MRSA. Emergency physician's suspicion of MRSA infection is a poor predictor of MRSA infection.

Diabetic ketoacidosis in the pediatric emergency department.

Despite many advances, the incidence of pediatric-onset diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is increasing. Diabetes mellitus is 1 of the most common chronic pediatric illnesses and, along with DKA, is associated with significant cost and morbidity. DKA is a complicated metabolic state hallmarked by dehydration and electrolyte disturbances. Treatment involves fluid resuscitation with insulin and electrolyte replacement under constant monitoring for cerebral edema. When DKA is recognized and treated immediately, the prognosis is excellent. However, when a patient has prolonged or multiple courses of DKA or if DKA is complicated by cerebral edema, the results can be devastating.

Pediatric orthopedic emergencies.

Many well seasoned emergency physicians often find it challenging to assess and treat pediatric patients regardless of the complaint. Because of anatomic and physiologic differences, pediatric patients experience orthopedic injuries that are both unique and specific to this subset of the population. Emergency physicians must be aware of these nuances to properly diagnose and treat these injuries. An understanding of fractures unique to growing bone, such as buckle/torus and greenstick types, will provoke clinicians to have a keener eye when reviewing pediatric radiographs. The Salter-Harris classification provides a proven, generally accepted stratification of injury to describe and properly disposition pediatric fractures. Emergency physicians must also recognize a distal radial fracture, because it is the most common pediatric fracture, and the many complications of the supracondylar fracture. Nursemaid's elbow and ankle injuries are further common presenting complaints that are discussed. Recognition of child abuse and the work-up of the child presenting with a limp are additional areas that the Emergency physician should feel comfortable evaluating.