ABSTRACT
Advancing care in Emergency Medicine (EM) requires the development of well-trained researchers, but our specialty has lower amounts of research funding compared to similar medical fields. Increasing the number of pathways available for research training supports the growth of new investigators. To address the need for more EM researchers, the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine and the American College of Emergency Physicians convened a Federal Research Funding Workgroup. Here, we report the workgroup recommendations regarding the creation of Research Training Fellowships using the T32 grant structure sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. After reviewing the history of NIH-grant supported research fellowships in EM, we outline the rationale and describe the core components of T32-supported research fellowships, including program design, fellow evaluation, and recruitment considerations.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage occurs most commonly due to hypertension and is treated nonoperatively. Iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm from prior neurosurgical therapy represents a rarely described etiology for intracranial hemorrhage that may require emergent surgical therapy. CASE REPORT: An elderly female patient was brought to the emergency department with fatigue but no recent trauma. Subsequent computed tomography of the brain revealed a right-sided intraparenchymal hematoma. Her history included burr hole drainage of a subdural hematoma near the site, so additional imaging was performed and revealed an arteriovenous malformation, later discovered on operative findings to be a pseudoaneurysm, as the cause of the current bleeding episode. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Awareness of prior neurosurgical treatment, even including minor procedures, in patients with apparent spontaneous intracranial bleeding should prompt angiographic evaluation for arteriovenous malformation. If found, these lesions are more likely to benefit from surgical treatment.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Current guidelines for the management of GI bleeding (GIB) recommend restrictive transfusion triggers unless patients have shock or specific comorbidities. However, these studies may not be applicable to Emergency Department (ED) patients. Factors determining transfusion decisions in the ED are poorly understood. We compared baseline characteristics and outcomes between ED patients with GI bleeding transfused at lower or higher empiric hemoglobin levels. METHODS: Single center, retrospective analysis of hospital records from a large tertiary care center of ED patients diagnosed with GIB who underwent red blood cell transfusion in the ED. A pre-transfusion hemoglobin cutoff of 7 g/dl was used to divide patients into restrictive and empirically transfused groups. Demographics, mortality, hospital length-of-stay, and mortality risk estimates were compared between groups. RESULTS: 175 patients met inclusion criteria, with 120 restrictive patients (68.5%) and 55 liberal patients (31.4%). The sample was 49.7% male, with mean age 67.2 years, similar between groups. Patients in the empiric transfusion group had more acute emergency severity index scores (2.09 vs. 2.3). No difference was found between groups in triage vital signs, pre-endoscopy Rockall scores or mortality estimates, or length of stay. Most common reasons for empiric transfusion from chart review were hypotension and witnessed large hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: Patients that were empirically transfused had similar presentations to patients meeting restrictive guidelines, based on review of triage data. Transfusions above restrictive thresholds occurred frequently in our population. Additional studies are required to clarify appropriate criteria to guide transfusions for GIB in the ED.
Subject(s)
Emergency Service, Hospital , Erythrocyte Transfusion/standards , Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/therapy , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/mortality , Guideline Adherence , Hemoglobins/metabolism , Humans , Length of Stay , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Tertiary Care Centers , TriageABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Diagnostic value of urinalysis specimens contaminated with squamous epithelial cells (SEC) from the genital surfaces is assumed to be limited compared to clean-catch samples. However, no studies have quantified the change in predictive value in the presence of SECs for individual urinalysis markers. METHODS: In a retrospective, single center cohort study, we analyzed all urine cultures sent from the ED over a 26-month period with corresponding urinalysis results. Cultures were classified as positive with growth of >104 colony forming units of pathogenic bacteria, negative if no growth, or contaminated for all other results. UA specimens were classified as contaminated or clean based on SEC presence. Accuracy of urinalysis markers for prediction of positive cultures was calculated as an area under the curve (AUC) and was compared between contaminated and clean UA specimens. RESULTS: 6490 paired UA and urine cultures were analyzed, consisting of 3949 clean and 2541 contaminated samples. SEC presence was less common with male gender, older age, and smaller BMI. Urine cultures were 19.2% positive overall, and SECs were more common in contaminated cultures. AUCs for individual markers ranged from 0.557 to 0.796, with pyuria, bacteriuria, and leukocyte esterase having higher AUC in clean samples over contaminated. CONCLUSION: Analysis of AUC for individual urinalysis markers showed reduced diagnostic accuracy in the presence of SECs. SEC presence also reflected much higher rates of contaminated cultures. These results support the reduced reliance on contaminated UA specimens for ruling in UTI in ED patients.
Subject(s)
Epithelial Cells , Hematuria/diagnosis , Pyuria/diagnosis , Urinary Tract Infections/diagnosis , Urine/cytology , Adult , Aged , Area Under Curve , Body Mass Index , Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases/urine , Cohort Studies , Culture Techniques , Female , Hematuria/urine , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nitrites/urine , Predictive Value of Tests , Pyuria/urine , Retrospective Studies , Urinalysis , Urinary Tract Infections/urine , Urine Specimen Collection/methodsSubject(s)
Clinical Trials as Topic , Emergency Medical Services , Organizational Innovation , Clinical Trials as Topic/economics , Clinical Trials as Topic/methods , Clinical Trials as Topic/organization & administration , Emergency Medical Services/methods , Emergency Medical Services/organization & administration , Emergency Service, Hospital , Humans , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic/methods , Research Support as Topic/organization & administration , Resuscitation/methods , Treatment Outcome , United StatesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Incarcerated individuals represent a significant proportion of the US population and face unique healthcare challenges. Scarce articles have been published about emergency department (ED) care of these patients. We studied the ED visits from one urban jail to better describe this population. METHODS: A cohort study design was used, identifying patients who were sent to the ED from a city jail in 2015. Demographics, triage information, length of stay, number of studies, billing codes, diagnoses, and disposition data were collected. These were compared to the overall ED patient population in the same year. RESULTS: 868 ED visits by jail patients occurred, representing 1.3% of the ED census. Compared to the general population, incarcerated patients were younger (32.1â¯years vs. 44.0â¯years, pâ¯<â¯.01), healthier based on Elixhauser comorbidity scores (0.71 vs. 0.98, pâ¯<â¯.01), and had lower admission rates (11.29% vs. 21.54%, pâ¯<â¯.01). An abnormal vital sign was noted in 25% of incarcerated patients. Laboratory (61% vs. 57%, pâ¯<â¯.02) and radiologic (63% vs 45%, pâ¯<â¯.001) testing was more frequent for inmates and length of stay was longer (271 vs. 225â¯min, pâ¯<â¯.01). CONCLUSION: ED visits from jail were common, involving a relatively young and healthy population with a low incidence of abnormal vital signs and admission. Given the high costs associated with ED care and the medical resources available at some jails, further study should evaluate if increased jail medical capabilities could improve care and decrease costs by decreasing ED visits.
Subject(s)
Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data , Prisoners/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Female , Humans , Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data , Male , Prisons/statistics & numerical data , Urban Population/statistics & numerical data , WashingtonABSTRACT
Emergency medicine (EM) residents now have a number of opportunities for fellowship training in critical care medicine (CCM). The aim of this review is to help EM residents navigate the application process, transition to fellowship, and start planning their careers beyond fellowship. Pathways to advanced training in CCM available for EM residents include internal medicine-CCM, anesthesiology-CCM, surgical critical care, and neurocritical care. Each has unique prerequisites, application timelines, and training requirements. EM residency graduates generally already have well-developed crisis management and team leadership skills and excel with procedures such as airway management, vascular access, and bedside ultrasound. Potential areas for growth for EM trainees include critical care physiology, end-of-life care, longitudinal inpatient care, and perioperative medicine. Career opportunities for physicians trained in EM and CCM are diverse and include options in community or academic settings. Some choose EM or CCM exclusively or engage in a mix of both. Academic positions with joint opportunities in EM and CCM are desirable, but can be challenging to negotiate. Many EM-CCM physicians serve as topic experts in their respective groups for clinical care, quality improvement, education, or research involving the interface between the ED and intensive care unit. As career paths in critical care continue to grow in popularity, EM residents, as well as CCM faculty and program directors, should be aware of the available fellowship options, as well as training and career development needs specific to EM residents.