Use of Hotels as a Disposition Alternative to Hospital Admission for Undomiciled Patients Undergoing SARS-CoV-2 Testing.

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented various unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems globally, prompting society to adopt new preventative strategies to curb spread of the disease. Those experiencing homelessness have been particularly impacted because of barriers to practicing social distancing, inability to isolate, and poor access to care. Project Roomkey was established in California as a statewide measure to provide non-congregate shelter options for individuals experiencing homelessness to properly quarantine. On goal in this study was to analyze the effectiveness of hotel rooms as a safe disposition alternative to hospital admission for patients experiencing homelessness and who were also positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study that included chart review of patients who were discharged to the hotel from March 2020-December 2021. We recorded demographic information, index visit details, number of emergency department (ED) visits both a month prior to and following the index visit, admission rates, and number of deaths. RESULTS: During this 21-month study period, a total of 2,015 patients who identified as undomiciled were tested for SARS-COV-2 in the ED for various reasons. Of those patients, 83 were discharged from the ED to the hotel. Of the 83 patients, 40 (48.2%) ultimately tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during their index visit. Two patients returned to the ED within seven days with COVID-19-related symptoms, and 10 patients within 30 days. Two patients required subsequent admission with COVID-19 pneumonia. No deaths were recorded within the 30-day follow-up period. CONCLUSION: The availability of a hotel served as a safe alternative to hospital admission for patients experiencing homelessness and who were either suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19. It is reasonable to consider similar measures in the management of other transmissible diseases for patients experiencing homelessness who require isolation.

Geriatric Falls: Patient Characteristics Associated with Emergency Department Revisits.

INTRODUCTION: Falls are the leading cause of traumatic injury among elderly adults in the United States, which represents a significant source of morbidity and leads to exorbitant healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to characterize elderly fall patients and identify risk factors associated with seven-day emergency department (ED) revisits. METHODS: This was a multicenter, retrospective, longitudinal cohort study using non-public data from 321 licensed, nonfederal, general, and acute care hospitals in California obtained from the Department of Healthcare Access and Information from January 1-December 31, 2017. Included were patients 65 and older who had a fall-related ED visit identified by International Classification of Diseases codes W00x to W19x. Primary outcome was a return visit to the ED within a seven-day window following the index encounter. Demographics collected included age, gender, ethnicity/race, patient payer status, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), psychiatric diagnoses, and alcohol/substance use disorder diagnoses. We performed multivariate logistic regression to identify characteristics associated with seven-day ED revisit. RESULTS: We identified a total of 2,758,295 ED visits during the study period with 347,233 (12.6%) visits corresponding to fall-related injuries. After applying exclusion criteria, 242,572 index ED visits were identified, representing 206,612 patients. Of these, 24,114 (11.7%) patients returned to an ED within seven days (revisit). Within this revisit population, 6,161 (22.6%) presented to a facility that was distinct from their index visit, and 4,970 (18.2%) were ultimately discharged with the same primary diagnosis as their index visit. Characteristics with the largest independent associations with a seven-day ED revisit were presence of a psychiatric diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69 to 1.80), presence of an alcohol or substance use disorder (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.64 to 1.78), and CCI ≥ 3 (OR 2.79; 95% CI 2.68 to 2.90). CONCLUSION: In this study we identified 24,114 elderly fall patients who experienced a seven-day ED revisit. Patients with multiple comorbidities, a substance use disorder, or a psychiatric diagnosis exhibited increased odds of experiencing a return visit to the ED within seven days of a fall-related index visit. These findings will help target at-risk elderly fall patients who may benefit from preventative multidisciplinary intervention during index ED visits to reduce ED revisits.

Ultrasound-Guided vs. Landmark Method for Subclavian Vein Catheterization in an Academic Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound guidance has been shown to decrease complication rates and improve success for internal jugular and femoral vein catheterization in the emergency department (ED). However, the current data on the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided subclavian vein catheterization has failed to provide support for similar conclusions. OBJECTIVE: To determine if ultrasound-guided subclavian vein catheterization is safer and more efficacious than the traditional landmark method in an ED setting. METHODS: A prospective randomized trial was conducted from April 2004 through June 2009 in an urban tertiary care academic ED with an annual census of >50,000 patients. Four primary data endpoints were calculated: 1) overall success for both resident and attending physicians; 2) number of attempts by each group of providers; 3) complication rate with each method; and 4) time to which the subclavian line was obtained. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients were enrolled in the study. The ultrasound method was more successful in obtaining subclavian catheter placement when compared with the landmark method. When comparing successful cannulation attempts in both groups, the ultrasound group showed a statistically significant longer time to success when compared with the landmark group. There was no difference in the success or complication rates between residents and attending physicians. There was no significant difference in complications rates between ultrasound-guided and landmark methods. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided subclavian vein catheterization was found to be associated with a higher overall success rate compared with the landmark method with no significant difference with respect to complication rate in an ED setting. © 2022 Elsevier Inc.

Atraumatic Bilateral Renal Subcapsular Urinomas in a Young, Healthy Female.

BACKGROUND: Urinomas are rare and generally result from trauma to any part of the urinary collecting system. Appropriate imaging is crucial in the timely diagnosis and management of urinomas and for ruling out other etiologies such as subcapsular renal hematomas and perinephric abscesses. CASE REPORT: A 31-year-old woman with no past medical history or known trauma presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with a week of right flank pain, abdominal pain, and intermittent fevers. On point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), she was found to have a complex right perinephric collection, later confirmed with computed tomography (CT) imaging. She was treated with intravenous (IV) antibiotics and discharged after a 3-day hospital admission with instructions to follow up with Urology. A day later, she was readmitted with worsening bilateral flank pain and persistent fevers. Image-guided percutaneous aspirations of her bilateral perinephric fluid collections revealed both urine and blood. A right ureteral stent was then placed with ultimate resolution of her symptoms. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Urinomas without history of trauma are rare and should be on the differential for patients presenting with flank pain and infectious symptoms. Urinomas or other expanding perinephric fluid collections can result in superimposed infection, rupture, secondary hypertension, and renal failure. Here, we present an atypical case of atraumatic bilateral renal subcapsular urinomas with hemorrhagic components in a young and healthy woman. Our case further outlines the utility of POCUS in the ED for the timely diagnosis and management of this disease process.

Diagnosing Achilles Tendon Rupture with Ultrasound in Patients Treated Surgically: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Achilles tendon rupture is a common injury with increasing incidence due to the rising popularity of high-velocity sports, continued physical activity of the aging American population, and use of fluoroquinolones and steroid injections. The diagnosis can often be missed or delayed, with up to 20% misdiagnosed, most commonly as an ankle sprain. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to systematically evaluate the reported sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios of ultrasound for detecting Achilles tendon rupture in patients who were treated surgically. METHODS: In January 2020, we performed a literature search of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases to identify eligible articles according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria were original studies with at least five patients, which reported data on the sonographic diagnosis of Achilles tendon rupture (complete or partial) compared to surgery as the reference standard. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies with 808 patients were included in the primary analysis. The sensitivity of ultrasound for detecting complete Achilles tendon ruptures was 94.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 91.3-97.2%), specificity was 98.7% (95% CI 97.0-99.6%), positive likelihood ratio was 74.0 (95% CI 31.0-176.8), and negative likelihood ratio was 0.05 (95% CI 0.03-0.09), in patients who underwent surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The results from our study suggested that a negative ultrasound result may have the potential to rule out a complete, as well as a partial, Achilles tendon rupture.

Bilateral Retinal Detachments in a Healthy 22-year-old Woman After Moderna SARS-COV-2 Vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Although uncommon, retinal detachments are medically urgent and can result in permanent vision loss if untreated. Bilateral retinal detachments in healthy individuals are even more rare. In addition, there are no cases to date of retinal detachment associated with either coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or after receiving the Moderna (mRNA-1273) severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine. CASE REPORT: A 22-year-old woman with myopia but no ocular trauma or other major medical history presented to the emergency department with 5 days of progressive, painless vision loss in her right eye. On examination, her visual acuity with corrective lenses was 20/70 in the right eye, 20/20 in the left eye, and 20/25 with both eyes open. Point-of-care ultrasound of the eye showed a retinal detachment in the right eye. She was subsequently seen by ophthalmology and diagnosed with bilateral retinal detachments (macula off in the right, macula on in the left), despite being asymptomatic in her left eye. She underwent bilateral vitrectomies for simultaneous rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Although the patient denied any preceding trauma, she did note having received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine 10 days before the onset of symptoms.Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? We present a rare and unusual case of simultaneous bilateral retinal detachments in a healthy, young woman with no major medical history or medications. She received the COVID-19 vaccine a few days prior. Our case outlines a possible association with the vaccine and emphasizes the importance of ultrasonography in diagnosing time-sensitive medical conditions.

Real-time Point-of-care Ultrasound for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Testicular Torsion.

Background: Testicular torsion is a surgical emergency that needs prompt diagnosis and treatment. Point-of-Care ultrasound (POCUS) can not only establish the diagnosis but also guide the Emergency Physician in evaluating the response to manual detorsion. Case Report: We describe the case of a 13-year-old male who presented with acute scrotal pain. We demonstrate how bedside ultrasound was used to make the diagnosis of testicular torsion, guide the technique for manual detorsion, and confirm adequate return of blood flow. Our case illustrates the ease with which POCUS can be used in real time to diagnose and treat organ-threatening pathology, but more importantly, it shows how real-time POCUS was used to detorse a testicle that was refractory to the standard detorsion technique. Conclusion: The acute scrotum is a time-sensitive presentation and if testicular torsion is present, the diagnosis should be made as soon as possible. Many Emergency Departments do not have 24-hour coverage of ultrasound technicians, which would delay the diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, when manual detorsion is attempted, it often does not work because the testicle may need more than the standard 180 degree medial to lateral rotation. POCUS provides real-time analysis of return of blood flow and can thus guide further rotation, or opposite direction rotation, as needed.

Choledochal Cyst Mimicking Gallbladder with Stones in a Six-Year-Old with Right-sided Abdominal Pain.

Choledochal cysts are rare but serious bile duct abnormalities are found in young children, usually during the first year of life.1 They require urgent surgical intervention due to the risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma.2 Clinicians should consider this diagnosis and perform a point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) when a child presents to the emergency department (ED) with findings of jaundice, abdominal pain, and the presence of an abdominal mass. We present the case of a six-year-old child presenting only with abdominal pain upon arrival to our ED and was ultimately diagnosed by POCUS to have a choledochal cyst.