Feasibility, utility, and safety of fully incorporating transesophageal echocardiography into emergency medicine practice.

INTRODUCTION: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a standard procedure for emergency physicians (EPs). Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is known to have great utility in patients who are critically ill or in cardiac arrest and has been used by some EPs with specialized ultrasound (US) training, but it is generally considered outside the reach of the majority of EPs. We surmised that all of our EPs could learn to perform focused TEE (F-TEE), so we trained and credentialed all of the physicians in our group. METHODS: We trained 52 EPs to perform and interpret F-TEEs using a 4-h simulator-based course. We kept a database of all F-TEE examinations for quality assurance and continuous quality feedback. Data are reported using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Emergency physicians attempted 557 total F-TEE examinations (median = 10, interquartile range = 5-15) during the 42-month period following training. Clinically relevant images were obtained in 99% of patients. EPs without fellowship or other advanced US training performed the majority of F-TEEs (417, 74.9%) and 94.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 91.4%-96.3%) had interpretable images recorded. When TTE and TEE were both performed (n = 410), image quality of TEE was superior in 378 (93.3%, 95% CI = 89.7%-95%). Indications for F-TEE included periarrest states (55.7%), cardiac arrest (32.1%), and shock (12.2%). There was one case of endotracheal tube dislodgement during TEE placement, but this was immediately identified and replaced without complication. CONCLUSION: After initiating a mandatory group F-TEE training and credentialing program, we report the largest series to date of EP-performed resuscitative F-TEE. The majority of F-TEE examinations (75%) were performed by EPs without advanced US training beyond residency.

Emergency Department Vacuum Extraction of an Obstructing Tracheal Foreign Body Using a Meconium Aspirator and Modified Endotracheal Tube.

BACKGROUND: A meconium aspirator is a simple plastic adapter that allows for rapid suctioning of the trachea when attached to an endotracheal tube and a source of continuous negative pressure, as was historically done for suspected neonatal meconium aspiration. Adaptation of this technique for the emergent vacuum extraction of an obstructing tracheal foreign body in an adult has not been previously described. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 33-year-old woman with cardiorespiratory arrest after choking on food. Complete tracheal obstruction precluding oxygenation and ventilation due to aspirated chicken was diagnosed by emergency physicians and managed immediately with vacuum extraction using the technique described in this report. No additional airway interventions were necessary and the patient made a full neurologic recovery. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Vacuum extraction using a meconium aspirator and modified endotracheal tube is a novel and potentially life-saving approach to the emergency management of airway obstruction after choking, especially if the foreign material is below the vocal cords and not amenable to manual extraction with a Magill forceps.

An evaluation of two conducted electrical weapons using a swine comparative cardiac safety model.

Arrest-related deaths proximate to the use of a conducted electrical weapon (CEW) continue to generate controversy despite a better understanding of the multi-factorial nature of many of these deaths. With the rapid adoption of this technology by law enforcement, and the proliferation of companies entering the marketplace, it is important to have a method to assess the relative safety of these weapons. We had previously developed a model to assess the relative cardiac safety of CEWs. In this study, we use this model to compare the TASER X2 and the Karbon Arms MPID. Our results suggest that the TASER X2 may have an improved cardiac safety margin over the Karbon Arms MPID as determined by a smaller area of cardiac pacing on the anterior chest in our model. This model seems to offer a reproducible means of comparing the cardiac effects of CEWs.

Derivation of a pediatric growth curve for inferior vena caval diameter in healthy pediatric patients: brief report of initial curve development.

BACKGROUND: A validated tool has long been sought to provide clinicians with a uniform and accurate method to assess hydration status in the pediatric emergency medicine population. Outpatient clinicians use CDC height- and weight-based curves for the assessment of physical development. In hospital, daily weights provide objective data; however, these are usually not available at presentation.One of the most promising techniques for the rapid assessment of volume is ultrasound (US) to obtain an indexed inferior vena cava diameter (IVCDi); as previously described. Prior studies have focused on IVCDi in dehydrated patients and have shown that it provides accurate estimates of right atrial pressure and volume status. The objective of this study is to derive an IVC growth curve in healthy pediatric patients. METHODS: Prospective cohort design enrolled healthy children between the ages of 4 weeks and 20 years. Patients presenting with fever, illnesses, or diagnoses known to affect the volume will be excluded. All eligible patients under 21, who have provided self or parental written consent, will undergo a brief ultrasound to obtain transverse and long images of both the IVC and the aorta; all scans will be digitally saved. Image quality will be subjectively rated as poor, fair, or good based on wall clarity. Poor quality images will be recorded but may be omitted from our analysis. Five clinicians completed a 1-h introduction to IVC-US and ten supervised scans prior to enrollment. Still images will be measured in order to determine IVCDi in both transverse and longitudinal planes. To assess inter-rater reliability, in 10% of cases, two clinicians will complete scans. All study scans will be over-read by a fellowship-trained sonologist.IVCDi will be plotted independently as functions of age, gender, BMI, and aortic diameter. Within each group, means with means or medians with 95% CIs will be calculated. Following uni- and bivariate analyses and assessment for colinearity, a variety of parametric and nonparametric regression procedures will be conducted. The smoothed curves will be approximated using a modified LMS estimation procedure. RESULTS: Data for the initial curve derivation includes 25 patients ranging from 13 months to 20 years (mean 102 months or 8.5 years). Sixty-five percent of patients were enrolled from the ED, while 35% were enrolled from well-child clinic visits. When evaluating the size of IVC as a function of time linear growth, increasing size was found to proportionately increase with age of patient in months. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest a linear correlation between IVC size and age. Such data, when plotted as a new growth curve, may allow clinicians to plot a patient's sonographic measurements in order to assess hydration health.