Impact of delayed mobile medical team dispatch for respiratory distress calls: a propensity score matched study from a French emergency communication center.

BACKGROUND: Shortness of breath is a common complaint among individuals contacting emergency communication center (EMCCs). In some prehospital system, emergency medical services include an advanced life support (ALS)-capable team. Whether such team should be dispatched during the phone call or delayed until the BLS-capable paramedic team reports from the scene is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the impact of delayed MMT dispatch until receiving the paramedic review compared to immediate dispatch at the time of the call on patient outcomes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted in Lyon, France, using data obtained from the departmental EMCC during the period from January to December 2019. We included consecutive calls related to adult patients experiencing acute respiratory distress. Patients from the two groups (immediate mobile medical team (MMT) dispatch or delayed MMT dispatch) were matched on a propensity score, and a conditional weighted logistic regression assessed the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for each outcome (mortality on days 0, 7 and 30). RESULTS: A total of 870 calls (median age 72 [57-84], male 466 53.6%) were sought for analysis [614 (70.6%) "immediate MMT dispatch" and 256 (29.4%) "delayed MMT" groups]. The median time before MMT dispatch was 25.1 min longer in the delayed MMT group (30.7 [26.4-36.1] vs. 5.6 [3.9-8.8] min, p < 0.001). Patients subjected to a delayed MMT intervention were older (median age 78 [66-87] vs. 69 [53-83], p < 0.001) and more frequently highly dependent (16.3% vs. 8.6%, p < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients in the delayed MMT group required bag valve mask ventilation (47.3% vs. 39.1%, p = 0.03), noninvasive ventilation (24.6% vs. 20.0%, p = 0.13), endotracheal intubation (7.0% vs. 4.1%, p = 0.07) and catecholamine infusion (3.9% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.01). After propensity score matching, mortality at day 0 was higher in the delayed MMT group (9.8% vs. 4.2%, p = 0.002). Immediate MMT dispatch at the call was associated with a lower risk of mortality on day 0 (0.60 [0.38;0.82], p < 0.001) day 7 (0.50 [0.27;0.72], p < 0.001) and day 30 (0.56 [0.35;0.78], p < 0.001) CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the deployment of an MMT at call in patients in acute respiratory distress may result in decreased short to medium-term mortality compared to a delayed MMT following initial first aid assessment.

The real incidence of sudden death: Fair estimations or futile speculations?

BACKGROUND: The true incidence of sudden death remains undetermined, with controversial results from various publications over time and countries. AIM: To investigate if different estimations would reach the values usually reported for France. METHODS: Three different kinds of estimations were used. First, the number of resuscitated sudden deaths and necropsies for sudden death in the Haute-Garonne French administrative department (i.e. county) over the last 10years was expanded to the national level. Second, sudden death coding of death certificates was collected at the national level. Third, the total number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests leading to any emergency call (with/without intervention) in Haute-Garonne over the last 10years was expanded to the national level. RESULTS: There was a mean of 26 resuscitated sudden deaths and 145 necropsies for sudden death each year in Haute-Garonne, i.e. 12 to 14 sudden deaths for 100,000 inhabitants, and 7700 to 9400 sudden deaths yearly when related to the whole French population, according to the year of inclusion. Based on death certificates, a mean of 6584 sudden deaths was registered each year in France. Finally, there were about 600 yearly calls/interventions for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Haute-Garonne, i.e. 40 to 50 sudden deaths for 100,000 inhabitants, and 16,000 to 27,000 sudden deaths yearly for the whole French territory, according to the year of inclusion. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of sudden death ranges from 6500 to 27,000 in France according to the calculation methods. This huge difference raises the question of the true current incidence of sudden death, which may have been overestimated previously or may be underestimated in France. More straight prospective surveys are needed to solve this question, because of relevant implications for priorities that should be given to sudden death.

Targeted prophylactic anticoagulation based on the TRiP(cast) score in patients with lower limb immobilisation: a multicentre, stepped wedge, randomised implementation trial.

BACKGROUND: Prophylactic anticoagulation in emergency department patients with lower limb trauma requiring immobilisation is controversial. The Thrombosis Risk Prediction for Patients with Cast Immobilisation-TRiP(cast)-score could identify a large subgroup of patients at low risk of venous thromboembolism for whom prophylactic anticoagulation can be safely withheld. We aimed to prospectively assess the safety of withholding anticoagulation for patients with lower limb trauma at low risk of venous thromboembolism, defined by a TRiP(cast) score of less than 7. METHODS: CASTING was a stepped-wedge, multicentre, cluster-randomised trial with blinded outcome assessment. 15 emergency departments in France and Belgium were selected and randomly assigned staggered start dates for switching from the control phase (ie, anticoagulation prescription according to the physician's usual practice) to the intervention phase (ie, targeted anticoagulation according to TRiP(cast) score: no prescription if score <7 and anticoagulation if score was ≥7). Patients were included if they presented to a participating emergency department with lower limb trauma requiring immobilisation for at least 7 days and were aged 18 years or older. The primary outcome was the 3-month cumulative rate of symptomatic venous thromboembolism during the intervention phase in patients with a TRiP(cast) score of less than 7. The targeted strategy was considered safe if this rate was less than 1% with an upper 95% CI of less than 2%. The primary analysis was performed in the intention-to-treat population. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04064489). FINDINGS: Between June 16, 2020, and Sept 15, 2021, 15 clusters and 2120 patients were included. Of the 1505 patients analysed in the intervention phase, 1159 (77·0%) had a TRiP(cast) score of less than 7 and did not receive anticoagulant treatment. The symptomatic venous thromboembolism rate was 0·7% (95% CI 0·3-1·4, n=8/1159). There was no difference between the control and the intervention phases in the cumulative rate of symptomatic venous thromboembolism or in bleeding rates. INTERPRETATION: Patients with a TRiP(cast) score of less than 7 who are not receiving anticoagulation have a very low risk of venous thromboembolism. A large proportion of patients with lower limb trauma and immobilisation could safely avoid thromboprophylaxis. FUNDING: French Ministry of Health.

Risk factors and effect of dyspnea inappropriate treatment in adults' emergency department: a retrospective cohort study.

Dyspnea is a frequent symptom in adults' emergency departments (EDs). Misdiagnosis at initial clinical examination is common, leading to early inappropriate treatment and increased in-hospital mortality. Risk factors of inappropriate treatment assessable at early examination remain undescribed herein. The objective of this study was to identify clinical risk factors of dyspnea and inappropriate treatment in patients admitted to ED. This is an observational retrospective cohort study. Patients over the age of 15 who were admitted to adult EDs of the University Hospital of Toulouse (France) with dyspnea were included from 1 July to 31 December 2019. The primary end-point was dyspnea and inappropriate treatment was initiated at ED. Inappropriate treatment was defined by looking at the final diagnosis of dyspnea at hospital discharge and early treatment provided. Afterward, this early treatment at ED was compared to the recommended treatment defined by the International Guidelines for Acute Heart Failure, bacterial pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma or pulmonary embolism. A total of 2123 patients were analyzed. Of these, 809 (38%) had inappropriate treatment in ED. Independent risk factors of inappropriate treatment were: age over 75 years (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.18-1.81), history of heart disease (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.07-1.62) and lung disease (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.21-1.78), SpO2 <90% (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.37-2.02), bilateral rale (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.01-1.66), focal cracklings (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.05-1.66) and wheezing (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.31-2.03). In multivariate analysis, under-treatment significantly increased in-hospital mortality (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.29-3.52) compared to appropriate treatment. Over-treatment nonsignificantly increased in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 0.99-2.06). Inappropriate treatment is frequent in patients admitted to ED for dyspnea. Patients older than 75 years, with comorbidities (heart or lung disease), hypoxemia (SpO2 <90%) or abnormal pulmonary auscultation (especially wheezing) are at risk of inappropriate treatment.

Impact of emergency department length of stay on in-hospital mortality: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Emergency Department (ED) workload may lead to ED crowding and increased ED length of stay (LOS). ED crowding has been shown to be associated with adverse events and increasing mortality. We hypothesised that ED-LOS is associated with mortality. OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between ED-LOS and in-hospital mortality. DESIGN: Observational retrospective cohort study. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: From 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2018, all visits by patients aged 15 or older to one of the two ED at Toulouse University Hospital were screened. Patients admitted to the hospital after ED visits were included. Visits followed by ED discharge, in-ED death or transfer to ICU or another hospital were not included. OUTCOME MEASURE AND ANALYSIS: The primary outcome was 30-day in-hospital mortality. ED-LOS was defined as time from ED registration to inpatient admission. ED-LOS was categorised according to quartiles [<303 min (Q1), between 303 and 433 minutes (Q2), between 434 and 612 minutes (Q3) and >612 min (Q4)]. A multivariable logistic regression tested the association between ED-LOS and in-hospital mortality. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 49 913 patients were admitted to our hospital after ED visits and included in the study. ED-LOS was not independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Compared to ED-LOS < 303 min (Q1, reference), odd-ratios (OR) [95% CI] of in-hospital mortality for Q2, Q3, and Q4 were respectively 0.872 [0.747-1.017], 0.906 [0.777-1.056], and 1.137 [0.985-1.312]. Factors associated to in-hospital mortality were: aged over 75 years (OR [95% CI] = 4.3 [3.8-4.9]), Charlson Comorbidity Index score > 1 (OR [95% CI] = 1.3 [1.1-1.5], and 2.2 [1.9-2.5] for scores 2 and ≥ 3 respectively), high acuity at triage (OR [95% CI] = 3.9 [3.5-4.4]), ED visit at Hospital 1 (OR [95% CI] = 1.6 [1.4-1.7]), and illness diagnosis compared to trauma (OR [95% CI] = 2.1 [1.7-2.6]). Night-time arrival was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality (OR [95% CI] = 0.852 [0.767-0.947]). CONCLUSION: In this retrospective cohort study, there was no independent association between ED-LOS before admission to general non-ICU wards and in-patient mortality.

Do emergency medicine health care workers rate triage level of chest pain differently based upon appearance in simulated patients?

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: There seems to be evidence of gender and ethnic bias in the early management of acute coronary syndrome. However, whether these differences are related to less severe severity assessment or to less intensive management despite the same severity assessment has not yet been established. OBJECTIVE: To show whether viewing an image with characters of different gender appearance or ethnic background changes the prioritization decision in the emergency triage area. METHODS: The responders were offered a standardized clinical case in an emergency triage area. The associated image was randomized among eight standardized images of people presenting with chest pain and differing in gender and ethnic appearance (White, Black, North African and southeast Asian appearance). OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS: Each person was asked to respond to a single clinical case, in which the priority level [from 1 (requiring immediate treatment) to 5 (able to wait up to 2 h)] was assessed visually. Priority classes 1 and 2 for vital emergencies and classes 3-5 for nonvital emergencies were grouped together for analysis. RESULTS: Among the 1563 respondents [mean age, 36 ±â€…10 years; 867 (55%) women], 777 (50%) were emergency physicians, 180 (11%) emergency medicine residents and 606 (39%) nurses. The priority levels for all responses were 1-5 : 180 (11%), 686 (44%), 539 (34%), 131 (9%) and 27 (2%). There was a higher reported priority in male compared to female [62% vs. 49%, difference 13% (95% confidence interval; CI 8-18%)]. Compared to White people, there was a lower reported priority for Black simulated patients [47% vs. 58%, difference -11% (95% CI -18% to -4%)] but not people of southeast Asian [55% vs. 58%, difference -3% (95% CI -10-5%)] and North African [61% vs. 58%, difference 3% (95% CI -4-10%)] appearance. CONCLUSION: In this study, the visualization of simulated patients with different characteristics modified the prioritization decision. Compared to White patients, Black patients were less likely to receive emergency treatment. The same was true for women compared with men.

Overnight Stay in the Emergency Department and Mortality in Older Patients.

Importance: Patients in the emergency department (ED) who are waiting for hospital admission on a wheeled cot may be subject to harm. However, mortality and morbidity among older patients who spend the night in the ED while waiting for a bed in a medical ward are unknown. Objective: To assess whether older adults who spend a night in the ED waiting for admission to a hospital ward are at increased risk of in-hospital mortality. Design, Settings, and Participants: This was a prospective cohort study of older patients (≥75 years) who visited the ED and were admitted to the hospital on December 12 to 14, 2022, at 97 EDs across France. Two groups were defined and compared: those who stayed in the ED from midnight until 8:00 am (ED group) and those who were admitted to a ward before midnight (ward group). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was in-hospital mortality, truncated at 30 days. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital adverse events (ie, falls, infection, bleeding, myocardial infarction, stroke, thrombosis, bedsores, and dysnatremia) and hospital length of stay. A generalized linear-regression mixed model was used to compare end points between groups. Results: The total sample comprised 1598 patients (median [IQR] age, 86 [80-90] years; 880 [55%] female and 718 [45%] male), with 707 (44%) in the ED group and 891 (56%) in the ward group. Patients who spent the night in the ED had a higher in-hospital mortality rate of 15.7% vs 11.1% (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.39; 95% CI, 1.07-1.81). They also had a higher risk of adverse events compared with the ward group (aRR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.04-1.49) and increased median length of stay (9 vs 8 days; rate ratio, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.11-1.31). In a prespecified subgroup analysis of patients who required assistance with the activities of daily living, spending the night in the ED was associated with a higher in-hospital mortality rate (aRR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.25-2.61). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this prospective cohort study indicate that for older patients, waiting overnight in the ED for admission to a ward was associated with increased in-hospital mortality and morbidity, particularly in patients with limited autonomy. Older adults should be prioritized for admission to a ward.

Is a Positive Prehospital FAST Associated with Severe Bleeding? A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Severe hemorrhage is the leading cause of early preventable death in severe trauma patients. Delayed diagnosis is a poor prognostic factor, and severe hemorrhage prediction is essential. The aim of our study was to investigate if there was an association between the detection of peritoneal or pleural fluid on prehospital sonography for trauma and posttraumatic severe hemorrhage. METHODS: We retrospectively studied data from records of thoracic or abdominal trauma patients managed in mobile intensive care units from January 2017 to December 2021 in four centers in France. Severe hemorrhage was defined as a condition necessitating transfusion of at least four packed red blood cells or surgical intervention/radioembolization for hemostasis within the first 24 h. Using a multivariate analysis, we investigated the predictive performance of focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) alone or in combination with the five Red Flags criteria validated by Hamada et al. RESULTS: Among the 527 patients analyzed, 371 (71%) were men, the mean age was 41 ± 19 years, and the Injury Severity Score was 11 (Interquartile range = [5; 22]). Seventy-three (14%) patients had severe hemorrhage - of whom 28 (38%) had a positive FAST, compared to 61 (13%) without severe hemorrhage (p < 0.01). For severe hemorrhage prediction, FAST had a sensitivity of 38% (95%CI = [27%; 50%]) and a specificity of 87% (95%CI = [83%; 90%]) (AUC = 0.62, 95%CI = [0.57; 0.68]). The comparison of the other outcomes between positive and negative FAST was: hemostatic procedure, 22 (25%) vs 28 (6%), p < 0.01; intensive care unit admission 71 (80%) vs 190 (43%), p < 0.01; mean length of hospital stay 11 [4; 27] vs 4 [0; 14] days, p = 0.02; 30-day mortality 13 (15%) vs 22 (5%), p < 0.01. CONCLUSION: A positive FAST performed in the prehospital setting is associated with severe hemorrhage and all prognostic criteria we studied.

Performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T in predicting major cardiovascular events in patients admitted to the emergency department for syncope with normal ECG: An observational prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: History of syncope, clinical examination and electrocardiographic (ECG) findings are fundamental to assess the risk of major cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients attending the emergency department (ED) for syncope. However, in the absence of abnormal clinical examination findings or an abnormal ECG in the ED, transient rhythm or conduction disorders may not be safely excluded, hence predicting MACE remains challenging. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) may be a useful tool in this context. AIM: The primary objective was to evaluate the performance of hs-cTnT in the diagnosis of MACE at 30 days in patients attending the ED for syncope with a normal initial ECG. METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study that took place in the ED of a French university hospital between June 2018 and June 2019. Patients≥18 years admitted to the ED for syncope with a normal ECG were eligible. After receiving verbal consent from patients, the ED physician collected clinical and ECG data and all patients had a blood sample taken that included hs-cTnT measurement. The primary outcome was MACE within 30 days after the ED visit. MACE were evaluated by consulting the patient's medical records and telephoning patients or their general practitioners. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) for different hs-cTnT thresholds. RESULTS: Data from 246 patients were analysed, including 21 (9%) with MACE. Hs-cTnT had an area under the curve of 0.917 (CI: 0.872-0.962). Hs-cTnT with a threshold of 19ng/L had a sensitivity of 86% (CI: 64-97) and a specificity of 86% (CI: 81-90) for predicting MACE. CONCLUSION: Hs-cTnT may be a relevant tool for assessing MACE risk in patients with syncope and normal ECG results.

MEESSI-AHF score to estimate short-term prognosis of acute heart failure patients in the Emergency Department: a prospective and multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of acute heart failure (AHF) prognosis is primordial in emergency setting. Although AHF management is exhaustively codified using mortality predictors, there is currently no recommended scoring system for assessing prognosis. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommends a comprehensive assessment of global AHF prognosis, considering in-hospital mortality, early rehospitalization rates and the length of hospital stay. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to prospectively evaluate the performance of the Multiple Estimation of risk based on the Emergency department Spanish Score In patients with AHF (MEESSI-AHF) score in estimating short prognosis according to the ESC guidelines. DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PATIENTS: A multicenter study was conducted between November 2020, and June 2021. Adult patients who presented to eleven French hospitals for AHF were prospectively included. OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS: According to MEESSI-AHF score, patients were stratified in four categories corresponding to mortality risk: low-, intermediate-, high- and very high-risk groups. The primary outcome was the number of days alive and out of the hospital during the 30-day period following admission to the Emergency Department (ED). RESULTS: In total, 390 patients were included. The number of days alive and out of the hospital decreased significatively with increasing MEESSI-AHF risk groups, ranging from 21.2 days (20.3-22.3 days) for the low-risk, 20 days (19.3-20.5 days) for intermediate risk,18.6 days (17.6-19.6 days) for the high-risk and 17.9 days (16.9-18.9 days) very high-risk category. CONCLUSION: Among patients admitted to ED for an episode of AHF, the MEESSI-AHF score estimates with good performance the number of days alive and out of the hospital.

Predictive factors for early requirement of respiratory support through phone call to Emergency Medical Call Centre for dyspnoea: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Acute dyspnoea is a common symptom in Emergency Medicine, and severity assessment is difficult during the first time the patient calls the Emergency Medical Call Centre. OBJECTIVE: To identify predictive factors regarding the need for early respiratory support in patients who call the Emergency Medical Call Centre for dyspnoea. DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study carried out in the Emergency Medical Call Centre of the University Hospital of Toulouse from 1 July to 31 December 2019. Patients over the age of 15 who call the Emergency Medical Call Centre regarding dyspnoea and who were registered at the University Hospital or died before admission were included in our study. OUTCOME MEASURE AND ANALYSIS: The primary end-point was early requirement of respiratory support [including high-flow oxygen, non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or mechanical ventilation after intubation] that was initiated by the physicians staffed ambulance before admission to the hospital or within 3 h after being admitted. Associations with patients' characteristics identified during Emergency Medical Call Centre calls were assessed with a backward stepwise logistic regression after multiple imputations for missing values. MAIN RESULTS: During the 6-month inclusion period, 1425 patients called the Emergency Medical Call Centre for respiratory issues. After excluding 38 calls, 1387 were analyzed, including 208 (15%) patients requiring respiratory support. The most frequent respiratory support used was NIV (75%). Six independent predictive factors of requirement of respiratory support were identified: chronic ß2-mimetics medication [odds ratio (OR) = 2.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61-3.44], polypnea (OR = 5.78, 95% CI 2.74-12.22), altered ability to speak (OR = 2.35, 95% CI 1.55-3.55), cyanosis (OR = 2.79, 95% CI 1.81-4.32), sweats (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.25-3) and altered consciousness (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.08). CONCLUSION: During first calls for dyspnoea, six predictive factors are independently associated with the risk of early requirement of respiratory support.

Validation of the cutaneous impact location to predict intracranial lesion among elderly admitted to the Emergency Department after a ground-level fall.

INTRODUCTION: In the Emergency Departments, almost one out of two head CT scans are carried out for traumatic brain injuries among elderly victims of ground level-falls. Recently, a new predictive factor for intracranial lesions in this population has been suggested: presence and location of cutaneous impact. The aim of this study was to establish determinants of intracranial lesion among older patients admitted to EDs due to ground-level falls with traumatic brain injury using the head cutaneous impact location. METHODS: A retrospective, observational and monocentric study of patients admitted to Emergency Department for ground-level falls with traumatic brain injury was carried out between 01 January 2017 and 31 July 2017. The primary outcome was identification of an acute intracranial lesion. A bootstrap procedure was employed to evaluate performance and internal validity of the final model. RESULTS: Among the 1036 patients included, the mean age was 85.6 (SD 7.6) years and 94/1036 (9.1%, 95% CI 7.4-10.9) patients presented with an acute intracranial lesion. Multivariable analysis adjusted by bootstrap shrinkage showed that compared with temporal-parietal or occipital impact, Odds Ratio of intracranial lesions were 0.61 (95% CI 0.39-0.95, p = 0.03) in patients with frontal impact, 0.27 (95% CI 0.12-0.59, p = 0.001) in patients with facial impact and 0.21 (95% CI 0.06-0.77, p = 0.018) in patients without cutaneous impact. Subcutaneous hematoma (OR 1.97, p = 0.007), loss of consciousness (OR 4.66, p<0.001), fall-related amnesia (OR 2.58, p = 2.6), vomiting (OR 2.62, p = 0.002) and altered Glasgow Score (OR 6.79, p<0.001) were as well associated with high risk of intracranial lesion. Taking antiplatelets or anticoagulants were not associated with an increased risk of intracranial lesions. The model discrimination was adequate (C-statistic 0.79; 95% CI 0.73 - 0.85). CONCLUSION: Our results establish specific determinants of intracranial lesions among elderly after ground level-falls. The cutaneous impact location may identify patients with high risk of intracranial lesion. Further researches are needed to propose a specific score based on these determinants so as to better target Head CT scan use.

Teleconsultation at Sea and Acute Wound Management Onboard.

Introduction: The French Tele-Medical Assistance Service (TMAS) provides medical teleconsultation for any ship at sea. At the end of the consultation, the doctor decides whether the problem can be taken care of onboard or not. In this study, we determined the factors associated with the decision for disembarkation or evacuation in case of wounds. Methods: We conducted a retrospective epidemiological study between 2011 and 2019 from consultations with the French TMAS. The inclusion criterion was the presence of an acute wound. Results: One thousand six patients (n = 1,006) were analyzed and 586 (58%) patients were disembarked or evacuated. Factors associated with disembarkation or evacuation are wound characteristics (severity and location), the onboard staff's medical training, the availability of photography, and the ship's location. Wound severity is a risk factor for disembarkation or evacuation. The availability of photography, staff with advanced training, and being at >1 day of navigation from a harbor are protective factors against being disembarked or evacuated. Conclusion: The added value of photography and an update of medium medical training could increase the number of wounds taken care of onboard.

Is it valid to assess an individual's performance in team training simulation when the supporting team are confederates? A controlled and randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: During simulation training, the confederate is a member of the pedagogical team. Its role is to facilitate the interaction between participants and the environment, and is thought to increase realism and immersion. Its influence on participants' performance in full-scale simulation remains however unknown. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of the presence of confederates on the participants' performance during full-scale simulation of crisis medical situations. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized study comparing 2 parallel groups. Participants were emergency medicine residents engaging in a simulation session, with or without confederates. Participants were then evaluated on their Crisis Resource Management performance (CRM). The overall performance score on the Ottawa Global Rating Scale was assessed as primary outcome and the 5 non-technical CRM skills as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 63 simulation sessions, including 63 residents, were included for statistical analysis (n = 32 for Control group and 31 for Confederate group). The mean Overall Performance score was 3.9 ± 0.8 in the Control group and 4.0 ± 1.1 in the Confederate group, 95% confidence interval of the difference [-0.6; 0.4], p = 0.60. No significant differences between the two groups were observed on each CRM items (leadership, situational awareness, communication, problem solving, resource utilization) CONCLUSION: In this randomized and controlled study, the presence of confederates during full-scale simulated practice of crisis medical situations does not seem to influence the CRM skills performance of Emergency medicine residents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study does not need to be registered on Clintrial as it does not report a health care intervention on human participants.

Risk factors for the presence of important fractures in ED patients with shoulder dislocation: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Prereduction shoulder X-rays are frequently done to rule out an important fracture that might preclude reduction of a shoulder dislocation in the ED. Our objective was to determine the risk factors for an important fracture in patients admitted to the ED with shoulder dislocation. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Toulouse University Hospital from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2018. All patients admitted to the ED with clinical presentation of shoulder dislocation were included. The primary end point was the presence of an important fracture (excluding Bankart and Hill-Sachs fractures). Logistic regression was used to determine independent risk factors for the presence of an important fracture. RESULTS: Six hundred and two patients were included in the study and 81 (13%) had an important fracture. Three risk factors were associated with important fracture: age over 40 years (adjusted OR (aOR)=2.7; 95% CI 1.5 to 4.8), first incident (aOR=4.3; 95% CI 1.7 to 10.8) and the circumstances in which the trauma occurred (fall from a height or direct impact, fall of over 1 m, road accident or epilepsy) (aOR=5.5; 95% CI 2.6 to 30). One hundred sixty-six patients (28%) had no risk factors in our cohort. In the absence of these risk factors, the risk of an important fracture was found to be 0.6% (95% CI 0 to 3.3). CONCLUSION: We describe 3 independent clinical risk factors associated with an important fracture in ED patients with shoulder dislocation: age >40 years, first incident and a traumatic circumstance. Prereduction radiography may be safely avoided when these factors are absent.

Securing a diagnosis in patients presenting with suspected paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the most commonly ingested drug in self-poisoning. The correlation between an ingested self-reported dose of paracetamol and plasma paracetamol concentration is moderate. The usefulness of this correlation to rule out paracetamol ingestion has to be investigated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of medical history in diagnosis of paracetamol ingestion in patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) for deliberate self-poisoning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was carried out in two EDs at an urban university hospital in Toulouse, France, from January 1 to June 30, 2018. All patients older than 15 years of age attending the ED for suspected deliberate self-poisonings who underwent blood testing were included. Medical history was considered positive for paracetamol intoxication if patients directly reported the use of paracetamol for deliberate self-poisoning during their ED admission or if paramedics reported the presence of paracetamol packages at the patient's home. We defined paracetamol ingestion as any concentration of paracetamol > 5 mg/L measured on presentation. RESULTS: We included 709 patients. 151 (21%) patients had a positive plasma paracetamol concentration. 165 (23%) patients revealed a positive medical history in terms of paracetamol ingestion. 29 (4%) patients had a false-negative medical history, and 45 (6%) patients had a false-positive history. The sensitivity of the medical history (95% confidence interval) was 79% (72 - 87), and its specificity was 92% (89 - 94). CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of self-poisoning involving paracetamol cannot be made using patient's medical history alone. Screening for paracetamol intoxication is proposed.