Emergency department and transport predictors of neurological deterioration in patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and intracranial hypertension are associated with poor outcomes. Blood pressure variability (BPV) and neurological deterioration (ND) are known factors associated with sICH outcomes, but the relationship between BPV and ND in the hyperacute phase remains poorly described. We hypothesized that BPV is associated with ND during patients' initial emergency department (ED) stay and during interhospital transport (IHT) to a tertiary care center. METHODS: A retrospective study of adult patients with sICH was performed. Patients who were transferred from an ED to a tertiary care center between 01/01/2011 and 09/30/2015 and underwent external ventricular drainage were eligible. The outcome was ND at any time before arrival at a tertiary care center. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis, a machine learning algorithm, was used to assign "relative variable importance" (RVI) for important predictive clinical factors. RESULTS: 153 eligible patients were analyzed. Sixty-five (42%) patients developed ND. Maximum ED systolic blood pressure (ED SBPMax) was most predictive of sICH patients developing ND (RVI = 100%). Other important factors for ND included standard deviation in SBP (SBPSD) during ED stay and IHT, with RVI of 43% and 20%, respectively. CONCLUSION: ED SBPMax was the strongest predictive factor of ND, while other BPV components were also significant. Our study found evidence that BPV should be prioritized as it may also increase the risk of ND among patients with sICH who required external ventricular drain placement. Future studies should examine whether fluctuations in BP in an ED or IHT setting are associated with increased risk of worsening outcomes.

Examining Predictors of Early Admission and Transfer to the Critical Care Resuscitation Unit.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have demonstrated that rapid transfer to definitive care improves the outcomes for many time-sensitive conditions. The critical care resuscitation unit (CCRU) improves the operations of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) by expediting the transfers and resuscitations for critically ill patients who exceed the resources at other facilities. In this study we investigated CCRU transfer patterns to determine patient characteristics and logistical factors that influence bed assignments and transfer to the CCRU. We hypothesized that CCRU physicians prioritize transfer for critically ill patients. Therefore, those patients would be transferred faster. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of all non-traumatic adult patients transferred to the CCRU from other hospitals between January 1-December 31, 2018. The primary outcome was the interval from transfer request to CCRU bed assignment. The secondary outcome was the interval from transfer request to CCRU arrival. We used multivariate logistic regressions to determine associations with the outcomes of interest. RESULTS: A total of 1,741 patients were admitted to the CCRU during the 2018 calendar year. Of those patients, 1,422 were transferred from other facilities and were included in the final analysis. Patients' mean age was 57 ± 17 years with a median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score of 3 [interquartile range 1-6]. Median time from transfer request to CCRU bed assignment was 8 (0-70) minutes. A total of 776 (55%) patients underwent surgical intervention after arrival. Using the median transfer request to bed assignment time, we found that patients requiring stroke neurology (odds ratio [OR] 5.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.85-10.86), having higher SOFA score (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.001-1.07), and needing an immediate operation (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.98-4.13) were associated with immediate bed assignment time (≤8 minutes). Patients who were operated on (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.55-0.99) were significantly less likely to have an immediate bed assignment time. CONCLUSION: The CCRU expedited the transfer of critically ill patients who needed urgent interventions from outside facilities. Higher SOFA scores and the need for urgent neurological or surgical intervention were associated with near-immediate CCRU bed assignment. Other institutions with similar models to the CCRU should perform studies to confirm our observations.

Emergent Endoscopy for Esophageal Foreign Body Removal: The Impact of Location.

Background Timely intervention is essential for the successful removal of ingested foreign bodies. Emergent endoscopy (EGD) is usually performed in the emergency department (ED), operating room (OR), intensive care unit (ICU), or endoscopy suite. However, because the endoscopy suite is not always available, this study investigated the impact of location outside of the endoscopy suite on the successful removal of ingested foreign bodies and other patient outcomes. Methodology We reviewed charts of patients who underwent EGD for foreign body removal at an academic quaternary center between January 01, 2012, and December 31, 2020. We defined successful EGD as retrieval of the foreign body at the first attempt and not requiring subsequent endoscopy or surgical intervention. We performed descriptive and inferential statistical analyses and conducted classification and regression trees to compare endoscopy procedure length (EPL) and hospital length of stay (HLOS) between different locations. Results We analyzed 77 patients, of whom 13 (17%) underwent endoscopy in the ICU, 46 (60%) in the OR, and 18 (23%) in the ED. Endoscopic removal failed in four (5%) patients. Endoscopy length was significantly shorter in the OR (67 (48-122) minutes) versus the ICU (158 (95-166) minutes, P = 0.004) and the ED (111 (92-155) minutes, P = 0.009). Time to procedure was similar if the procedure was performed in the ED (278 minutes), the ICU (331 minutes), or the OR (378 minutes). The median (interquartile range) of HLOS for the OR group (0.87 (0.54-2.03) days) was significantly shorter than the ICU group (2.26 (1.47-6.91) days, P = 0.007). Conclusions While performing endoscopy for esophageal foreign body removal in the OR may be associated with a shorter EPL and HLOS, no location was inferior for overall outcomes. Further prospective and randomized studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Severe Bandemia Is Not Associated With Increased Risk for Adverse Events in General Pediatric Emergency Department Patients.

INTRODUCTION:  The presence of band cells > 10% of the total white blood cell (WBC) count ("bandemia") is often used as an indicator of serious bacterial illness (SBI). Results from studies of bandemia as a predictor of SBI were conflicting and little is known about the relationship between severe bandemia (SB) and clinical outcomes from SBI in children. We hypothesized that SB (band level > 20%) is not associated with adverse outcomes in an emergency department (ED) pediatric population. METHODS: Medical records from children between the ages of two months and 18 years with SB who presented to a tertiary referral regional hospital were studied. Outcomes were categorized as severe adverse events (SAEs) or moderate adverse events (MAEs). Multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the association between SB and outcomes. RESULTS:  We analyzed 102 patients. Mean age (standard deviation, SD) was 5.25 (0.5) years, 18 (18%) had MAE, 21 (21%) had SAE, and no patients died. Mean band levels were similar between groups: no adverse events 28 (10) vs. SAE 31 (9) vs. MAE 27 (8), p=0.64. Multivariate logistic regressions showed SB was not associated with any adverse events (odds ratio (OR) 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9-1.1, p=0.27). Non-normal X-ray (XR) (OR 17, 95% CI 3.3-90, p<0.001) was associated with MAE, while non-normal computerized tomography (CT) scan (OR 15.4, 95% CI 2.2-100+, p=0.002) was associated with SAE. CONCLUSION:  SB was not associated with higher odds of adverse events among the general ED pediatric population. Clinicians should base their clinical judgment on the overall context of history, physical examinations, and other laboratory and imaging data.