Diagnostic Performance of a Mnemonic for Warning Symptoms in Predicting Acute Coronary Syndrome Diagnosis: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: We aimed to create a mnemonic for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) warning symptoms and determine its diagnostic performance. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included patients visiting the emergency room with symptoms of suspected ACS during 2020-2021. The mnemonic was created using symptoms with an odds ratio (OR) for predicting ACS >1.0. The mnemonic with the highest OR and sensitivity was identified. Sensitivity analysis was performed to test the diagnostic performance of the mnemonic by patient subgroups commonly exhibiting atypical symptoms. Results: ACS prevalence was 12.2% (415/3,400 patients). The mnemonic, "RUSH ChesT" [if you experience referred pain (R), unexplained sweating (U), shortness of breath (S), or heart fluttering (H) together with chest pain (C), visit the hospital in a timely (T) manner] had the best OR [7.81 (5.93-10.44)] and sensitivity [0.81 (0.77-0.85)]. This mnemonic had equal sensitivity in men and women, the elderly and adults, smokers and non-smokers, and those with and without diabetes or hypertension. Conclusion: The "RUSH ChesT" mnemonic shows good diagnostic performance for patient suspected ACS. It may effectively help people memorize ACS warning symptoms.

Comparison of Sustained Return of Spontaneous Circulation Rate Between Manual and Mechanical Chest Compression in Adult Cardiac Arrest.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the rates of sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) between manual and mechanical chest compression in adult non-traumatic cardiac arrest. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from 2017 to 2019. The medical records were reviewed in 227 cardiac arrest patients aged ≥18 years who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest or cardiac arrest while visiting the emergency department (ED). The patients were divided into manual chest compression and mechanical chest compression groups. The two groups were compared in terms of baseline characteristics, time to arrive at the ED, time to basic life support, initial rhythm, time to defibrillation in the shockable group, time to the first dose of adrenaline, and possible cause of arrest. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the factors associated with ROSC. Results: A total of 227 patients met the inclusion criteria:193 patients in the manual chest compression group and 34 patients in the mechanical chest compression group. The rate of sustained ROSC in the manual chest compression group was higher (43% vs 8.8%; P < 0.001). The significant factors associated with ROSC were witnessed cardiac arrest (odds ratio (OR) = 3.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94-12.4), ED arrival by basic ambulance service (OR = 1.93; 95% CI 0.86-4.35), cardiac arrest at the ED (OR = 3.69; 95% CI 1.73-7.88), and cardiac arrest from hypoxia (OR = 2.01; 95% CI 1.02-3.97). Conclusion: Mechanical chest compression was not associated with sustained ROSC and tended to be selectively used in patients with a prolonged duration of cardiac arrest.

Predictive Factors of 30-day Adverse Events in Acute Heart Failure after Discharge from Emergency Department; a Historical Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: The rates of unscheduled emergency department (ED) visits and readmissions after discharge from the ED in acute heart failure (AHF) patients are high. This study aimed to identify the predictive factors of 30-day adverse events after discharge from the ED. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted from 2017 to 2019 in patients diagnosed with AHF and discharged from the ED at a tertiary university hospital. Thirty-day adverse events were defined as (i) unscheduled revisit to the ED with AHF, (ii) hospital admission from AHF, and, (iii) death after discharge from the ED. The predictive factors of 30-day adverse events were examined using multivariate analyses by logistic regression. RESULTS: 421 patients with the median age of 73 (IQR: 63-81) years were studied (52.3% male). 81 (19.2%) patients had 30-day adverse events. Significant predictive factors of 30-day adverse events consisted of underlying valvular heart disease (OR = 2.46; 95%CI: 1.27-4.78; p = 0.008), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR = 0.08; 95%CI: 0.01-0.64; p=0.001), malignancy (OR=3.63; 95%CI: 1.17-11.24; p = 0.031), New York Heart Association functional class III (OR = 4.88; 95%CI: 0.93-25.59) and IV (OR = 7.23; 95% CI: 1.37-38.08) at the ED (p = 0.035), and serum sodium <135 mmol/L (OR = 2.20; 95%CI: 1.17-4.14; p = 0.014). Precipitating factors were anemia (OR = 2.42; 95%CI: 1.16-5.02; p = 0.021), progressive valvular heart disease (OR = 3.52; 95%CI: 1.35-7.85; p = 0.009), acute kidney injury (OR = 6.98; 95%CI: 2.32-20.96; p < 0.001), time to diuretic administration >60 minutes after ED arrival (OR = 3.89; 95%CI: 2.16-7.00; p < 0.001), and no discharge advice for follow-up (OR = 2.30; 95%CI: 1.10-4.77; p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: AHF patients who had good response to intravenous diuretics and were discharged from the ED were at high risk for 30-day adverse events. Ten factors predicted 30-day adverse events after discharge from the ED.

Door-to-antibiotic Time and In-hospital Mortality of Elder Patients Presenting to Emergency Department with Sepsis; a Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: The current international sepsis guideline recommends that administration of intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics should be initiated within 1 hour of emergency department (ED) arrival for sepsis patients. This study aimed to evaluate the association between door-to-antibiotic time and in-hospital mortality of these patients. METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, elderly patients (age ≥65 years) diagnosed with sepsis in the ED of a tertiary referral and academic hospital from January to December 2019 were enrolled. Door-to-antibiotic time was defined as the time from ED arrival to antibiotic initiation. The associations of door-to-antibiotic time and each hour delay in first antibiotic initiation with in-hospital mortality were assessed. RESULTS: Six hundred patients with the median age of 78.0 (IQR: 72.0-86.0) were studied (50.8% female). The median door-to-antibiotic time was 51.0 (36.0 - 89.0) minutes and in-hospital mortality rate was 12.5%. There was no significant difference in the in-hospital mortality rate between door-to-antibiotic time ≤1 hour and >1 hour (13.1% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.726). When considering hour-upon-hour of door-to-antibiotic time, no significant difference in in-hospital mortality was observed (p = 0.866). Factors that led to a delay in door-to-antibiotic time were presenting body temperature <38°C (odds ratio [OR] 3.34; 95% CI, 2.12-5.29; p < 0.001) and age <75 years (OR 1.7; 95% CI, 1.09-2.64; p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: Door-to-antibiotic time was not associated with in-hospital mortality in elderly sepsis patients in this study. Significant factors that led to a delay in door-to-antibiotic time were no fever, age <75 years, doctor time, and blood sample taking time.

Validation of Songklanagarind Pediatric Triage Model in the Emergency Department; a Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: An effective triage needs to consider many factors, such as good triage protocol, experienced triage nurses, and patient factors. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of Songklanagarind Pediatric Triage (SPT) for triage of pediatric patients in the emergency department (ED) and identify the factors associated with triage appropriateness. METHODS: This study was done in two phases. In the first phase, a team of emergency physicians, a pediatric emergency physician, and a pediatric critical care physician developed SPT model by considering and combining Emergency Severity Index (ESI), Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT), Pediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (PaedCTAS), and Pediatric Septic Shock early warning signs protocol of the hospital as the core concept. In the second phase, a prospective observational study was conducted in the ED of Songklanagarind Hospital, which is a tertiary university hospital in southern Thailand, from September to October 2019 to evaluate the accuracy of the developed triage model. RESULTS: A total of 520 pediatric patients met the inclusion criteria. The pediatric triage model had sensitivity and specificity values of 98.28% and 26.24%, respectively, and positive and negative predictive values of 27.67% and 98.15%, respectively, in prediction of death, hospitalization, and resource utilization. The rates of appropriate triage, over-triage, and under-triage were 68.8%, 28.5%, and 2.7%, respectively. Significant factors associated with appropriateness of triage were underlying disease of the respiratory system (OR = 4.16, 95%CI: 1.75‒9.23), fever (OR = 0.60, 95%CI: 0.41‒0.88), dyspnea (OR: 6.38, 95%CI: 2.51‒16.22), diarrhea (OR = 0.26, 95%CI: 0.09‒0.73), oxygen saturation <95% (OR = 3.18, 95%CI: 1.09‒9.27), accessory muscle use during breathing (OR = 3.67, 95%CI: 1.09‒12.41), and wheezing or rhonchi (OR = 6.96, 95%CI: 3.14‒15.43). CONCLUSION: SPT showed good correlation of hospital admission rates and resource utilization with pediatric triage level of urgency. However, further efforts are needed to decrease the rates of over- and under-triage.

Predictive Factors and Clinical Prediction Score for Serious Intracranial Causes in Acute Nontraumatic Headache at an Emergency Department.

PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were to investigate the predictive factors and develop a clinical prediction score to identify serious intracranial causes in acute nontraumatic headache (NTH). METHODS: A retrospective chart review study was conducted from 2013 to 2018 in acute NTH patients who visited the emergency department. The patients were divided into serious intracranial headache and nonserious intracranial headache groups. The two groups were compared in regard to the baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, physical examination, investigation, and diagnosis. The significant factors to predict a serious intracranial cause were examined using a multivariate logistic regression model. The coefficients from the multivariate logistic regression were used to plot the receiver operating characteristic curve to develop a clinical prediction score. RESULTS: From 2,372 patients, 454 met the inclusion criteria. Of the 454 patients with acute NTH, 88 (19.4%) patients were serious intracranial cause. The seven significant factors that predicted serious intracranial cause were abrupt onset (odds ratio (OR) 7.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.77‒22.91), awakening pain (OR 3.14, 95% CI 4.15-6.82), duration of headache >1 week (OR 10.59, 95% CI 2.9-38.7), fever (OR 6.01, 95% CI 2.07-17.46), worst headache ever (OR 12.95, 95% CI 5.69-29.45), alteration of consciousness (OR 13.55, 95% CI 2.07‒88.88), and localizing neurological deficit (OR 5.28, 95% CI 1.6‒17.46). A score ≥3 out of 10 points of the clinical prediction score was likely to identify a serious intracranial cause of acute NTH with a sensitivity and specificity of 87.50% (95% CI 78.73-93.59%) and 87.70% (95% CI 83.90-90.89%), respectively. The area under the curve was 0.933. CONCLUSION: Abrupt onset, awakening pain, duration of headache >1 week, fever, worst headache ever, alteration of consciousness, and localizing neurological deficit were the significant predictive factors for serious intracranial cause of acute NTH.

Risk factors associated with perforated acute appendicitis in geriatric emergency patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with perforated acute appendicitis in geriatric patients at the emergency department (ED). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of 223 consecutive patients aged >60 years with acute appendicitis between 2006 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped into those with perforated and non-perforated appendicitis. A comparison was made between the two groups in regard to baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, physical examination, time from onset of symptoms to ED arrival, time from ED arrival to operation, postoperative complications, hospital length of stay, and mortality. Significant factors associated with perforated appendicitis were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses by logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 78 (35%) patients had perforated appendicitis. Four significant factors associated with perforated appendicitis were as follows: 1) time duration from onset of symptoms to ED arrival >24 hours (OR 2.49, CI 1.33-4.68); 2) heart rate ≥90 beats/minute (OR 1.93, CI 1.04-3.59); 3) respiratory rate ≥20 breaths/minute (OR 2.54, CI 1.33-4.84); and 4) generalized guarding (OR 12.58, CI 1.43-110.85). CONCLUSION: Time duration from onset of symptoms to ED arrival >24 hours, heart rate ≥90 beats/minute, respiratory rate ≥20 breaths/minute, and generalized guarding were the significant factors associated with perforated acute appendicitis in geriatric patients.