ACEP Now

DECEMBER 7, 2024

As emergency departments (EDs) have become the focus of bottlenecks in the entire health care systemfrom insufficient inpatient beds leading to hospital boarding to dwindling access to primary carea siege atmosphere has developed. Although EDs offer around-the-clock access to highly trained physicians and a full suite of imaging and laboratory services, their very success has led to tremendous overcrowding and enormous strains on staff.

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EMDocs

DECEMBER 7, 2024

We always work hard, but we may not have time to read through a bunch of journals. Its time to learn smarter. Originally published at JournalFeed , a site that provides daily or weekly literature updates. Follow Dr. Clay Smith at @spoonfedEM , and sign up for email updates here. #1: What Happened to Plain Albuterol? Meet the New Combo Inhalers Spoon Feed According to a large number of RCTs, both pediatric and adult patients seem to have better asthma control with combined asthma therapy: inhaled

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OR 89

ACEP Now

DECEMBER 7, 2024

The use of thrombolytics for acute ischemic stroke may be one of the most controversial topics in emergency medicine during the last several decades. This debate recurs in multiple forums including many previous pieces in ACEP Now. 1 The reason is understandablethrombolytics in stroke is a high-risk, higher-reward treatment. If the potential for harm were absent, or if the benefit of thrombolytics was only marginal, there would be no controversy.

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E-9-1-1 ED Emergency Department OR 98

Peter Canning

DECEMBER 7, 2024

Connecticut reached its 12-month rolling fatal overdose peak in November 2021. As of June 2024, overdoses are down 24.2%. This data comes from the CDC Vital Statistics web page that tracks overdoses in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. At the end of this post is the CDC’s list of those states and the date they hit peak overdose. (Note only three states (Alaska, Nevada and Utah) continue to show a rise.

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ACEP Now

DECEMBER 7, 2024

A 28-year-old female is brought to the emergency department (ED) by police after a sexual assault. She is visibly anxious and tearful. The police officer is waiting for the sexual assault evidence kit. What is the trauma-informed approach to care for this patient? Introduction The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines trauma as an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life

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Mental Health Services Emergency Department ED ALS 52

ACEP Now

DECEMBER 7, 2024

Approximately 60,000 to 100,000 patients die from pulmonary embolism (PE) each year in the United States, and PE is the third leading cause of cardiovascular mortality. 1 A wide spectrum of severity exists in PE presentations, ranging from mild shortness of breath to cardiac arrest. A PE is classified into one of three categories: low risk, submassive, and massive.

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