Tim Alex Lindskou, Søren Bie Bogh, Torben Anders Kløjgaard, Marianne Fløjstrup, Fredrik Folke, Ulla Væggemose, Helle Collatz Christensen, Erika Frischknecht Christensen, Mikkel Brabrand, Søren Mikkelsen
{"title":"Patients' use of Danish emergency medical services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a register-based study","authors":"Tim Alex Lindskou, Søren Bie Bogh, Torben Anders Kløjgaard, Marianne Fløjstrup, Fredrik Folke, Ulla Væggemose, Helle Collatz Christensen, Erika Frischknecht Christensen, Mikkel Brabrand, Søren Mikkelsen","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01267-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01267-1","url":null,"abstract":"During the COVID-19 pandemic, disturbing images of ambulances unable to respond to the demands for prehospital assistance appeared from several parts of the world. In Denmark, however, a notion occurred that the demands for emergency medical assistance declined. The purpose of this study was to compare the patients' use of the Danish Emergency Medical Services (EMS) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, we investigated the overall mortality of the ambulance population, the main reason for calling the emergency medical dispatch centre, and the diagnosis assigned to the admitted patients. The study was a nationwide registry-based cohort study based on the national prehospital medical records and the Danish National Patient Registry. The primary outcome was the requested number of ambulances. Secondary outcomes included the primary reason for contact with the dispatch centre (reflected by the dispatch criteria), patient mortality, and the diagnoses assigned to the patients transported to the hospital by ambulance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark in March–December 2020. Comparisons were made using a similar period in 2019 before the pandemic. In comparison with the baseline values before the pandemic, the total number of patients treated by the EMS was reduced by 4.5% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of patients transported to the hospital during the pandemic was similarly reduced by 3.5%. Compared with baseline values, fewer were patients hospitalised with respiratory diseases during the pandemic (a reduction of 53.3% from April 2019 to April 2020). Compared to the baseline period, there were significant increases in both the 48-h mortality (from 1.4% to 1.5%) and the 30-day mortality (from 4.9% to 5.4%) (p < 0.03 and p < 0.001, respectively), in patients hospitalised during the pandemic. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Danish EMS experienced an overall reduction in the requests for and the use of ambulances and, especially, in the number of patients admitted to hospitals for respiratory diseases. Despite the overall reduction in EMS requests, the mortality of the ambulance population increased, indicating that despite the reduced ambulance use, the prehospital population was more severely ill during the pandemic.","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142250992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Li Jin Yang, Philipp Lassarén, Filippo Londi, Leonardo Palazzo, Alexander Fletcher-Sandersjöö, Kristian Ängeby, Eric Peter Thelin, Rebecka Rubenson Wahlin
{"title":"Risk factors for traumatic intracranial hemorrhage in mild traumatic brain injury patients at the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Li Jin Yang, Philipp Lassarén, Filippo Londi, Leonardo Palazzo, Alexander Fletcher-Sandersjöö, Kristian Ängeby, Eric Peter Thelin, Rebecka Rubenson Wahlin","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01262-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01262-6","url":null,"abstract":"Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), i.e. a TBI with an admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 13–15, is a common cause of emergency department visits. Only a small fraction of these patients will develop a traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (tICH) with an even smaller subgroup suffering from severe outcomes. Limitations in existing management guidelines lead to overuse of computed tomography (CT) for emergency department (ED) diagnosis of tICH which may result in patient harm and higher healthcare costs. To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterize known and potential novel risk factors that impact the risk of tICH in patients with mTBI to provide a foundation for improving existing ED guidelines. The literature was searched using MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases. Reference lists of major literature was cross-checked. The outcome variable was tICH on CT. Odds ratios (OR) were pooled for independent risk factors. After completion of screening, 17 papers were selected for inclusion, with a pooled patient population of 26,040 where 2,054 cases of tICH were verified through CT (7.9%). Signs of a skull base fracture (OR 11.71, 95% CI 5.51–24.86), GCS < 15 (OR 4.69, 95% CI 2.76–7.98), loss of consciousness (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.83–3.61), post-traumatic amnesia (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.27–3.57), post-traumatic vomiting (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.11–3.76), antiplatelet therapy (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.10–2.15) and male sex (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.11–1.49) were determined in the data synthesis to be statistically significant predictors of tICH. Our meta-analysis provides additional context to predictors associated with high and low risk for tICH in mTBI. In contrast to signs of a skull base fracture and reduction in GCS, some elements used in ED guidelines such as anticoagulant use, headache and intoxication were not predictive of tICH. Even though there were multiple sources of heterogeneity across studies, these findings suggest that there is potential for improvement over existing guidelines as well as a the need for better prospective trials with consideration for common data elements in this area. PROSPERO registration number CRD42023392495.","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142250993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring ambulance clinicians’ clinical reasoning when training mass casualty incidents using virtual reality: a qualitative study","authors":"S. Heldring, V. Lindström, M. Jirwe, J. Wihlborg","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01255-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01255-5","url":null,"abstract":"How ambulance clinicians (ACs) handle a mass casualty incident (MCI) is essential for the suffered, but the training and learning for the ACs are sparse and they don’t have the possibility to learn without realistic simulation training. In addition, it is unclear what type of dilemmas ACs process in their clinical reasoning during an MCI. With virtual reality (VR) simulation, the ACs clinical reasoning can be explored in a systematic way. Therefore, the objective was to explore ambulance clinicians’ clinical reasoning when simulating a mass casualty incident using virtual reality. This study was conducted as an explorative interview study design using chart- stimulated recall technique for data collection. A qualitative content analysis was done, using the clinical reasoning cycle as a deductive matrix. A high-fidelity VR simulation with MCI scenarios was used and participants eligible for inclusion were 11 senior ACs. All phases of the clinical reasoning cycle were found to be reflected upon by the participants during the interviews, however with a varying richness of analytic reflectivity. Non-analytic reasoning predominated when work tasks followed specific clinical guidelines, but analytical reasoning appeared when the guidelines were unclear or non-existent. Using VR simulation led to training and reflection on action in a safe and systematic way and increased self-awareness amongst the ACs regarding their preparedness for MCIs. This study increases knowledge both regarding ACs clinical reasoning in MCIs, and insights regarding the use of VR for simulation training.","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142250994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qingsong Chen, Guangbin Huang, Tao Li, Qi Zhang, Ping He, Jun Yang, Yongming Li, Dingyuan Du
{"title":"Insights into epidemiological trends of severe chest injuries: an analysis of age, period, and cohort from 1990 to 2019 using the Global Burden of Disease study 2019","authors":"Qingsong Chen, Guangbin Huang, Tao Li, Qi Zhang, Ping He, Jun Yang, Yongming Li, Dingyuan Du","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01258-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01258-2","url":null,"abstract":"This study assessed the global trends and burden of severe chest injury, including rib fractures, lung contusions, and heart injuries from 1990 to 2019. Herein, we predicted the burden patterns and temporal trends of severe chest injuries to provide epidemiological evidence globally and in China. In our analysis, the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), prevalence rate (ASPR), and years lived with disability rate (ASYR) of severe chest injury were analyzed by gender, age, sociodemographic index, and geographical region between 1990 and 2019 using data from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019. Trends were depicted by calculating the estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs). The impact of age, period, and cohort factors was assessed using an Age-Period-Cohort model. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was employed to predict severe chest injury trends from 2020 to 2050. In 2019, the global number of severe chest injury cases reached 7.95 million, with the highest incidence rate observed in Central Europe (209.61). Afghanistan had the highest ASIRs at 277.52, while North Korea had the lowest ASIRs at 41.02. From 1990 to 2019, the Syrian Arab Republic saw significant increases in ASIR, ASPR, and ASYR, with EAPCs of 10.4%, 9.31%, and 10.3%, respectively. Burundi experienced a decrease in ASIR with an EAPC of − 6.85% (95% confidence interval [CI] − 11.11, − 2.37), while Liberia’s ASPR and ASYR declined with EAPCs of − 3.22% (95% CI − 4.73, − 1.69) and − 5.67% (95% CI − 8.00, − 3.28), respectively. Falls and road injuries remained the most common causes. The relative risk of severe chest injury by age, period, and cohort demonstrated a complex effect globally and in China. The ARIMA model forecasted a steady increase in global numbers from 2020 to 2050, while in China, it forecasted an increase in incidence, a decrease in ASIR and ASYR, and an increase in ASPR. This study provides a groundbreaking analysis of global severe chest injury, shedding light on its measures and impact. These findings highlight the need for timely, specialized care and addressing regional disparities to mitigate the severe chest injury burden.","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142250995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leo Benning, Gisbert W. Teepe, Jan Kleinekort, Jorun Thoma, Michael Clemens Röttger, Andrea Prunotto, Dominik Gottlieb, Stefan Klöppel, Hans-Jörg Busch, Felix P. Hans
{"title":"Workplace violence against healthcare workers in the emergency department — a 10-year retrospective single-center cohort study","authors":"Leo Benning, Gisbert W. Teepe, Jan Kleinekort, Jorun Thoma, Michael Clemens Röttger, Andrea Prunotto, Dominik Gottlieb, Stefan Klöppel, Hans-Jörg Busch, Felix P. Hans","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01250-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01250-w","url":null,"abstract":"Medical staff are regularly confronted with workplace violence (WPV), which poses a threat to the safety of both staff and patients. Structured de-escalation training (DET) for Emergency Department (ED) staff has been shown to positively affect the reporting of WPV incidents and possibly reduce its impact. This study aimed to describe the development of incidence rates, causes, means, targets, locations, responses, and the time of WPV events. Additionally, it explored the effect of the staff trained in DET on the objective and subjective severity of the respective WPV events. In a retrospective, single-center cohort study, we analyzed ten years of WPV events using the data of Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised (SOAS-R) score (ranging from 0 to 22) in a tertiary ED from 2014 to 2023. The events were documented by ED staff and stored in the electronic health record (EHR). Between 2014 and 2023, 160 staff members recorded 859 incidents, noting an average perceived severity of 5.78 (SD = 2.65) and SOAS-R score of 11.18 (SD = 4.21). Trends showed a non-significant rise in incident rates per 10,000 patients over time. The WPV events were most frequently reported by nursing staff, and the cause of the aggression was most often not discernible (n = 353, 54.56%). In total, n = 273 (31.78%) of the WPV events were categorized as severe, and the most frequent target of the aggressive behavior was the staff. WPV events occurred most frequently in the traumatology section and the detoxification rooms. While the majority of events could be addressed with verbal interventions, more forceful interventions were performed significantly more often for higher severity WPV events. More WPV events occurred during off-hours and were of a significantly higher objective and subjective severity. Overall, the presence of staff with completed DET led to significantly higher SOAS-R scores and higher perceived severity. The findings underline the relevance of WPV events in the high-risk environment of an ED. The analyzed data suggest that DET significantly fostered the awareness of WPV. While most events can be addressed with verbal interventions, WPV remains a concern that needs to be addressed through organizational measures and further research.","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142251040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Thea Palsgaard Møller, Josefine Tangen Jensen, Roar Borregaard Medici, Søren Steemann Rudolph, Lars Bredevang Andersen, Jakob Roed, Stig Nikolaj Fasmer Blomberg, Helle Collatz Christensen, Mark Edwards
{"title":"Survival of the fastest? A descriptive analysis of severely injured trauma patients primarily admitted or secondarily transferred to major trauma centers in a Danish inclusive trauma system","authors":"Thea Palsgaard Møller, Josefine Tangen Jensen, Roar Borregaard Medici, Søren Steemann Rudolph, Lars Bredevang Andersen, Jakob Roed, Stig Nikolaj Fasmer Blomberg, Helle Collatz Christensen, Mark Edwards","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01265-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01265-3","url":null,"abstract":"Trauma systems are crucial for enhancing survival and quality of life for trauma patients. Understanding trauma triage and patient outcomes is essential for optimizing resource allocation and trauma care. The aim was to explore prehospital trauma triage in Region Zealand, Denmark. Specifically, characteristics for patients who were either primarily admitted or secondarily transferred to major trauma centers were described. A retrospective descriptive study of severely injured trauma patients was conducted from January 2017 to December 2021. The study comprised 744 patients including 55.6% primary and 44.4% secondary patients. Overall, men accounted for 70.2% of patients, and 66.1% were aged 18–65 years. The secondary patients included more women—34.2% versus 26.3% and a higher proportion of Injury Severity Score of ≥ 15—59.6% versus 47.8%, compared to primary patients. 30-day survival was higher for secondary patients—92.7% versus 87%. Medical dispatchers assessed urgency as Emergency level A for 98.1% of primary patients and 86.3% for secondary patients. Physician-staffed prehospital units attended primary patients first more frequently—17.1% versus 3.5%. Response times were similar, but time at scene was longer for primary patients whereas time from injury to arrival at a major trauma center was longer for secondary patients. Secondary trauma patients had higher Injury Severity Scores and better survival rates. They were considered less urgent by medical dispatchers and less frequently assessed by physician-staffed units. Prospective quality data are needed for further investigation of optimal triage and continuous quality improvement in trauma care.","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142251041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jasper Eddison, Oscar Millerchip, Alex Rosenberg, Asher Lewinsohn, James Raitt
{"title":"Clinicians’ experience of barriers and facilitators to care delivery of an extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation service for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a qualitative survey","authors":"Jasper Eddison, Oscar Millerchip, Alex Rosenberg, Asher Lewinsohn, James Raitt","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01261-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01261-7","url":null,"abstract":"Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival in the UK remains overall poor with fewer than 10% of patients surviving to hospital discharge. Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is a developing therapy option that can improve survival in select patients if treatment begins within an hour. Clinicians' perspectives are a pivotal consideration to the development of effective systems for OHCA ECPR, but they have been infrequently explored. This study investigates clinicians' views on the barriers and facilitators to establishing effective systems to facilitate transport of OHCA patients for in-hospital ECPR. In January 2023, Thames Valley Air Ambulance (TVAA) and Harefield Hospital developed an ECPR partnership pathway for conveyance of OHCA patients for in-hospital ECPR. The authors of this study conducted a survey of clinicians across both services looking to identify clear barriers and positive contributors to the effective implementation of the programme. The survey included questions about technical and non-technical barriers and facilitators, with free-text responses analysed thematically. Responses were received from 14 pre-hospital TVAA critical care and 9 in-hospital clinicians’ representative of various roles and experiences. Data analysis revealed 10 key themes and 19 subthemes. The interconnected themes, identified by pre-hospital TVAA critical care clinicians as important barriers or facilitators in this ECPR system included educational programmes; collectiveness in effort and culture; teamwork; inter-service communication; concurrent activity; and clarity of procedures. Themes from in-hospital clinicians’ responses were distilled into key considerations focusing on learning and marginal gains, standardising and simplifying protocols, training and simulation; and nurturing effective teams. This study identified several clear themes and subthemes from clinical experience that should be considered when developing and modelling an ECPR system for OHCA. These insights may inform future development of ECPR programmes for OHCA in other centres. Key recommendations identified include prioritising education and training (including regular simulations), standardising a ‘pitstop style’ handover process, establishing clear roles during the cannulation process and developing standardised protocols and selection criteria. This study also provides insight into the feasibility of using pre-hospital critical care teams for intra-arrest patient retrieval in the pre-hospital arena.","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142204660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sang-Min Kim, Chang Hwan Sohn, Hyojeong Kwon, Seung Mok Ryoo, Shin Ahn, Dong Woo Seo, Won Young Kim
{"title":"Thromboelastography as an early prediction method for hypofibrinogenemia in emergency department patients with primary postpartum hemorrhage","authors":"Sang-Min Kim, Chang Hwan Sohn, Hyojeong Kwon, Seung Mok Ryoo, Shin Ahn, Dong Woo Seo, Won Young Kim","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01263-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01263-5","url":null,"abstract":"Timely and accurate assessment of coagulopathy is crucial for the management of primary postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Thromboelastography (TEG) provides a comprehensive assessment of coagulation status and is useful for guiding the treatment of hemorrhagic events in various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the role of TEG in predicting hypofibrinogenemia in emergency department (ED) patients with primary PPH. We conducted a retrospective observational study in the ED of a university-affiliated tertiary hospital between November 2015 and August 2023. TEG was performed upon admission. The cutoff value for hypofibrinogenemia was 200 mg/dL. The primary outcome was the presence of hypofibrinogenemia. Among the 174 patients, 73 (42.0%) had hypofibrinogenemia. The need for massive transfusion was higher in the hypofibrinogenemia group (37.0% vs. 5.0%, p < 0.001). Among the TEG parameters, all values were significantly different between the groups, except for lysis after 30 min, suggesting a tendency toward hypocoagulability. Multivariable analysis revealed that the alpha angle (odds ratio (OR) 0.924, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.876–0.978) and maximum amplitude (MA) (OR 0.867, 95% CI 0.801–0.938) were independently associated with hypofibrinogenemia. The optimal cutoff values for the alpha angle and maximum amplitude (MA) for hypofibrinogenemia were 63.8 degrees and 56.1 mm, respectively. Point-of-care TEG could be a valuable tool for the early identification of hypofibrinogenemia in ED patients with primary PPH.","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142204681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Markus Haar, Jakob Müller, Daniela Hartwig, Julia von Bargen, Rikus Daniels, Pauline Theile, Stefan Kluge, Kevin Roedl
{"title":"Intensive care unit cardiac arrest among very elderly critically ill patients – is cardiopulmonary resuscitation justified?","authors":"Markus Haar, Jakob Müller, Daniela Hartwig, Julia von Bargen, Rikus Daniels, Pauline Theile, Stefan Kluge, Kevin Roedl","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01259-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01259-1","url":null,"abstract":"The proportion of very elderly patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) is expected to rise. Furthermore, patients are likely more prone to suffer a cardiac arrest (CA) event within the ICU. The occurrence of intensive care unit cardiac arrest (ICU-CA) is associated with high mortality. To date, the incidence of ICU-CA and its clinical impact on outcome in the very old (≥ 90 years) patients treated is unknown. Retrospective analysis of all consecutive critically ill patients ≥ 90 years admitted to the ICU of a tertiary care university hospital in Hamburg (Germany). All patients suffering ICU-CA were included and CA characteristics and functional outcome was assessed. Clinical course and outcome were assessed and compared between the subgroups of patients with and without ICU-CA. 1,108 critically ill patients aged ≥ 90 years were admitted during the study period. The median age was 92.3 (91.0–94.2) years and 67% (n = 747) were female. 2% (n = 25) of this cohort suffered ICU-CA after a median duration 0.5 (0.2–3.2) days of ICU admission. The presumed cause of ICU-CA was cardiac in 64% (n = 16). The median resuscitation time was 10 (2–15) minutes and the initial rhythm was shockable in 20% (n = 5). Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) could be achieved in 68% (n = 17). The cause of ICU admission was primarily medical in the total cohort (ICU-CA: 48% vs. No ICU-CA: 34%, p = 0.13), surgical - planned (ICU-CA: 32% vs. No ICU-CA: 37%, p = 0.61) and surgical - unplanned/emergency (ICU-CA: 43% vs. No ICU-CA: 28%, p = 0.34). The median Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was 2 (1–3) points for patients with ICU-CA and 1 (0–2) for patients without ICU-CA (p = 0.54). Patients with ICU-CA had a higher disease severity according to SAPS II (ICU-CA: 54 vs. No ICU-CA: 36 points, p < 0.001). Patients with ICU-CA had a higher rate of mechanically ventilation (ICU-CA: 64% vs. No ICU-CA: 34%, p < 0.01) and required vasopressor therapy more often (ICU-CA: 88% vs. No ICU-CA: 41%, p < 0.001). The ICU and in-hospital mortality was 88% (n = 22) and 100% (n = 25) in patients with ICU-CA compared to 17% (n = 179) and 28% (n = 306) in patients without ICU-CA. The mortality rate for patients with ICU-CA was observed to be 88% (n = 22) in the ICU and 100% (n = 25) in-hospital. In contrast, patients without ICU-CA had an in-ICU mortality rate of 17% (n = 179) and an in-hospital mortality rate of 28% (n = 306) (both p < 0.001). The occurrence of ICU-CA in very elderly patients is rare but associated with high mortality. Providing CPR in this cohort did not lead to long-term survival at our centre. Very elderly patients admitted to the ICU likely benefit from supportive care only and should probably not be resuscitated due to poor chance of survival and ethical considerations. Providing personalized assurances that care will remain appropriate and in accordance with the patient’s and family’s wishes can optimise compassionate care while avoiding futile life-sustaining interven","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142204682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katharina Verleger, Antje Fischer-Rosinsky, Martin Möckel, Anna Schneider, Anna Slagman, Thomas Keil, Liane Schenk
{"title":"Health care utilization of patients with acute abdominal pain before and after emergency department visits","authors":"Katharina Verleger, Antje Fischer-Rosinsky, Martin Möckel, Anna Schneider, Anna Slagman, Thomas Keil, Liane Schenk","doi":"10.1186/s13049-024-01237-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-024-01237-7","url":null,"abstract":"Acute abdominal pain (AAP) is a major driver for capacity-use in emergency departments (EDs) worldwide. Yet, the health care utilization of patients with AAP before and after the ED remains unclear. The primary objective of this study was to describe adult patients presenting to the ED with AAP and their outpatient care (OC) use before and after the ED. Secondary objectives included description of hospitalization rates, in-hospital mortality, ED re-visits, and exploration of potential risk factors for hospitalization and ED re-visits. For the analysis, we combined routine hospital data from patients who visited 15 EDs in Germany in 2016 with their statutory health insurance OC claims data from 2014 to 2017. Adult patients were included based on a chief complaint or an ED diagnosis indicating unspecific AAP or the Manchester Triage System indicator “Abdominal pain in adults”. Baseline characteristics, ED diagnosis, frequency and reason of hospitalization, frequency and type of prior-OC (prOC) use up to 3 days before and of post-OC use up to 30 days after the ED visit. We identified 28,085 adults aged ≥ 20 years with AAP. 39.8% were hospitalized, 33.9% sought prOC before the ED visit (48.6% of them were hospitalized) and 62.7% sought post-OC up to 30 days after the ED visit. Hospitalization was significantly more likely for elderly patients (aged 65 and above vs. younger; adjusted OR 3.05 [95% CI 2.87; 3.25]), prOC users (1.71 [1.61; 1.90]) and men (1.44 [1.37; 1.52]). In-hospital mortality rate was 3.1% overall. Re-visiting the ED within 30 days was more likely for elderly patients (1.32 [1.13; 1.55) and less likely for those with prOC use (0.37 [0.31; 0.44]). prOC use was associated with more frequent hospitalizations but fewer ED re-visits. ED visits by prOC patients without subsequent hospitalization may indicate difficulties of OC resources to meet the complex diagnostic requirements and expectations of this patient population. Fewer ED re-visits in prOC users indicate effective care in this subgroup.","PeriodicalId":501057,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141941043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}