Rachel R Wu, Michael N Adjei-Poku, Rachel R Kelz, Gregory L Peck, Ula Hwang, Anne R Cappola, Ari B Friedman
{"title":"Trends in visits, imaging, and diagnosis for emergency department abdominal pain presentations in the United States, 2007-2019.","authors":"Rachel R Wu, Michael N Adjei-Poku, Rachel R Kelz, Gregory L Peck, Ula Hwang, Anne R Cappola, Ari B Friedman","doi":"10.1111/acem.15017","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acem.15017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Abdominal pain is the most common reason for visit (RFV) to the emergency department (ED) for adults, yet no standardized diagnostic pathway exists for abdominal pain. Optimal management is age-specific; symptoms, diagnoses, and prognoses differ between young and old adults. Availability and knowledge of the effectiveness of various imaging modalities have also changed over time. We compared diagnostic imaging rates for younger versus older adults to identify practice patterns of abdominal imaging across age groups over time.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed weighted, nationally representative data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 2007-2019 for adult ED visits with a primary RFV of abdominal pain. We included 23,364 sampled visits, representing 123 million visits.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From 2007 to 2019, total visits increased for ages 18-45 (p < 0.001), 46-64 (p < 0.001), and 65+ (p = 0.032). The percentage of visits with primary RFV of abdominal pain increased from 9.4% to 11.6% for ages 18-45, 7.8%-9.0% for ages 46-64, and 6.0%-6.5% for 65+. Computed tomography (CT) scan rates increased over time from 26.2% of all patients receiving a CT scan to 42.6%. Relative percentage change in abdominal CT scans was greatest for older adults, with a 30.3% increase, compared to 24.0% for middle-aged adults and 15.0% for young adults. Test positivity, defined as receiving an emergency general surgical diagnosis after CT or ultrasound, increased from 17.2% in 2007 to 22.9% in 2019 (p < 0.01). Of the older adults with abdominal pain in 2019, 13% received an X-ray only, which is neither sensitive nor specific for acute pathology in older adults.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite more abdominal pain ED visits and increased imaging rates per visit, test positivity continues to rise. Our findings do not support claims that CT and ultrasound are being used less appropriately over time, but demonstrate widespread use of X-rays, which are potentially ineffective for abdominal pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":7105,"journal":{"name":"Academic Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"20-31"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11726162/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142306933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparison of the analgesic dose of intravenous ketamine versus ketorolac in patients with chest trauma: A randomized double-blind clinical trial.","authors":"Hossein Zabihi Mahmoodabadi, Zeynab Seyed Javadein, Fatemeh Moosaie, Ali Faegh, Maryam Bahreini","doi":"10.1111/acem.15050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.15050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pain management is a critical part of treatment in patients with chest trauma. Opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been the most commonly used medications. However, their side effects have drawn attention to other medications. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of the analgesic dose of ketamine in patients with chest trauma in comparison to ketorolac.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A randomized, double-blind clinical trial was conducted in three hospitals. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups: 45 in the ketorolac group (30 mg intravenous [IV] and 45 in the ketamine group [0.25 mg/kg IV]). Pain was rated via numeric rating scale (NRS) before and 30 and 60 min after the drug injection. Morphine was used as the rescue medication. Furthermore, the adverse events of the two study regimens were rated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Pain was more significantly relieved in the ketamine group, 30 and 60 min after drug administration, compared to ketorolac (median [IQR] 95% CI 30-min NRS 3.0 [1.0] 2.8-3.5 vs. 5.0 [4.5] 4.2-5.8, p = 0.006; and 60-min NRS 3.0 [2.0] 2.7-3.7 vs. 5.6 [1.7] 4.7-6.4, p < 0.001), respectively. Among patients with a chest tube, pain was more significantly controlled in the ketamine group (p < 0.001). Also, patients in the ketamine group needed less rescue pain medications compared to the ketorolac group although they reported more frequent nausea.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Ketamine can be an effective analgesic in patients with chest trauma in acute settings with or without rib fracture.</p>","PeriodicalId":7105,"journal":{"name":"Academic Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142906237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shivansh R Pandey, Sarah K S Knack, Brian E Driver, Matthew E Prekker, Nathaniel Scott, Sarah J Ringstrom, Ellen Maruggi, Olivia Kaus, Walker Tordsen, Michael A Puskarich
{"title":"Factors and outcomes associated with under- and overdiagnosis of sepsis in the first hour of emergency department care.","authors":"Shivansh R Pandey, Sarah K S Knack, Brian E Driver, Matthew E Prekker, Nathaniel Scott, Sarah J Ringstrom, Ellen Maruggi, Olivia Kaus, Walker Tordsen, Michael A Puskarich","doi":"10.1111/acem.15074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.15074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sepsis remains the leading cause of in-hospital death and one of the costliest inpatient conditions in the United States, while treatment delays worsen outcomes. We sought to determine factors and outcomes associated with a missed emergency physician (EP) diagnosis of sepsis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective single-center observational cohort of undifferentiated, critically ill medical patients (September 2020-May 2022). EP gestalt of suspicion for sepsis was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS; 0%-100%) at 15 and 60 min post-patient arrival. The primary outcome was an explicit hospital discharge diagnosis of sepsis that was present on arrival. We calculated test characteristics for clinically relevant subgroups and examined factors associated with initial and persistent missed diagnoses. Associations with process (antibiotics) and clinical (mortality) outcomes were assessed after adjusting for severity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 2484 eligible patients, 275 (11%) met the primary outcome. A VAS score of ≥50 (more likely than not of being septic) at 15 min demonstrated sensitivity 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-0.87) and specificity 0.85 (95% CI 0.83-0.86). Older age, hypoxia, hypotension, renal insufficiency, leukocytosis, and both high and low temperature were significantly associated with lower accuracy due to reduced specificity, but maintained sensitivity. Of 48 (17%) and 23 (8%) missed cases at 15 and 60 min, elevated lactate, leukocytosis, bandemia, and positive urinalysis were more common in the missed sepsis compared to nonsepsis cases. Missed diagnoses were associated with median (interquartile range) delay of 48 (27-64) min in antibiotic administration but were not independently associated with inpatient mortality as risk ratios remained close to 1 across VAS scores.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This prospective single-academic center study identified patient subgroups at risk of impaired diagnostic accuracy of sepsis, with clinicians often overdiagnosing rather than underdiagnosing these groups. Prompt abnormal laboratory test results can \"rescue\" initial missed diagnoses, serving as potential clinician- and systems-level intervention points to reduce missed diagnoses. Missed diagnoses delayed antibiotics, but not mortality after controlling for severity of illness.</p>","PeriodicalId":7105,"journal":{"name":"Academic Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142891271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Matthew Johnson, Eric Segev, Alexander Bracey, Sean P Geary, Luke Duncan, Christopher Hanowitz, Denis Pauzé, Gregory P Wu
{"title":"Recovering lost opportunities in the management of critically ill patients boarding in the emergency department.","authors":"Matthew Johnson, Eric Segev, Alexander Bracey, Sean P Geary, Luke Duncan, Christopher Hanowitz, Denis Pauzé, Gregory P Wu","doi":"10.1111/acem.15077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.15077","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7105,"journal":{"name":"Academic Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142871045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ten-percentage-points difference is not enough for a better experience in getting timely care for emergent patients.","authors":"Amir Mirhaghi","doi":"10.1111/acem.15064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.15064","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7105,"journal":{"name":"Academic Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142852062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"GRACE-4 letter to the editor \"Opening invisible wounds\" response.","authors":"Bjug Borgundvaag, Hasan Sheikh","doi":"10.1111/acem.15071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.15071","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7105,"journal":{"name":"Academic Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142852060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mor Rittblat, Sami Gendler, Nir Tsur, Irina Radomislensky, Arnona Ziv, Moran Bodas
{"title":"The cost of saving lives: Complications arising from prehospital tourniquet application.","authors":"Mor Rittblat, Sami Gendler, Nir Tsur, Irina Radomislensky, Arnona Ziv, Moran Bodas","doi":"10.1111/acem.15070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.15070","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Uncontrolled hemorrhage is a leading cause of preventable death in trauma. Tourniquets (TQs) are commonly used to control bleeding in the prehospital setting, although their application is associated with risks. Therefore, this study aimed to identify complications arising from TQ use and to examine contributing risk factors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective observational study reviewed the medical records of adult trauma casualties (>18 years) hospitalized at Chaim Sheba Medical Center (SMC) between 2010 and 2020 who had a TQ applied in the prehospital setting. The primary outcome was the rate and type of complications. Logistic regression analyses identified risk factors using demographic, injury, and clinical data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From 2010 to 2020, a total of 84 trauma casualties with documented prehospital TQ application were hospitalized at SMC. Of these, 20 (23.81%) experienced TQ-related complications, including local infection, compartment syndrome, and thromboembolism. The average TQ application time was 44.2 min, with no significant difference between those with and without complications. However, significant differences were noted in the mechanism of injury (MOI), wound contamination levels, indications for TQ application, and initial blood test results (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analyses revealed length of stay (LOS) and injuries from falls were significantly associated with the development of complications.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study found that a significant trauma in prehospital settings requiring TQ application is associated with a high rate of complications. Early complications, including local infections and compartment syndrome, were more frequent, whereas late complications like thromboembolism and muscle atrophy were less common. The findings suggest that factors such as the MOI and wound contamination may contribute to these complications, yet after applying multivariate regression, LOS and falls were the only variables found to be significantly associated with the development of complications. These findings underscore the need for further research comparing casualties with and without TQ application.</p>","PeriodicalId":7105,"journal":{"name":"Academic Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142833415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Patrick Maher, Ryan LaFollette, Colin F Greineder, Paul I Musey
{"title":"Algorithmic identification of overlapping abstract submissions at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine annual meeting.","authors":"Patrick Maher, Ryan LaFollette, Colin F Greineder, Paul I Musey","doi":"10.1111/acem.15062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.15062","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7105,"journal":{"name":"Academic Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142833410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R Andrew Taylor, Rohit B Sangal, Moira E Smith, Adrian D Haimovich, Adam Rodman, Mark S Iscoe, Suresh K Pavuluri, Christian Rose, Alexander T Janke, Donald S Wright, Vimig Socrates, Arwen Declan
{"title":"Leveraging artificial intelligence to reduce diagnostic errors in emergency medicine: Challenges, opportunities, and future directions.","authors":"R Andrew Taylor, Rohit B Sangal, Moira E Smith, Adrian D Haimovich, Adam Rodman, Mark S Iscoe, Suresh K Pavuluri, Christian Rose, Alexander T Janke, Donald S Wright, Vimig Socrates, Arwen Declan","doi":"10.1111/acem.15066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.15066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Diagnostic errors in health care pose significant risks to patient safety and are disturbingly common. In the emergency department (ED), the chaotic and high-pressure environment increases the likelihood of these errors, as emergency clinicians must make rapid decisions with limited information, often under cognitive overload. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers promising solutions to improve diagnostic errors in three key areas: information gathering, clinical decision support (CDS), and feedback through quality improvement. AI can streamline the information-gathering process by automating data retrieval, reducing cognitive load, and providing clinicians with essential patient details quickly. AI-driven CDS systems enhance diagnostic decision making by offering real-time insights, reducing cognitive biases, and prioritizing differential diagnoses. Furthermore, AI-powered feedback loops can facilitate continuous learning and refinement of diagnostic processes by providing targeted education and outcome feedback to clinicians. By integrating AI into these areas, the potential for reducing diagnostic errors and improving patient safety in the ED is substantial. However, successfully implementing AI in the ED is challenging and complex. Developing, validating, and implementing AI as a safe, human-centered ED tool requires thoughtful design and meticulous attention to ethical and practical considerations. Clinicians and patients must be integrated as key stakeholders across these processes. Ultimately, AI should be seen as a tool that assists clinicians by supporting better, faster decisions and thus enhances patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":7105,"journal":{"name":"Academic Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142827196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}