Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine最新文献

Objective: This study investigated the status and evaluated factors associated with knowledge and attitudes regarding pediatric concussions among Korean parents of children aged 6 to 18 years.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was employed to collect data from a panel of parents in Korea in 2023. To assess knowledge and attitudes regarding concussions, participants completed a validated questionnaire. The outcome variables of total knowledge score (range, 0-30) and total attitude score (range, 7-49) were categorized into tertiles. We conducted multivariable ordinal logistic regression analyses with participants and their children based on demographic information and characteristics as covariates.

Results: A total of 260 parents responded to the survey and demonstrated moderate concussion-related knowledge (median total score, 21; interquartile range [IQR], 18-22.5). The respondents exhibited favorable attitudes toward concussions (median total score, 39; IQR, 34-43), except the attitude of the importance of reporting concussion. Multivariable ordinal regression analysis for outcomes revealed only career of healthcare provider (adjusted odds ratio, 3.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-8.75) to be associated with parental concussion-related knowledge. No factors exhibited a significant association with parental attitudes toward concussions.

Conclusion: Our results confirmed the knowledge-attitude gap regarding pediatric concussions among Korean parents. Effective strategies are warranted to improve parental knowledge and attitudes.

Objective: This study was conducted to determine whether the presence and degree of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) can be predicted by the simple computed tomography -measured left atrial diameter (CTLAD).

Methods: Among adult patients who underwent both chest CT imaging and echocardiography in the emergency department from January 2020 to December 2021, a retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled patients in whom the time interval between the two tests was <24 hours. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic power of CTLAD for echocardiographic LVDD.

Results: In a study involving 373 patients, 192 (51.5%) had LVDD. Among them, 122 (63.5%) had grade 1, 61 (31.8%) had grade 2, and nine (4.7%) had ≥grade 3. Median CTLAD values were 4.1 cm for grade 1, 4.5 cm for grade 2, and 4.9 cm for ≥grade 3. The area under the ROC curve value of CTLAD in distinguishing ≥grade 1, ≥grade 2 (optimal cutoff ≥4.4 cm), and ≥grade 3 (optimal cutoff ≥4.5 cm) were 0.588, 0.657 (sensitivity, 61.4%; specificity, 66.0%, positive predictive value, 29.5%; negative predictive value, 88.1%; odds ratio, 3.1), and 0.834 (sensitivity, 88.9%; specificity, 70.1%; positive predictive value, 6.8%; negative predictive value, 99.6%, odds ratio, 18.7), respectively.

Conclusion: CTLAD ≥4.4 cm can be used as a rough reference value to distinguish LVDD of ≥grade 2, while CTLAD ≥4.5 cm can reliably distinguish LVDD of ≥grade 3. CTLAD might be a useful parameter for predicting LVDD in situations where echocardiography is not available.

Following the 2011 ban on paraquat sales, Korea has witnessed a significant reduction in the mortality rate associated with acute pesticide poisoning. Traditionally, paraquat and diquat, alongside several highly toxic organophosphates, carbamates, and organochlorine insecticides, have been recognized as culprits in causing fatalities among patients with acute pesticide poisoning. However, despite global efforts to curtail the use of these highly toxic pesticides, certain pesticides still exhibit a level of lethality surpassing their established clinical toxicity profiles. Understanding the clinical progression of these pesticides is paramount for physicians and toxicologists, as it holds the potential to enhance patient prognoses in cases of acute poisoning. This review aims to address the persistence of such highly lethal pesticides, which continue to pose a grave threat to victims of acute poisoning.

In a prehospital setting, the narrow therapeutic window of epinephrine necessitates its cautious administration to avoid anaphylaxis. In this case, a 46-year-old man presented severe anaphylactic symptoms. Following the standard protocol, the emergency medical technician (EMT) administered intramuscular epinephrine; however, symptoms persisted. Under the oversight of the emergency medical services (EMS) medical director, an additional intravenous bolus of epinephrine was administered, unfortunately leading to atrial fibrillation. This case underscores the potential risks of intravenous epinephrine, which is not typically recommended for anaphylaxis without continuous monitoring. Since 2019, Korea has initiated a pilot program to expand the EMT scope of practice, which gives them the authority to administer epinephrine for anaphylaxis. The ultimate decision regarding epinephrine use for anaphylaxis, emphasizing patient safety, rests with the EMS medical director. Proper training for EMTs, coupled with the EMS medical director's comprehensive knowledge and meticulous protocol adherence, can ensure patient safety and optimal outcomes.

Objective: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a vascular disease that is most frequently diagnosed using the radiological imaging technique computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA). In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the diagnostic accuracy of the Hounsfield unit (HU) for PE based on the hypothesis that acute thrombosis causes an increase in HU value on CT.

Methods: This research was a single-center, retrospective study. Patients presenting to the emergency department diagnosed with PE on CTPA were enrolled as the study group. Patients admitted to the same emergency department who were not diagnosed with PE and had noncontrast CT scans were included as the control group. A receiver operating curve was produced to determine the diagnostic accuracy of HU values in predicting PE.

Results: The study population (n=74) consisted of a study group (n=46) and a control group (n=28). The sensitivity and specificity of the HU value for predicting PE on thoracic CT were as follows: for the right main pulmonary artery, 61.5% and 96.4% at a value of 54.8 (area under the curve [AUC], 0.690); for the left main pulmonary artery, 65.0% and 96.4% at a value of 55.9 (AUC, 0.736); for the right interlobar artery, 44.4% and 96.4% at a value of 62.7 (AUC, 0.615); and for the left interlobar artery, 60.0% and 92.9% at a value of 56.7 (AUC, 0.736).

Conclusion: HU may exhibit high diagnostic specificity on CT for thrombi up to the interlobar level. An HU value exceeding 54.8 up to the interlobar level may raise suspicion of the presence of PE.