Journal of acute medicine最新文献

Background: Diagnosing influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with conventional multiplex respiratory viral polymerase chain reaction (PCR) takes 24-72 hours compared with under two hours for recently available rapid PCR tests. We investigated the impact of rapid diagnosis of acute respiratory viral infection on admission odds from the emergency department (ED) and acute inpatient length of stay (LOS), as well as concordance between the rapid and conventional PCR tests used at our institution.

Methods: Single-center retrospective cohort study of patients presenting to the ED with influenza-like illness. We compared the odds of admission and acute LOS in patients investigated with rapid PCR, those investigated with conventional PCR, and those investigated with both tests. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the odds of admission, while linear regression was used to assess LOS.

Results: There was no significant change in the odds of admission among patients who received the rapid PCR compared to conventional PCR (odds ratio: 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50-2.02; p = 0.96). There was also no significant difference in LOS of admitted patients who received rapid PCR testing (regression coefficient: -0.32, 95% CI: -1.75 to 1.12; p = 0.66). The rapid PCR test used at our institution yielded fully concordant results with conventional PCR testing.

Conclusions: Rapid PCR testing is as sensitive as conventional PCR testing for the diagnosis of influenza and RSV but is neither associated with a significant impact on admission nor inpatient LOS. Further research is needed to assess the impact of rapid testing on isolation room use.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is critical epidemic encephalitis caused by the JE virus (JEV) in Southeast Asia. The World Health Organization defined "acute encephalitis syndrome" (AES) as an acute onset of fever with a change of mental status and/or new-onset seizure, mainly for the surveillance of JE. The key clues for the diagnosis include the patient age group of unvaccinated era or waning vaccine-induced immunity and the history of possible mosquito bites in epidemic areas. We report a 47-year old man who is in an unvaccinated era with potential waning immunity. The patient presented with fever and altered mental status for 2 days. He was speechless and could not follow commands. The patient had gone camping in the countryside a week before the visit. At the emergency department, neck stiffness was noted. There was a leukocytosis with a left shift by blood cell count. The brain computed tomography was essentially normal. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample via lumbar puncture showed leukocytosis, a high protein level, and a low sugar level in comparison to serum tests. Further antibody test of CSF confirmed the diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a high signal in the right thalamus and a mildly swollen left caudate nucleus 4 days after admission. He was extubated and finally discharged with partial dependency on activities of daily living. This case reminds us of the JE in AES. Emergency physicians should be aware of the suspicious case of unvaccinated age or waning immunity and possible mosquito bites in epidemic areas. The role of MRI on JE was also discussed in this article.

Exsanguinating torso hemorrhage is a leading cause of death in trauma patients. Bleeding leads to hypothermia, acidosis, and coagulopathy, the so-called "lethal triad," and creates a vicious cycle. Therefore, bleeding control tops the priority list in the management of trauma patients. Placement of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) in patients with traumatic non-compressible torso hemorrhage is a developing technique in the emergency departments (EDs) in Taiwan, and it is a possible solution for abdominal and pelvic trauma patients with hemodynamic instability. It not only temporarily controls bleeding below the inflation site but also increases cerebral and coronary circulation. It can create a bridge for definitive care such as an operation or an embolization, possibly preventing death. Compared to thoracotomy followed by an aortic cross clamp, REBOA is a less invasive and possibly, a more efficient way to control the hemorrhage and may lead to better overall survival. The use of REBOA has been proven to be associated with improved survival-to-discharge in severely injured trauma patients. We report a case of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest caused by penetrating injury wherein return of spontaneous circulation was successfully achieved after 39-minute cardiopulmonary resuscitation and REBOA placement in the ED. The REBOA balloon was deflated after bleeding was stopped during the laparotomy operation. The patient was then transferred to the intensive care unit for postoperative care. Unfortunately, the patient passed away approximately 12 hours after the surgery.

Background: Hip fracture (HF) is a major challenge for healthcare systems in terms of increased costs and lengths of stay, and it has been estimated that by 2050, half of the projected 6.26 million global HFs will occur in Asia. Owing to the high morbidity and mortality associated with HF in elderly individuals, it is crucial to recognize at-risk elderly patients in the ED so that special precautions and preventive measures can be taken. While comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) has been shown to improve outcomes and prevent secondary fractures in elderly individuals with HF in outpatient settings, there is a lack of data to identify elderly Asian patients who are at risk of HF via using CGA in the emergency department (ED). The aim of this study is to identify the characteristics of elderly Asian patients in the ED who have an increased risk of HF via CGA.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted in the ED at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, a medical center located in Taipei, Taiwan, from October 2018 to December 2019. Patients > 75 years old with and without HF were compared using data obtained from CGAs conducted by trained nurses.

Results: A total of 85 HF patients (cases) and 680 non-HF patients were enrolled, among whom 340 non-HF control individuals (controls) were selected by simple random sampling. HF occurred more frequently in women and in patients with depressive symptoms. An association between decreased handgrip strength and HF risk, especially in men, was also identified ( p = 0.011). The variables independently associated with the presence of HF in the multivariate analysis were female sex (odds ratio [OR]: 2.229; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.332-3.728) and decreased handgrip strength (OR: 2.462; 95% CI: 1.155-5.247).

Conclusions: By performing CGAs in the ED, we found that female sex and decreased handgrip strength were associated with HF risk. Therefore, we propose that targeted assessment of handgrip strength in female patients aged > 75 years in the ED may identify those at greatest risk of HF, resulting in improved emergency care for geriatric patients.

Six people made the mistake of eating toad soup, and one of them died before arriving hospital. Five patients presented conscious change, gastrointestinal upset, or bradycardia. We checked their blood and electrocardiography to monitor the cardiac intoxication from toad venom. This experience revealed that the serum level of digoxin does not indicate the severity of intoxication but has the diagnostic value. And, serum potassium level is useful to provide valuable therapeutic information.

COVID-19 tests have different turnaround times (TATs), accuracy levels, and limitations, which emergency physicians should be aware of. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) can be divided into standard high throughput tests and rapid molecular diagnostic tests at the point of care (POC). The standard NAAT has the advantages of high throughput and high accuracy with a TAT of 3-4 hours. The POC molecular test has the same advantages of high accuracy as standard high throughput PCR, but can be done in 13-45 minutes. Roche cobas Liat is the most commonly used machine in Taiwan, displaying 99%-100% sensitivity and 100% specificity, respectively. Abbott ID NOW is an isothermal PCR-based POC machine with a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 100%. A high rate of false positives and false negatives is associated with rapid antigen testing. Antibody testing is mostly used as part of public health surveys and for testing for immunity.

Background: We investigated the parameters of National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) + lactate + D-dimer in predicting the intensive care unit (ICU) admission and in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Methods: Patients, who applied to the emergency department of a tertiary university hospital and were taken to the COVID-19 zone with suspected COVID-19 between March 2020 and June 2020, were retrospectively examined. In this study, 244 patients, who were hospitalized and had positive polymerase chain reaction test results, were included. NEWS2, lactate, and D-dimer levels of the patients were recorded. Patients were grouped by the states of in-hospital mortality and ICU admission.

Results: Of 244 patients who were included in the study, 122 (50%) were male, while their mean age was 53.76 ± 17.36 years. 28 (11.5%) patients were admitted to the ICU, while in-hospital mortality was seen in 14 (5.7%) patients. The levels of D-dimer, NEWS2, NEWS2 + lactate, NEWS2 + D-dimer, NEWS2 + lactate + D-dimer were statistically significantly higher in patients with in-hospital mortality and admitted to ICU ( p < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) values of D-dimer, lactate, NEWS2, NEWS2 + lactate, NEWS2 + D-dimer, NEWS2 + lactate + D-dimer in predicting ICU admission were as 0.745 (0.658-0.832), 0.589 (0.469-0.710), 0.760 (0.675-0.845), 0.774 (0.690-0.859), 0.776 (0.692-0.860), and 0.778 (0.694-0.862), respectively; while the AUC values of these parameters in predicting in-hospital mortality were found to be as 0.768 (0.671-0.865), 0.695 (0.563-0.827), 0.735 (0.634-0.836), 0.757 (0.647-0.867), 0.752 (0.656-0.848), and 0.764 (0.655-0.873), respectively.

Conclusions: Compared to using the NEWS2 value alone, a combination of NEWS2, lactate, and D-dimer was found to be more valuable in predicting in-hospital mortality and ICU admission.

Background: The STONE score was developed to predict uncomplicated ureteral stones in patients so that they can be managed without imaging. Validation studies had been conducted previously but the results were varied. This study aims to investigate the utility of the STONE score in an emergency department in Singapore.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of adult patients presenting with ureteric colic in the emergency department in 2015. STONE score as well as the proportion of urolithiasis diagnosed on advanced imaging in each STONE score group were calculated. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for the STONE score components in our study and compared with the ORs obtained in the original study. Measures of diagnostic accuracy for a high STONE score were also calculated.

Results: 753 cases were included in the final analysis. Among patients with a high STONE score, 66.7% had urolithiasis and 2.6% had significant alternative diagnoses. Compared to original studies, ORs for the STONE score components obtained for our study were different. From our study, the sensitivity of a high STONE score was 47.0%, specificity was 68.7%, positive predictive value was 66.7%, negative predictive value was 49.3%, positive likelihood ratio was 1.50, and negative likelihood ratio was 0.77.

Conclusion: The STONE score is not expected to perform well in Singapore based on our study. It should be used with caution in similar Asian populations.