Journal of acute medicine最新文献

Blunt abdominal injury with pelvic fracture is common in polytrauma cases and is a major challenge for emergency physicians. Fluid resuscitation and massive transfusion protocol should be activated when pelvic fracture patients are found in hypovolemic shock. At the emergency department, resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta may be performed to temporarily control bleeding. Finally, a damage control operation or trans-arterial embolization may be performed in the hybrid operating room.

In the literature no case of gastro-caval fistula due to penetrating trauma has been reported. We aimed to present a case of gastro-caval fistula presenting with massive hematemesis after a penetrating injury. A 20-year-old male patient applied to the emergency department with a complaint of projectile hematemesis after a knife penetrated the epigastric region. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computerized tomography (CT) showed a large hematoma around the inferior vena cava (IVC) and a fistula tract extending between the IVC and the gastric antrum. The patient underwent vena cava ligation and primary gastric repair. The patient, who was hypotensive and intubated in the post-operative intensive care unit, died on the second day after the operation. Because of the risk of sudden hypotension and shock from massive bleeding, gastro-caval fistula should be kept in mind in penetrating trauma; a rapid diagnosis should be made using a contrast-enhanced CT scan.

Background: Elderly patients with intra-abdominal infection are more vulnerable to sepsis progression, especially in those who had concomitant bacteremia. The time to positivity (TTP) of blood cultures in patients with bacteremia is considered to be a prognostic factor for some bacterial species. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of TTP in elderly patients with intra-abdominal infection and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia.

Methods: A retrospective observational, case-control study was conducted at a single tertiary referral medical center. All elderly (aged ≥ 65 years) patients diagnosed with intra-abdominal infection and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia in the emergency department between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2021 were enrolled. The baseline characteristics, TTP of blood cultures, management strategy, and outcomes of each eligible patient were recorded and analyzed. The primary outcome was to examine the association between TTP and the 30-day mortality risk in enrolled patients.

Results: A total of 101 patients were included in the study. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 11.9% (12/101). The median TTP of Klebsiella pneumoniae in the eligible patients was 12.5 (11-16) hours. There was a stepwise significantly decreased mortality rate as TTP increased (p = 0.04). The TTP had a moderate mortality discrimination ability (area under receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.65-0.83, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the Pittsburg bacteremia score (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.19, p < 0.01) and TTP (HR = 0.82, p = 0.04) were identified as independent factors associated with 30-day mortality.

Conclusions: TTP was associated with 30-day mortality risk in elderly patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia and intra-abdominal infection. Clinicians can utilize TTP for risk stratification, and initiate prompt treatment in those patients with shorter TTP.

Background: Hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have higher mortality rates. Parameters to predict mortality are needed. Therefore, we investigated the power of procalcitonin/albumin ratio (PAR) and C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) to predict in-hospital mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Methods: In this study, 855 patients were included. Patients' PAR and CAR values were recorded from the hospital information management system. The patients were evaluated in two groups according to their in-hospital mortality status.

Results: In-hospital mortality was observed in 163 patients (19.1%). The median PAR and CAR values of patients in the non-survivor group were statistically significantly higher than those of patients in the survivor group, PAR (median: 0.07, interquartile range [IQR]: 0.03-0.33 vs. median: 0.02, IQR: 0.01-0.04, respectively; p < 0.001); CAR (median: 27.60, IQR: 12.49-44.91 vs. median: 7.47, IQR: 2.66-18.93, respectively; p < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) and odds ratio (OR) values obtained by PAR to predict in-hospital mortality were higher than the values obtained by procalcitonin, CAR, albumin, and CRP (AUCs of PAR, procalcitonin, CAR, albumin, and CRP: 0.804, 0.792, 0.762, 0.755, and 0.748, respectively; OR: PAR > 0.04, procalcitonin > 0.14, CAR > 20.59, albumin < 4.02, and CRP > 63; 8.215, 7.134, 5.842, 6.073, and 5.07, respectively). Patients with concurrent PAR > 0.04 and CAR > 20.59 had an OR of 15.681 compared to patients with concurrent PAR < 0.04 and CAR < 20.59.

Conclusions: In this study, PAR was found to be more valuable for predicting in-hospital COVID-19 mortality than all other parameters. In addition, concurrent high levels of PAR and CAR were found to be more valuable than a high level of PAR or CAR alone.

Idiopathic spontaneous intra-abdominal hemorrhage (ISIH) is a rare condition that can be catastrophic if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Herein, we report a case of ISIH due to suspected hemorrhage of the proximal branch of the superior mesenteric artery, which caused epigastric pain.

This review assessed the development of Taiwan's emergency medical services (EMS) and focused on the optimizing initiatives of the EMS systems, the current state of Taiwan's EMS system, EMS benchmarks in different regions of Taiwan, EMS response during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and future design. In the past decade, there has been a noticeable increase in prehospital services, numerous optimizing initiatives to improve patient prognosis, and the medical oversight model. Taiwan's current EMS system, including the dispatch system, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patient management, time-sensitive critical illness in prehospital settings, and disaster response, has undergone significant improvements. These improvements have been demonstrated to have a measurable impact on patient outcomes, as supported by medical literature. Each region in Taiwan has developed a unique EMS system with local characteristics, such as the implementation of the Global Resuscitation Alliance 10 steps for OHCA-related quality control, hearing automated external defibrillator program, a five-level prehospital triage system, an island-hopping strategy for patients with major trauma, dispatcher-assisted teamwork for OHCA resuscitation, and optimized prehospital care for acute coronary syndrome patients. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2023, Taiwan's EMS implemented measures to combat the outbreak such as interagency collaboration to obtain patient's personal information, to optimize prehospital management initiatives, and to provide financial compensation and personal insurance for emergency medical technicians. The areas that need focus include integrating prehospital and in-hospital information to build a national-level database (One-Stop Emergency Management), increasing public awareness of first responders and emergency casualty care, and evolving the EMS system by incorporating private EMS system, initiating school-based education of paramedicine, and legally recognizing paramedics as medical and health care personnel. By improving these areas, we can better prepare for the future and ensure that Taiwan's EMS system continues to provide high-quality care to those in need.

As a consequence of cirrhosis, portal hypertension causes resistance to blood flow and leads to the formation of varices. However, colonic variceal hemorrhages are rarely reported but could be a lethal cause of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Currently, there is no consensus on the management of colonic variceal hemorrhage. Variceal ligation, injection sclerotherapy, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement, and balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration or a combination of the above therapies have been reported with inconsistent success rates. We advocate considering colonic variceal bleeding as a crucial differential diagnosis of lower gastrointestinal bleeding in cirrhotic patients and initiating time-sensitive, definite operative treatment or combination therapy as soon as possible in colonic variceal patients with life-threatening bleeding events, which are often refractory to conservative treatment.

Background: A sampling platform (or table) set at the patient's side in a zero-exposure screening center (booth) might be used for specimen collection during public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, repeated sanitization causes moisture problems. Such moisture problems would not only be noted by patients but also interrupt the sampling process. In this study, we aimed to develop 3D-printed mesh-covered fluid collecting racks (MFCRs) to address surface moisture problems to determine whether MFCRs can shorten the sampling time. Methods: This was an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. We observed the reasons for sampling interruptions related to surface moisture problems among patients who used MFCRs or did not (April 28-30, 2022). We used a 3D printer to make an MFCR, which measured 14.5 cm in width and length and 1.0 cm in height. The MFCR allows the ethanol to drain through the mesh into the fluid collection rack below to leave a relatively dry surface on the mesh. Finally, we calculated the median time to finish sampling between MFCRs and non-MFCRs. Results: A total of 400 patients were randomly observed (using MFCRs, n = 200; non-MFCRs, n = 200). Patients in the non-MFCR group were more likely to interrupt the sampling process (n = 39, 19.5%) by noting surface moisture problems than those in the MFCR group (n = 3, 1.5%). Two of the major interruptions, "asking questions about the moist surface" (from 12% to 1%) and "slowing down their actions" (from 4.5% to 0.5%), were obviously improved by using MFCRs. Overall, the median sampling time was significantly shorter (p < 0.001) in the group using MFCRs (0.6 min) than in the group using non-MFCRs (1.5 min). The MFCRs shortened the sampling time by 60%, which might be associated with decreasing interruptions caused by surface moisture problems. Conclusions: The 3D printed MFCRs are suitable for handling surface moisture problems caused by repeated sanitizations. More importantly, the MFCRs might be associated with decreasing interruptions caused by moisture problems.