Brief Research Report Archives - Page 5 of 8 - The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine

Estimating the Cost of Care for Emergency Department Syncope Patients: Comparison of Three Models

Marc A. Probst, MD, MS

We sought to compare three hospital cost-estimation models for patients undergoing evaluation for unexplained syncope using hospital cost data. Developing such a model would allow researchers to assess the value of novel clinical algorithms for syncope management.

Westjem Read More

Using the Electronic Medical Record to Reduce Unnecessary Ordering of Coagulation Studies for Patients with Chest Pain

Jeremiah S. Hinson, MD, PhD

Our goal was to reduce ordering of coagulation studies in the emergency department (ED) that have no added value for patients presenting with chest pain. We hypothesized this could be achieved via implementation of a stopgap measure in the electronic medical record (EMR).

Westjem Read More

Incorporation of a Graduate Student Writer into a Productive Research Team

Jonathan P. Fischer, MPH, et al.

An academic physician is faced with the unique challenge of balancing clinical practice with demanding education and research obligations.

Westjem Read More

Increased 30-Day Emergency Department Revisits Among Homeless Patients with Mental Health Conditions

Increased 30-Day Emergency Department Revisits Among Homeless Patients with Mental Health Conditions
Chun Nuk Lam, MPH, et al.

Patients with mental health conditions frequently use emergency medical services. Many suffer from substance use and homelessness. If they use the emergency department (ED) as their primary source of care, potentially preventable frequent ED revisits and hospital readmissions can worsen an already crowded healthcare system. However, the magnitude to which homelessness affects health service utilization among patients with mental health conditions remains unclear in the medical community. This study assessed the impact of homelessness on 30-day ED revisits and hospital readmissions among patients presenting with mental health conditions in an urban, safety-net hospital.

Westjem Read More

Endemic Infections

Perception of the Risks of Ebola, Enterovirus-E68 and Influenza Among Emergency Department Patients

Volume 17, Issue 4, July 2016
Lauren K. Whiteside, MD, MS et al.

Emerging infectious diseases often create concern and fear among the public. Ebola virus disease (EVD) and enterovirus (EV-68) are uncommon viral illnesses compared to influenza. The objective of this study was to determine risk for these viral diseases and then determine how public perception of influenza severity and risk of infection relate to more publicized but less common emerging infectious diseases such as EVD and EV-68 among a sample of adults seeking care at an emergency department (ED) in the United States.

Westjem Read More

Treatment Protocol Assessment

Prospective Validation of Modified NEXUS Cervical Spine Injury Criteria in Low-risk Elderly Fall Patients

Volume 17, Issue 3, May 2016
John Tran, MD et al.

Introduction: The National Emergency X-radiography Utilization Study (NEXUS) criteria are used
extensively in emergency departments to rule out C-spine injuries (CSI) in the general population.
Although the NEXUS validation set included 2,943 elderly patients, multiple case reports and the
Canadian C-Spine Rules question the validity of applying NEXUS to geriatric populations. The
objective of this study was to validate a modified NEXUS criteria in a low-risk elderly fall population
with two changes: a modified definition for distracting injury and the definition of normal mentation.
Methods: This is a prospective, observational cohort study of geriatric fall patients who presented
to a Level I trauma center and were not triaged to the trauma bay. Providers enrolled nonintoxicated
patients at baseline mental status with no lateralizing neurologic deficits. They
recorded midline neck tenderness, signs of trauma, and presence of other distracting injury.
Results: We enrolled 800 patients. One patient fall event was excluded due to duplicate
enrollment, and four were lost to follow up, leaving 795 for analysis. Average age was 83.6 (range
65-101). The numbers in parenthesis after the negative predictive value represent confidence
interval. There were 11 (1.4%) cervical spine injuries. One hundred seventeen patients had midline
tenderness and seven of these had CSI; 366 patients had signs of trauma to the face/neck, and
10 of these patients had CSI. Using signs of trauma to the head/neck as the only distracting injury
and baseline mental status as normal alertness, the modified NEXUS criteria was 100% sensitive
(CI [67.9-100]) with a negative predictive value of 100 (98.7-100).
Conclusion: Our study suggests that a modified NEXUS criteria can be safely applied to lowrisk
elderly falls.

Westjem Read More

Factors Associated with First-Pass Success in Pediatric Intubation in the Emergency Department

Volume 17, Issue 2, March 2016.
Tadahiro Goto, MD, et al.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to investigate the factors associated with first-pass
success in pediatric intubation in the emergency department (ED).
Methods: We analyzed the data from two multicenter prospective studies of ED intubation in 17
EDs between April 2010 and September 2014. The studies prospectively measured patient’s age,
sex, principal indication for intubation, methods (e.g., rapid sequence intubation [RSI]), devices, and
intubator’s level of training and specialty. To evaluate independent predictors of first-pass success,
we fit logistic regression model with generalized estimating equations. In the sensitivity analysis, we
repeated the analysis in children <10 years.
Results: A total of 293 children aged ≤18 years who underwent ED intubation were eligible for the
analysis. The overall first-pass success rate was 60% (95%CI [54%-66%]). In the multivariable
model, age ≥10 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.45; 95% CI [1.23-4.87]), use of RSI (aOR, 2.17;
95% CI [1.31-3.57]), and intubation attempt by an emergency physician (aOR, 3.21; 95% CI [1.78-
5.83]) were significantly associated with a higher chance of first-pass success. Likewise, in the
sensitivity analysis, the use of RSI (aOR, 3.05; 95% CI [1.63-5.70]), and intubation attempt by an
emergency physician (aOR, 4.08; 95% CI [1.92-8.63]) were significantly associated with a higher
chance of first-pass success.
Conclusion: Based on two large multicenter prospective studies of ED airway management, we
found that older age, use of RSI, and intubation by emergency physicians were the independent
predictors of a higher chance of first-pass success in children. Our findings should facilitate
investigations to develop optimal airway management strategies in critically-ill children in the ED.

Westjem Read More

There’s an App for That? Highlighting the Difficulty in Finding Clinically Relevant Smartphone Applications

Volume 17, Issue 2, March 2016.
Warren Wiechmann, MD, MBA, et al.

Introduction: The use of personal mobile devices in the medical field has grown quickly, and a large
proportion of physicians use their mobile devices as an immediate resource for clinical decisionmaking,
prescription information and other medical information. The iTunes App Store (Apple,
Inc.) contains approximately 20,000 apps in its “Medical” category, providing a robust repository
of resources for clinicians; however, this represents only 2% of the entire App Store. The App
Store does not have strict criteria for identifying content specific to practicing physicians, making
the identification of clinically relevant content difficult. The objective of this study is to quantify
the characteristics of existing medical applications in the iTunes App Store that could be used by
emergency physicians, residents, or medical students.
Methods: We found applications related to emergency medicine (EM) by searching the iTunes App
Store for 21 terms representing core content areas of EM, such as “emergency medicine,” “critical
care,” “orthopedics,” and “procedures.” Two physicians independently reviewed descriptions of
these applications in the App Store and categorized each as the following: Clinically Relevant, Book/
Published Source, Non-English, Study Tools, or Not Relevant. A third physician reviewer resolved
disagreements about categorization. Descriptive statistics were calculated.
Results: We found a total of 7,699 apps from the 21 search terms, of which 17.8% were clinical,
9.6% were based on a book or published source, 1.6% were non-English, 0.7% were clinically
relevant patient education resources, and 4.8% were study tools. Most significantly, 64.9% were
considered not relevant to medical professionals. Clinically relevant apps make up approximately
6.9% of the App Store’s “Medical” Category and 0.1% of the overall App Store.
Conclusion: Clinically relevant apps represent only a small percentage (6.9%) of the total App
volume within the Medical section of the App Store. Without a structured search-and-evaluation
strategy, it may be difficult for the casual user to identify this potentially useful content. Given the
increasing adoption of devices in healthcare, national EM associations should consider curating
these resources for their members.

Westjem Read More

Emergency Department Access

Access to In-Network Emergency Physicians and Emergency Departments Within Federally Qualified Health Plans in 2015

Volume 17, Issue 1, January 2016.
Stephen C. Dorner, MSc, et al.

Introduction: Under regulations established by the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must meet
minimum standards in order to be sold through the federal Marketplace. These standards to become
a qualified health plan (QHP) include maintaining a provider network sufficient to assure access to
services. However, the complexity of emergency physician (EP) employment practices – in which
the EPs frequently serve as independent contractors of emergency departments, independently
establish insurance contracts, etc… – and regulations governing insurance repayment may hinder
the application of network adequacy standards to emergency medicine. As such, we hypothesized
the existence of QHPs without in-network access to EPs. The objective is to identify whether
there are QHPs without in-network access to EPs using information available through the federal
Marketplace and publicly available provider directories.
Results: In a national sample of Marketplace plans, we found that one in five provider networks
lacks identifiable in-network EPs. QHPs lacking EPs spanned nearly half (44%) of the 34 states
using the federal Marketplace.
Conclusion: Our data suggest that the present regulatory framework governing network adequacy
is not generalizable to emergency care, representing a missed opportunity to protect patient access
to in-network physicians. These findings and the current regulations governing insurance payment to
EPs dis-incentivize the creation of adequate physician networks, incentivize the practice of balance
billing, and shift the cost burden to patients.

Westjem Read More

Emergency Department Access

Association of Insurance Status with Severity and Management in ED Patients with Asthma Exacerbation

Volume 17, Issue 1, January 2016.
Kohei Hasegawa, MD, MPH, et al.

frequent asthma exacerbations. However, there have been no recent multicenter efforts to examine
the relationship of insurance status – a proxy for socioeconomic status – with asthma severity and
management in adults. The objective is to investigate chronic and acute asthma management disparities
by insurance status among adults requiring emergency department (ED) treatment in the United States.
Methods: We conducted a multicenter chart review study (48 EDs in 23 U.S. states) on ED patients,
aged 18-54 years, with acute asthma between 2011 and 2012. Each site underwent training (lecture,
practice charts, certification) before reviewing randomly selected charts. We categorized patients
into three groups based on their primary health insurance: private, public, and no insurance.
Outcome measures were chronic asthma severity (as measured by ≥2 ED visits in one-year period)
and management prior to the index ED visit, acute asthma management in the ED, and prescription
at ED discharge.
Results: The analytic cohort comprised 1,928 ED patients with acute asthma. Among these, 33% had
private insurance, 40% had public insurance, and 27% had no insurance. Compared to patients with
private insurance, those with public insurance or no insurance were more likely to have ≥2 ED visits
during the preceding year (35%, 49%, and 45%, respectively; p<0.001). Despite the higher chronic
severity, those with no insurance were less likely to have guideline-recommended chronic asthma care
– i.e., lower use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS [41%, 41%, and 29%; p<0.001]) and asthma specialist
care (9%, 10%, and 4%; p<0.001). By contrast, there were no significant differences in acute asthma
management in the ED – e.g., use of systemic corticosteroids (75%, 79%, and 78%; p=0.08) or initiation
of ICS at ED discharge (12%, 12%, and 14%; p=0.57) – by insurance status.
Conclusion: In this multicenter observational study of ED patients with acute asthma, we found
significant discrepancies in chronic asthma severity and management by insurance status. By
contrast, there were no differences in acute asthma management among the insurance groups.

Westjem Read More

Emergency Medicine Resident Rotations Abroad: Current Status and Next Steps

Volume 17, Issue 1, January 2016.
Stephen C. Morris, MD, MPH, et al.

Introduction: International rotations for residents are increasingly popular, but there is a dearth of
evidence to demonstrate that these rotations are safe and that residents have appropriate training
and support to conduct them.
Methods: A survey was sent to all U.S. emergency medicine (EM) residencies with publicly
available e-mail addresses. The survey documents and examines the training and support that
emergency medicine residents are offered for international rotations and the frequency of adverse
safety events.
Results: 72.5% of program director responded that their residents are participating in rotations
abroad. However, only 15.4% of programs reported offering training specific to working abroad. The
results point to an increased need for specific training and insurance coverage.
Conclusion: Oversight of international rotations should be improved to guarantee safety and
education benefit.

Westjem Read More

Healthcare Utilization

Inpatient Readmissions and Emergency Department Visits within 30 Days of a Hospital Admission

Volume 16, Issue 7, December 2015.
Jesse J. Brennan, MA, et al.

Introduction: Inpatient hospital readmissions have become a focus for healthcare reform and costcontainment
efforts. Initiatives targeting unanticipated readmissions have included care coordination
for specific high readmission diseases and patients and health coaching during the post-discharge
transition period. However, little research has focused on emergency department (ED) visits
following an inpatient admission. The objective of this study was to assess 30-day ED utilization and
all-cause readmissions following a hospital admission.
Methods: This was a retrospective study using inpatient and ED utilization data from two hospitals
with a shared patient population in 2011. We assessed the 30-day ED visit rate and 30-day
readmission rate and compared patient characteristics among individuals with 30-day inpatient
readmissions, 30-day ED discharges, and no 30-day visits.
Results: There were 13,449 patients who met the criteria of an index visit. Overall, 2,453 (18.2%)
patients had an ED visit within 30 days of an inpatient stay. However, only 55.6% (n=1,363) of these
patients were admitted at one of these 30-day visits, resulting in a 30-day all-cause readmission rate
of 10.1%.
Conclusion: Approximately one in five patients presented to the ED within 30 days of an inpatient
hospitalization and over half of these patients were readmitted. Readmission measures that
incorporate ED visits following an inpatient stay might better inform interventions to reduce avoidable
readmissions.

Westjem Read More

Impact of Health Information Exchange on Emergency Medicine Clinical Decision Making

Volume 16, Issue 7, December 2015.
Bradley D. Gordon, MD, MS, et al.

Introduction: The objective of the study was to understand the immediate utility of health
information exchange (HIE) on emergency department (ED) providers by interviewing them shortly
after the information was retrieved. Prior studies of physician perceptions regarding HIE have only
been performed outside of the care environment.
Methods: Trained research assistants interviewed resident physicians, physician assistants and
attending physicians using a semi-structured questionnaire within two hours of making a HIE
request. The responses were recorded, then transcribed for qualitative analysis. The transcribed
interviews were analyzed for emerging qualitative themes.
Results: We analyzed 40 interviews obtained from 29 providers. Primary qualitative themes
discovered included the following: drivers for requests for outside information; the importance
of unexpected information; historical lab values as reference points; providing context when
determining whether to admit or discharge a patient; the importance of information in refining
disposition; improved confidence of provider; and changes in decisions for diagnostic imaging.
Conclusion: ED providers are driven to use HIE when they’re missing a known piece of information.
This study finds two additional impacts not previously reported. First, providers sometimes find
additional unanticipated useful information, supporting a workflow that lowers the threshold to
request external information. Second, providers sometimes report utility when no changes to their
existing plan are made as their confidence is increased based on external records. Our findings are
concordant with previous studies in finding exchanged information is useful to provide context for
interpreting lab results, making admission decisions, and prevents repeat diagnostic imaging.

Westjem Read More

Patient Communication

A Delphi Method Analysis to Create an Emergency Medicine Educational Patient Satisfaction Survey

Volume 16, Issue 7, December 2015.
Kory S. London, MD, et al.

Introduction: Feedback on patient satisfaction (PS) as a means to monitor and improve
performance in patient communication is lacking in residency training. A physician’s promotion,
compensation and job satisfaction may be impacted by his individual PS scores, once he is in
practice. Many communication and satisfaction surveys exist but none focus on the emergency
department setting for educational purposes. The goal of this project was to create an emergency
medicine-based educational PS survey with strong evidence for content validity.
Methods: We used the Delphi Method (DM) to obtain expert opinion via an iterative process of
surveying. Questions were mined from four PS surveys as well as from group suggestion. The DM
analysis determined the structure, content and appropriate use of the tool. The group used four-point
Likert-type scales and Lynn’s criteria for content validity to determine relevant questions from the
stated goals.
Results: Twelve recruited experts participated in a series of seven surveys to achieve consensus. A
10-question, single-page survey with an additional page of qualitative questions and demographic
questions was selected. Thirty one questions were judged to be relevant from an original 48-question list.
Of these, the final 10 questions were chosen. Response rates for individual survey items was 99.5%.
Conclusion: The DM produced a consensus survey with content validity evidence. Future work will
be needed to obtain evidence for response process, internal structure and construct validity.

Westjem Read More

Emergency Department Visits by Older Adults with Mental Illness in North Carolina

Volume 16, Issue 7, December 2015.
Anne M. Hakenewerth, PhD, et al.

Introduction: We analyzed emergency department (ED) visits by patients with mental health disorders
(MHDs) in North Carolina from 2008-2010 to determine frequencies and characteristics of ED visits by
older adults with MHDs.
Methods: We extracted ED visit data from the North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic
Collection Tool (NC DETECT). We defined mental health visits as visits with a mental health ICD-9-CM
diagnostic code, and organized MHDs into clinically similar groups for analysis.
Results: Those ≥65 with MHDs accounted for 27.3% of all MHD ED visits, and 51.2% were admitted. The
most common MHD diagnoses for this age group were psychosis, and stress/anxiety/depression.
Conclusion: Older adults with MHDs account for over one-quarter of ED patients with MHDs, and their
numbers will continue to increase as the “boomer” population ages. We must anticipate and prepare for
the MHD-related needs of the elderly.

Westjem Read More

Assessing the Impact of Video-based Training on Laceration Repair: A Comparison to the Traditional Workshop Method

Volume 16, Issue 6, November 2015.
Ambrose H. Wong, MD, et al.

Introduction: While treating potentially violent patients in the emergency department (ED), both patients
and staff may be subject to unintentional injury. Emergency healthcare providers are at the greatest risk
of experiencing physical and verbal assault from patients. Preliminary studies have shown that a teambased
approach with targeted staff training has significant positive outcomes in mitigating violence in
healthcare settings. Staff attitudes toward patient aggression have also been linked to workplace safety,
but current literature suggests that providers experience fear and anxiety while caring for potentially
violent patients. The objectives of the study were (1) to develop an interprofessional curriculum focusing
on improving teamwork and staff attitudes toward patient violence using simulation-enhanced education
for ED staff, and (2) to assess attitudes towards patient aggression both at pre- and post-curriculum
implementation stages using a survey-based study design.
Methods: Formal roles and responsibilities for each member of the care team, including positioning
during restraint placement, were predefined in conjunction with ED leadership. Emergency medicine
residents, nurses and hospital police officers were assigned to interprofessional teams. The curriculum
started with an introductory lecture discussing de-escalation techniques and restraint placement as
well as core tenets of interprofessional collaboration. Next, we conducted two simulation scenarios
using standardized participants (SPs) and structured debriefing. The study consisted of a survey-based
design comparing pre- and post-intervention responses via a paired Student t-test to assess changes
in staff attitudes. We used the validated Management of Aggression and Violence Attitude Scale
(MAVAS) consisting of 30 Likert-scale questions grouped into four themed constructs.
Results: One hundred sixty-two ED staff members completed the course with >95% staff
participation, generating a total of 106 paired surveys. Constructs for internal/biomedical factors,
external/staff factors and situational/interactional perspectives on patient aggression significantly
improved (p<0.0001, p<0.002, p<0.0001 respectively). Staff attitudes toward management of patient
aggression did not significantly change (p=0.542). Multiple quality improvement initiatives were
successfully implemented, including the creation of an interprofessional crisis management alert and
response protocol. Staff members described appreciation for our simulation-based curriculum and
welcomed the interaction with SPs during their training.
Conclusion: A structured simulation-enhanced interprofessional intervention was successful in
improving multiple facets of ED staff attitudes toward behavioral emergency care.

Westjem Read More

Competency Assessment in Senior Emergency Medicine Residents for Core Ultrasound Skills

Volume 16, Issue 6, November 2015.
Jessica N. Schmidt, MD, MPH, et al.

Introduction: Quality resident education in point-of-care ultrasound (POC US) is becoming
increasingly important in emergency medicine (EM); however, the best methods to evaluate
competency in graduating residents has not been established. We sought to design and implement
a rigorous assessment of image acquisition and interpretation in POC US in a cohort of graduating
residents at our institution.
Methods: We evaluated nine senior residents in both image acquisition and image interpretation for
five core US skills (focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST), aorta, echocardiogram
(ECHO), pelvic, central line placement). Image acquisition, using an observed clinical skills exam
(OSCE) directed assessment with a standardized patient model. Image interpretation was measured
with a multiple-choice exam including normal and pathologic images.
Results: Residents performed well on image acquisition for core skills with an average score of
85.7% for core skills and 74% including advanced skills (ovaries, advanced ECHO, advanced aorta).
Residents scored well but slightly lower on image interpretation with an average score of 76%.
Conclusion: Senior residents performed well on core POC US skills as evaluated with a rigorous
assessment tool. This tool may be developed further for other EM programs to use for graduating
resident evaluation.

Westjem Read More

Mentoring during Medical School and Match Outcome among Emergency Medicine Residents

Volume 16, Issue 6, November 2015.
Erin Dehon, PhD, et al.

Introduction: Few studies have documented the value of mentoring for medical students, and
research has been limited to more subjective (e.g., job satisfaction, perceived career preparation)
rather than objective outcomes. This study examined whether having a mentor is associated with
match outcome (where a student matched based on their rank order list [ROL]).
Methods: We sent a survey link to all emergency medicine (EM) program coordinators to distribute
to their residents. EM residents were surveyed about whether they had a mentor during medical
school. Match outcome was assessed by asking residents where they matched on their ROL (e.g.,
first choice, fifth choice). They were also asked about rank in medical school, type of degree (MD vs.
DO), and performance on standardized tests. Residents who indicated having a mentor completed
the Mentorship Effectiveness Scale (MES), which evaluates behavioral characteristics of the
mentor and yields a total score. We assessed correlations among these variables using Pearson’s
correlation coefficient. Post-hoc analysis using independent sample t-test was conducted to compare
differences in the MES score between those who matched to their first or second choice vs. third or
higher choice.
Results: Participants were a convenience sample of 297 EM residents. Of those, 199 (67%)
reported having a mentor during medical school. Contrary to our hypothesis, there was no significant
correlation between having a mentor and match outcome (r=0.06, p=0.29). Match outcome was
associated with class rank (r=0.13, p=0.03), satisfaction with match outcome (r= -0.37, p<0.001),
and type of degree (r=0.12, p=0.04). Among those with mentors, a t-test revealed that the MES
score was significantly higher among those who matched to their first or second choice (M=51.31,
SD=10.13) compared to those who matched to their third or higher choice (M=43.59, SD=17.12),
t(194)=3.65, p<0.001, d=0.55.
Conclusion: Simply having a mentor during medical school does not impact match outcome, but
having an effective mentor is associated with a more favorable match outcome among medical
students applying to EM programs.

Westjem Read More

Emergency Medicine Residents Consistently Rate Themselves Higher than Attending Assessments on ACGME Milestones

Volume 16, Issue 6, November 2015.
Katja Goldflam, MD, et al.

Introduction: In 2012 the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
introduced the Next Accreditation System (NAS), which implemented milestones to assess the
competency of residents and fellows. While attending evaluation and feedback is crucial for resident
development, perhaps equally important is a resident’s self-assessment. If a resident does not
accurately self-assess, clinical and professional progress may be compromised. The objective of our
study was to compare emergency medicine (EM) resident milestone evaluation by EM faculty with
the same resident’s self-assessment.
Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional study that was performed at an academic,
four-year EM residency program. Twenty-five randomly chosen residents completed milestone
self-assessment using eight ACGME sub-competencies deemed by residency leadership as
representative of core EM principles. These residents were also evaluated by 20 faculty members.
The milestone levels were evaluated on a nine-point scale. We calculated the average difference
between resident self-ratings and faculty ratings, and used sample t-tests to determine statistical
significance of the difference in scores.
Results: Eighteen residents evaluated themselves. Each resident was assessed by an average
of 16 attendings (min=10, max=20). Residents gave themselves statistically significant higher
milestone ratings than attendings did for each sub-competency examined (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: Residents over-estimated their abilities in every sub-competency assessed. This
underscores the importance of feedback and assessment transparency. More attention needs to be
paid to methods by which residency leadership can make residents’ self-perception of their clinical
ability more congruent with that of their teachers and evaluators. The major limitation of our study is
small sample size of both residents and attendings.

Westjem Read More

Diagnosis of Aortic Dissection in Emergency Department Patients is Rare

Volume 16, Issue 5, September 2015.
Scott M. Alter, MD, et al.

Introduction: Aortic dissection is a rare event. While the most frequent symptom is chest pain,
that is a common emergency department (ED) chief complaint and other diseases causing chest
pain occur much more often. Furthermore, 20% of dissections are without chest pain and 6%
are painless. For these reasons, diagnosing dissections may be challenging. Our goal was to
determine the number of total ED and atraumatic chest pain patients for every aortic dissection
diagnosed by emergency physicians.
Methods: Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: 33 suburban and urban New York and New
Jersey EDs with annual visits between 8,000 and 80,000. Participants: Consecutive patients seen
by emergency physicians from 1-1-1996 through 12-31-2010. Observations: We identified aortic
dissection and atraumatic chest pain patients using the International Classification of Diseases 9th
Revision and Clinical Modification codes. We then calculated the number of total ED and atraumatic
chest pain patients for every aortic dissection, along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: From a database of 9.5 million ED visits, we identified 782 aortic dissections or one for
every 12,200 (95% CI [11,400-13,100]) visits. The mean age of dissection patients was 66±16 years
and 38% were female. There were 763,000 (8%) with atraumatic chest pain diagnoses. Thus, there is
one dissection for every 980 (95% CI [910-1,050]) atraumatic chest pain patients.
Conclusion: The diagnosis of aortic dissections by emergency physicians is rare and challenging.
An emergency physician seeing 3,000 to 4,000 patients a year would diagnose an aortic dissection
approximately every three to four years.

Westjem Read More

Prehospital Care

Variability in Criteria for Emergency Medical Services Routing of Acute Stroke Patients to Designated Stroke Center Hospitals

Volume 16, Issue 5, September 2015.
Nikolay Dimitrov, MS, et al.

Introduction: Comprehensive stroke systems of care include routing to the nearest designated
stroke center hospital, bypassing non-designated hospitals. Routing protocols are implemented
at the state or county level and vary in qualification criteria and determination of destination
hospital. We surveyed all counties in the state of California for presence and characteristics of their
prehospital stroke routing protocols.
Methods: Each county’s local emergency medical services agency (LEMSA) was queried for the
presence of a stroke routing protocol. We reviewed these protocols for method of stroke identification
and criteria for patient transport to a stroke center.
Results: Thirty-three LEMSAs serve 58 counties in California with populations ranging from 1,175
to nearly 10 million. Fifteen LEMSAs (45%) had stroke routing protocols, covering 23 counties (40%)
and 68% of the state population. Counties with protocols had higher population density (1,500
vs. 140 persons per square mile). In the six counties without designated stroke centers, patients
meeting criteria were transported out of county. Stroke identification in the field was achieved using
the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Screen in 72%, Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Screen in 7% and
a county-specific protocol in 22%.
Conclusion: California EMS prehospital acute stroke routing protocols cover 68% of the state
population and vary in characteristics including activation by symptom onset time and destination
facility features, reflecting matching of system design to local geographic resources.

Westjem Read More

Recommendations from the Council of Residency Directors (CORD) Social Media Committee on the Role of Social Media in Residency Education and Strategies on Implementation

Volume 16, Issue 4, July 2015
David Pearson, MD, MS, et al.

Social media (SM) is a form of electronic communication through which users create online
communities and interactive platforms to exchange information, ideas, messages, podcasts,
videos, and other user-generated content. Emergency medicine (EM) has embraced the healthcare
applications of SM at a rapid pace and continues to explore the potential benefit for education. Free
Open Access Meducation has emerged from the ever-expanding collection of SM interactions and
now represents a virtual platform for sharing educational media. This guidance document constitutes
an expert consensus opinion for best practices in the use of SM in EM residency education

Westjem Read More

Poisonings with Suicidal Intent Aged 0–21 Years Reported to Poison Centers 2003–12

Volume 16, Issue 4, July 2015
Sophia Sheikh, MD, et al.

Few studies explore the clinical features of youth suicide by poisoning. The use of both social
and clinical features of self-poisoning with suicidal intent could be helpful in enhancing existing and creating
new prevention strategies. We sought to characterize self-poisonings with suicide intent in ages 0 to 21
years reported to three regional poison control centers from 2003-2012.

Westjem Read More

Treatment Protocol Assessment

Case Series of Patients with Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Volume 16, Issue 3, May 2015
Taylor Spencer, MD, MPH, et al.

Traditionally, patients with suspected ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) are taken immediately for operative repair. Computed tomography (CT) has been considered contraindicated. However, with the emergence of endovascular repair, this approach to suspected rAAA could be changing.

Westjem Read More

Opioid Education and Nasal Naloxone Rescue Kits in the Emergency Department

Volume 16, Issue 3, May 2015
Kristin Dwyer, MD, et al.

Emergency departments (EDs) may be high-yield venues to address opioid deaths with education on both overdose prevention and appropriate actions in a witnessed overdose. In addition, the ED has the potential to equip patients with nasal naloxone kits as part of this effort. We evaluated the feasibility of an ED-based overdose prevention program and described the overdose risk knowledge, opioid use, overdoses, and overdose responses among participants who received overdose education and naloxone rescue kits (OEN) and participants who received overdose education only (OE).

Westjem Read More

Long-term Neurological Outcomes in Adults with Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage Admitted to ICU versus Floor

Volume 16, Issue 2, March 2015
Daniel K. Nishijima, MD, MAS et al.

The objective of this study was to compare long-term neurological outcomes in low-risk patients with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (tICH) admitted to the ICU (intensive care unit) versus patients admitted to the floor.

Westjem Read More