Articles

Spontaneous giant rectus sheath hematoma in patients with COVID-19: two case reports and literature review

Coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19, as a global public health emergency, has come with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and complications. In this study, we present a unique complication of this dis...

Authors: Behzad Nematihonar, Shohra Qaderi, Jaffer Shah and Javad zebarjadi Bagherpour

Microbiological findings in emergency department patients with sepsis identified by the Sepsis-3 criteria: a single-center prospective population-based cohort study

Studies comparing the microbiological profiles among sepsis patients identified with either Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria are limit...

Authors: Signe Trille Sørensen, S. M. Osama Bin Abdullah, Rune Husås Sørensen, Ram Dessau, Niels Høiby and Finn Erland Nielsen

Diagnostic delay of acute mitral regurgitation during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: a case report

Diagnostic errors or delays can cause serious consequences for patient safety, especially in the emergency department. Anchoring bias is one of the major factors leading to diagnostic error. During the coronav...

Authors: Azumi Kawabata, Hiraku Funakoshi, Joji Ito, Takushi Santanda, Yasuhiro Norisue and Hiroyuki Watanabe

Prehospital time of suspected stroke patients treated by emergency medical service: a nationwide study in Thailand

This work was to study the prehospital time among suspected stroke patients who were transported by an emergency medical service (EMS) system using a national database.

Authors: Phantakan Tansuwannarat, Pongsakorn Atiksawedparit, Arrug Wibulpolprasert and Natdanai Mankasetkit

Case report: appendicitis induced Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia in a young healthy male

Appendicitis is one of the most frequently encountered conditions at the emergency department. Distinction is made between complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis. Complicated appendicitis may cause serious...

Authors: Jan Arne Arne Deodatus, Sander Ferdinand Emiel Paas, Gerrit Hendrik Johan Wagenvoort and Marije Matilde de Kubber

Personal protective equipment and doffing procedures in out-of-hospital practice: assessment with a contamination simulation

The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by emergency medical services (EMS) providers requires specific attention, as it takes place in out-of-hospital unsecured settings. The aim of this study was to e...

Authors: Fabrice Pottier, Charles Groizard, Grégory Briche, Nicolas Haraczaj, Maxime Garnier, Vinciane Loones, Anna Ozguler, Michel Baer, Géraldine Baer and Thomas Loeb

Predicting emergency department visits in a large teaching hospital

Emergency department (ED) visits show a high volatility over time. Therefore, EDs are likely to be crowded at peak-volume moments. ED crowding is a widely reported problem with negative consequences for patien...

Authors: Nathan Singh Erkamp, Dirk Hendrikus van Dalen and Esther de Vries

In-hospital cardiac arrest incidence and outcomes in the era of COVID-19: an observational study in a Singapore hospital

COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant strain on healthcare resources and this requires diligent resource re-allocation. We aim to describe the incidence and outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA...

Authors: Ting Lyu, Faheem Ahmed Khan, Shanaz Matthew Sajeed, Amit Kansal, Monika Gulati Kansal, Shekhar Dhanvijay, Rou An Tan, Jared D’Souza, Ian Cendana, Patricia Leong and Chee Keat Tan

Calibrating a chief complaint list for low resource settings: a methodologic case study

The chief or presenting complaint is the reason for seeking health care, often in the patient’s own words. In limited resource settings, a diagnosis-based approach to quantifying burden of disease is not possi...

Authors: B. Hansoti, E. Hahn, A. Rao, J. Harris, A. Jenson, N. Markadakis, S. Moonat, V. Osula and A. Pousson

Subarachnoid hemorrhage in the emergency department

Subarachnoid hemorrhage accounts for more than 30,000 cases of stroke annually in North America and encompasses a 4.4% mortality rate. Since a vast number of subarachnoid hemorrhage cases present in a younger ...

Authors: Sima Patel, Amay Parikh and Okorie Nduka Okorie

The use of dual oxygen concentrator system for mechanical ventilation during COVID-19 pandemic in Sabah, Malaysia

Sabah in Malaysian Borneo is among the Malaysian states which reported a high number of detected COVID-19 cases during the current pandemic. Due to geographical challenges and limited resources, clinicians dev...

Authors: Phee Kheng Cheah, Evelyn Marie Steven, Khai Keam Ng, Muammar Iqbal Hashim, Mohamed Hakimi Abdul Kadir and Nicholas Paul Roder

Diagnostic pitfalls: intramyocardial lymphoma metastasis mimics acute coronary syndrome in a diffuse large B cell lymphoma patient—case report

Cardiac tumors are very uncommon compared to other cardiac diseases. Their clinical symptoms can vary from absent to non-specific. The most common symptoms are arrhythmias, blood flow obstruction due to valvul...

Authors: Lilla Prenek, Klára Csupor, Péter Beszterczán, Krisztina Boros, Erika Kardos, András Vorobcsuk, Miklós Egyed, Ádám Kellner, Péter Rajnics and Csaba Varga

Emergency medical dispatcher training as a strategy to improve pre-hospital care in low- and middle-income countries: the case study of Nepal

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often face significant challenges related to providing effective pre-hospital care services. Barriers to providing care include lack of financial resources, poor road i...

Authors: Claire L. Jacobson, Samjhana Basnet, Ajay Bhatt, Shreejesh Parajuli and Sanu Krishna Shrestha

The evaluation of using new trachea and skin manikins for practicing emergency anterior neck access

Emergency anterior neck access may be performed if intubation and ventilation fail. Practicing this life-saving procedure with manikins before facing a real-life emergency anterior neck access is required to d...

Authors: Sumidtra Prathep, Wilasinee Jitpakdee, Pittayapon Pitathawatchai and Sittichoke Anuntaseree

Health care-based voter registration: a new kind of healing

Authors: Alister Martin, Ali Raja and Halea Meese

Infected open depressed skull fracture complicated with tetanus grade I in an unimmunized child: a rare case report with literature review

Tetanus is a rare disease caused by Clostridium tetani, which produces tetanolysin and tetanospasmin. In 2018, there were only approximately ten tetanus cases reported in Indonesia. Despite widespread vaccination...

Authors: Dzulfikar D. L. Hakim, Ahmad Faried, Adila Nurhadiya, Ericko H. Laymena, Muhammad Z. Arifin, Akhmad Imron and Iwan Abdulrachman

Fulminant hepatic failure in a patient testing re-positive for SARS-CoV-2: a case report

Infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may not elicit lifelong protective immunity and reinfection could occur. Liver function impairment is a common manifestation of coronav...

Authors: Bader Aldossary, Ali Hassan, Mohamed Moussa, Hind S. Alsaif and Dunya Alfaraj

The pathophysiology of “happy” hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia usually includes various neurological symptoms, which are the consequence of neuroglycopenia. When it is severe, it is associated with altered mental status, even coma.

Authors: Thomas Loeb, Anna Ozguler, Geraldine Baer and Michel Baer

Data missingness in the Michigan NEMSIS (MI-EMSIS) dataset: a mixed-methods study

The study was done to evaluate levels of missing and invalid values in the Michigan (MI) National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) (MI-EMSIS) and explore possible causes to inform improve...

Authors: Mahshid Abir, Rekar K. Taymour, Jason E. Goldstick, Rosalie Malsberger, Jane Forman, Stuart Hammond and Kathy Wahl

Use of sodium bicarbonate in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a common cause of death worldwide (Neumar et al., Circulation 122:S729–S767, 2010), affecting about 300,000 persons in the USA on an annual basis; 92% of them die (Roge...

Authors: Mohammed S. Alshahrani and Hassan W. Aldandan

Non-penetrating traumatic psoas muscle hematoma presenting with gross hematuria: a case report

Psoas muscle hematoma is defined as a spontaneous or traumatic retroperitoneal collection of blood involving the psoas muscle. Early symptoms of an iliopsoas hematoma include lower abdominal or severe groin pa...

Authors: Lotfolah Abedini, Saadat Mehrabi, Reza Hosseinpour, Mohammad Bagher Jahantab, Vahid Salehi and Mohammad Javad Yavari Barhaghtalab

Disaster management of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a suboptimal response to this threatening global disaster, including the response to the psychological impact. Both the economic hardship and the continuous media coverage of ...

Authors: Mohamud Sheek-Hussein, Fikri M. Abu-Zidan and Emmanuel Stip

Protecting providers and patients: results of an Internet survey of health care workers’ risk perceptions and ethical concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated worldwide scarcity of critical resources to protect against and treat disease. Shortages of face masks and other protective equipment place health workers, already on the fr...

Authors: Lauren O’Neal, Michele Heisler, Ranit Mishori and Rohini J. Haar

Preliminary report of drive-through screening COVID-19 screening process in a large suburban community

Authors: Anne Ledvina, Ronny Otero, Jessica Hamilton, Carol Clark, Aveh Bastani, James Ziadeh, Jeffrey Ditkoff and Robert Swor

EMS operation in a female restricted university, Saudi prospective

This paper was written to explain the process and steps and to describe the experience with building a women-only operated collegiate emergency medical service (EMS) system in the largest women-only university...

Authors: Wajdan Alassaf, Sameer Al Hamid, Osama Kentab, Abdullah Al Otaibi and Bandar Al Mufareh

Implementation of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) inhalation as the first-line treatment for nausea in the emergency department: practical advantages and influence on the quality of care

Nasal inhalation of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) seems an effective anti-emetic for the symptomatic treatment of nausea in the emergency department (ED) compared to conventional anti-emetics (Ondansetron and Metocl...

Authors: Peter Veldhuis, Maartje Melse and Nieke Mullaart

The next wave: key adaptations to operational workflows of National Screening Centre (Singapore) and the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors: Charmaine Malenab Manauis, Marvin Loh, Amanda Hui Jun Lim, James Kwan, Han Jie Teo, David Kuan Peng Teng, Shawn Sushilan Vasoo, Yee Sin Leo and Hou Ang

The effect of a telephone follow-up call for older patients, discharged home from the emergency department on health-related outcomes: a systematic review of controlled studies

Older patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. Transitional care programs offer close surveillance after discharge, but are costly. Telephone follow-up...

Authors: Merel van Loon-van Gaalen, Britt van Winsen, M. Christien van der Linden, Jacobijn Gussekloo and Roos C. van der Mast

Global point-of-care ultrasound education and training in the age of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional global point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) education and training, as a result of travel restrictions. It has also provided an opportunity for innovation using a vi...

Authors: Onyinyechi F. Eke, Patricia C. Henwood, Grace W. Wanjiku, Abiola Fasina, Sigmund J. Kharasch and Hamid Shokoohi

Knowledge of non-healthcare individuals towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a cross-sectional study in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Most sudden cardiac arrests occur at home, with low rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation being performed. We aimed to assess knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among individuals in Riyadh C...

Authors: Reema M. Alhussein, Mansoor M. Albarrak, Abdulaziz A. Alrabiah, Nawfal A. Aljerian, Hashim M. Bin Salleeh, Ahmad S. Hersi, Tariq A. Wani and Zohair A. Al Aseri

The emergency department care of the cannabis and synthetic cannabinoid patient: a narrative review

Cannabis is the most prevalent illegal drug used and the second most common cause of ED drug-related complaints in the USA. Recently, newer more potent strains, concentrated THC products, and consumption metho...

Authors: Kevin M. Takakuwa and Raquel M. Schears

Emergency medicine matters: epidemiology of medical pathology and changes in patient outcomes after implementation of a post-graduate training program at a Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda

Emergency care is a new but growing specialty across Africa where medical conditions have been estimated to account for 92% of all disability-adjusted life years. This study describes the epidemiology of medic...

Authors: Katelyn Moretti, Doris Lorette Uwamahoro, Sonya Naganathan, Chantal Uwamahoro, Naz Karim, Menales Nkeshimana and Adam R. Aluisio

Hiccups and psychosis: two atypical presentations of COVID-19

The WHO defines a possible case of COVID-19 as a person experiencing fever, cough, shortness of breath, and neurological signs including anosmia, ageusia, or dysgeusia. However, experiences from hospitals all ...

Authors: Teresa Alvarez-Cisneros, Aldo Lara-Reyes and Stephanie Sansón-Tinoco

Role of liver enzymes in patients with blunt abdominal trauma to diagnose liver injury

The liver is the second most injured organ following blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) after the spleen. Although the computed tomography (CT) scan is considered as the gold standard for diagnosing liver injury in ...

Authors: Anup Shrestha, Harish Chandra Neupane, Kishor Kumar Tamrakar, Abhishek Bhattarai and Gaurav Katwal

Lack of racial and ethnic-based differences in acute care delivery in intracerebral hemorrhage

Early diagnosis and treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is thought to be critical for improving outcomes. We examined whether racial or ethnic disparities exist in acute care processes in the first hou...

Authors: Chun Mei Su, Andrew Warren, Cassie Kraus, Wendy Macias-Konstantopoulos, Kori S. Zachrison, Anand Viswanathan, Christopher Anderson, M. Edip Gurol, Steven M. Greenberg and Joshua N. Goldstein

The International Federation for Emergency Medicine report on emergency department crowding and access block: a brief summary

To develop comprehensive guidance that captures international impacts, causes, and solutions related to emergency department crowding and access block

Authors: A. P. Javidan, K. Hansen, I. Higginson, P. Jones and E. Lang

Healthcare in transition in the Republic of Armenia: the evolution of emergency medical systems and directions forward

Armenia, an ex-Soviet Republic in transition since independence in 1991, has made remarkable strides in development. The crisis of prioritization that has plagued many post-Soviet republics in transition has m...

Authors: Sharon Chekijian, Nune Truzyan, Taguhi Stepanyan and Alexander Bazarchyan

Successful management of retropharyngeal hematoma by trans-arterial embolism without intubation

Retropharyngeal hematoma can cause suffocation if there is delay in securing the airway by intubation. However, there are also concerns about complications that can arise with intubation; it is still unknown w...

Authors: Gaku Sugiura, Hiroyuki Takahashi, Yoshihisa Kodama and Satoshi Nara

Emergency medicine in Japan: past, present, and future

Quite a few changes and challenges have arisen in society in general as technology has advanced and the aging population has increased. These can lead to the recognition of the shortcomings of a society’s trad...

Authors: Kentaro Shimizu, Seikei Hibino, Michelle H. Biros, Taro Irisawa and Takeshi Shimazu

Feasibility and integration of an intensive emergency pediatric care curriculum in Armenia

Emergency pediatric care curriculum (EPCC) was developed to address the need for pediatric rapid assessment and resuscitation skills among out-of-hospital emergency providers in Armenia. This study was designe...

Authors: Aline Baghdassarian, Al M. Best, Anushavan Virabyan, Claire Alexanian, Shant Shekherdimian, Sally A. Santen and Hambartzum Simonyan

A scoping review of worldwide studies evaluating the effects of prehospital time on trauma outcomes

Annually, over 1 billion people sustain traumatic injuries, resulting in over 900,000 deaths in Africa and 6 million deaths globally. Timely response, intervention, and transportation in the prehospital settin...

Authors: Alexander F. Bedard, Lina V. Mata, Chelsea Dymond, Fabio Moreira, Julia Dixon, Steven G. Schauer, Adit A. Ginde, Vikhyat Bebarta, Ernest E. Moore and Nee-Kofi Mould-Millman

Cerebrospinal fluid findings and hypernatremia in COVID-19 patients with altered mental status

The objective of the study was to assess the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings in COVID-19 patients.

Authors: Hale Toklu, Latha Ganti, Ettore Crimi, Cristobal Cintron, Joshua Hagan and Enrique Serrano

Rhythms and prognosis of patients with cardiac arrest, emphasis on pseudo-pulseless electrical activity: another reason to use ultrasound in emergency rooms in Colombia

The cardiac arrest is still an emergency with a bad prognosis. The growing adoption of bedside ultrasound allowed to classify PEA in two groups: the true PEA and the pseudo-PEA. pPEA is used to describe a pati...

Authors: German Devia Jaramillo, Norberto Navarrete Aldana and Zaira Rojas Ortiz

Urgent hyperbaric oxygen therapy for suicidal carbon monoxide poisoning: from a preliminary survey to a proposal for an integrated somatic-psychiatric protocol

A considerable number of patients who made a carbon monoxide (CO) suicidal attempt are treated with urgent hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). For these patients at potential persistent risk of suicide, the hype...

Authors: Alessandra Costanza, Julia Ambrosetti, Philippe Spagnoli, Andrea Amerio, Andrea Aguglia, Gianluca Serafini, Mario Amore, Guido Bondolfi, François Sarasin and Rodrigue Pignel

Impact of a financial incentive on the completion of educational metrics

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires all emergency medicine (EM) training programs to evaluate resident performance and also requires core faculty to attend didactic confer...

Authors: Andrew Pugh, Tabitha Ford, Troy Madsen, Christine Carlson, Gerard Doyle, Robert Stephen, Susan Stroud and Megan Fix

Air in the right ventricle and vein after basilar skull fracture: a case report

Air in the venous system may cause vascular air embolism, which is a potentially life-threatening event. The presence of air in venous system after basilar skull fracture is very rare.

Authors: Hiroki Kai, Tomoya Hirose, Takaya Nishiura, Takashi Noma, Yoshihito Ogawa, Tomoki Yamada, Haruhiko Nakae and Yasuaki Mizushima

An atypical presentation of multidermatomal herpes zoster: a case report

Herpes zoster (HZ) also known as shingles is a common dermatological pathology seen in the emergency department. Multidermatomal involvement is an uncommon presentation and usually is linked to immunocompromis...

Authors: Mohammed Alhayyas, Mehmood Chaudhry and Sabrina Berdouk

Learning process of ultrasound-guided Ilio-fascial compartment block on a simulator: a feasibility study

Ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca compartment block (US-FICB) is not part of the learning curriculum of the emergency physicians (EP) and is usually performed by anesthesiologists. However, several studies promo...

Authors: Julien Celi, Christophe A. Fehlmann, Olivier T. Rutschmann, Iris Pelieu-Lamps, Roxane Fournier, Mathieu Nendaz, François Sarasin and Frédéric Rouyer

Boerhaave syndrome due to excessive alcohol consumption: two case reports

Spontaneous esophageal rupture, or Boerhaave syndrome, is a fatal disorder caused by an elevated esophageal pressure owing to forceful vomiting. Patients with Boerhaave syndrome often present with chest pain, ...

Authors: Yuichiro Haba, Shungo Yano, Hikaru Akizuki, Takashi Hashimoto, Toshio Naito and Naoyuki Hashiguchi

Correction to: Evolution of emergency medical services in the Kingdom of Bahrain

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Feras H. Abuzeyad, Ghada Al Qasim, Leena Alqasem and Mudhaffar I. Al Farras