Emergency Medicine Clinical Briefs

• Visits to ED Increase Risk for Infection in Elderly Patients CME Elderly residents of long-term care facilities who visited the emergency department had a greater than 3-fold increased risk for acute gastrointestinal or respiratory infection.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Possible Dosing Errors Linked With an IV Pain Reliever for Children CME/CE The study cautions healthcare providers about the risk and consequences of dosing errors when prescribing a common children's pain reliever intravenously and ways to reduce the risk.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Updated Guidelines for Field Triage of Injured Patients: CDC CME/CE The CDC 2011 guidelines for field triage of injured patients updates the 2006 version and includes several revisions and modifications.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Early Warning Score Predicts Adverse Events in Hospitalized Patients CME An expanded early warning score based on vital signs, level of consciousness, urine production, and concern of the nursing staff predicted major adverse events for hospitalized patients.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Neck Pain Alleviated With Spinal Manipulation, Exercise CME Spinal manipulation and a home exercise program provide better relief from neck pain than medications, a new study says.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Guidelines Recommend Blood Glucose Testing in All Hospitalized Patients CME A new clinical practice guideline from The Endocrine Society calls for blood glucose testing for all patients on admission to the hospital, mainly those who do not require intensive care.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Two-Part Review Discusses Transfusion Guidelines in Children CME A 2-part review shows that thresholds for blood transfusion in children are different than those in adults and that transfusion in a child vs an adult is associated with more harmful outcomes.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, January 2012
• Nonadherence to Trauma Quality Standards Affects Outcomes CME A patient registry study found that failure to observe quality standards in the treatment of trauma patients was strongly associated with in hospital mortality, major complications, and death.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• MRI Before Epidural Injection Not Beneficial in Back Pain CME A new study shows that magnetic resonance imaging before epidural steroid injections for low back pain has no major effect on treatment outcomes and only a minor effect on clinician decision making.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• CMS Programs Promoting Healthcare System Change Begin to Show Results CME As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shifts to paying for quality instead of volume, what are the implications for care providers?
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Anticoagulation Self-Monitoring Reduces Thromboembolic Risk by Half CME Self-management of oral anticoagulation, in which patients self-tested INRs themselves and were trained to self-adjust the warfarin dose based on these results, was superior to self-testing alone.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Hospital-Acquired C difficile Infection Prolongs Length of Stay CME Patients with hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infections spent a median of 6 days longer in the hospital than patients without infections, according to an analysis of hospital admissions.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Anticoagulants, Diabetes Meds Cause ADE Hospitalization in Seniors CME/CE Improved management of antithrombotic and antidiabetes drugs can keep thousands of seniors out of the hospital and reduce the rate of adverse drug events, according to a new study.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Repeated Use of Acetaminophen Can Be Fatal CME A large, single-center cohort study shows that staggered overdose of acetaminophen can result in liver, brain and kidney problems and a greater risk for death than a single overdose.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Risk for Pulmonary Embolism Increases With Autoimmune Disease CME A long-term investigation shows a strong association between hospital admission for an autoimmune disorder and pulmonary embolism during the subsequent year after admission.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, December 2011
• Higher CHADS2 Score Linked With Increased Stroke Risk in AF Patients CME In patients with atrial fibrillation, a higher CHADS2 score is associated with increased risks for stroke, mortality, and major bleeding, even if they are receiving anticoagulation.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, November 2011
• Urgent Diverticulitis Surgery Higher in Blacks CME Black vs white patients were more likely to undergo urgent diverticulitis surgery and more likely to be readmitted 30 days after the surgery. In-hospital mortality rate was also higher.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, November 2011
• Diagnosis of Dementia Increases Risk for Suicide CME A new study shows that a diagnosis of dementia increases an individual's risk for suicide, especially in the setting of depression and anxiety.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, November 2011
• Stroke, Mortality Risk Increased in New-Onset AF in Sepsis CME In patients with sepsis, new onset of atrial fibrillation is linked with increased risks for stroke and death.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, November 2011
• Low-Dose rtPA Hastens Clot Removal in Brain Hemorrhage CME Clot lytic treatment with low-dose recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator speeds clot removal in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage accompanied by intraventricular hemorrhage.
  Medscape Education Clinical Briefs, November 2011