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Far too many emergency physicians are complacent about the use of lumbar punctures following a negative computed tomography (CT) scan to rule out subarachnoid hemorrhage in a patient with high-risk headache (worst ever or thunderclap headache), some experts say.
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The fast track in the ED at Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, NC, is designed to keep everyone in the ED moving, not just those seen in the minor emergency care unit (MECU), says Pat Stark, RN, BSN, nurse manager for the ED.
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Somewhere deep in an ED managers mind, maybe when youre feeling cynical at 3 a.m., the patients who left without being seen (LWBS) might seem like a blessing. After all, your ED is too busy, and they probably didnt need emergency care in the first place.
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The FDA has approved Pfizer's eplerenone (Inspra) for the treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients who have sustained a myocardial infarction.
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A patient daily goals checkoff form used twice daily during rounds has helped the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) team at Hartford (CT) Hospital achieve a 25% drop in its mortality rate, while cutting lengths of stay and ventilator days.
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The universal consent form described eight commonly performed procedures: placement of an arterial catheter, a central venous catheter, a pulmonary artery catheter, a peripherally inserted central catheter, lumbar puncture, thoracentesis (surgical puncture through the chest wall with drainage of fluid from the thoracic cavity), paracentesis (surgical puncture through the abdominal wall with drainage or aspiration of fluid from the abdominal cavity), and intubation/mechanical ventilation.
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Using a universal consent form for multiple procedures anticipated for a patient can nearly double the consent rate for most of the invasive procedures performed in an intensive care unit, according to researchers in Chicago. But observers say the tactic may violate the spirit of the informed consent process.
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New rules put forth by the bush administration that took effect on Nov. 10 significantly relax strictures in the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) that required hospitals and some hospital-owned clinics to examine and treat people who need emergency medical care even when those patients cant pay.