Emergency Medicine - Adult and Pediatric
RSSArticles
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Failure to Involve Cardiology Common Allegation in Missed STEMI
Involving cardiology in the STEMI decision-making process can be legally protective for EPs. But as one attorney warns: “What ED practitioners need to be wary of is doing it halfway."
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Atypical Symptoms, Atypical Patients: Both Increase the Odds of Missed STEMI
The “typical” heart attack patient presents with midline chest pain, sweating, and nausea. Certainly, this was not the case for one young man. A physician noted "the dissimilarity between his complaint and his pathology was striking."
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HEART Score Mitigates Risk — But With ‘Important Shortcomings’
The authors of a recent review deemed the HEART score an excellent predictor of major adverse cardiac events in adult ED patients with chest pain. Experts debate the score's merits while comparing it to other prediction and diagnostic tools.
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Despite Excessive Testing for Low-Risk Chest Pain, EDs Still Miss Some Myocardial Infarctions
There are some fresh recommendations for EDs treating patients with suspected non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes. A new clinical policy from the American College of Emergency Physicians addresses the evaluation and management of these patients.
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Missed STEMI Suit Could Succeed if Plaintiff’s Expert Sees No ECG, Troponins, or Cardiology Consult
When a plaintiff attorney’s expert reviews the ED medical records on a potential missed ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) case, certain “smoking guns” immediately become apparent.
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Transient Ischemic Attack
Recent research on transient ischemic attacks (TIA) has changed how emergency medicine providers evaluate and manage this sometimes difficult diagnosis. This article provides readers with current information and relevant studies pertaining to TIAs.
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Intimate Partner Violence
Domestic violence and abuse is a national and global healthcare problem with massive consequences, affecting men, women, and children. Awareness, recognition, and resource allocation, in addition to trauma management, is an important aspect of emergent care of the trauma patient possibly injured in a domestic violence incident.
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Making Sense of Delirium in the Emergency Department
Delirium is a complex disorder marked by the acute onset of mental status change with an associated fluctuating course. Despite the fact that delirium is a common clinical entity in elderly hospitalized patients, the condition may present in any patient regardless of medical comorbidities. Recognition within the emergency setting is becoming increasingly important, as the diagnosis frequently is missed.
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Speech Recognition Technology for EDs May Increase Malpractice Risks
Seven out of 100 words in speech recognition-generated documents contain errors, many of which involve clinical information, according to the authors of a recent study.
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After Malpractice Allegations, EP Productivity Decreases
One researchers says the results of one study suggest legal reforms surrounding damage caps may not fully address liability pressure for physicians and other healthcare providers. In other ongoing work, investigators are studying whether EPs adjusted practice patterns equally for all patient types after a malpractice litigation, or whether EPs used information from the allegation to adjust care for clinically relevant patients.