The association between the meteorological factors and the daily number of patients who visited an emergency department after suicide attempts

Objective@#This study was conducted to investigate the association between meteorological factors and the number of patients who visited an emergency department after suicide attempts daily. @*Methods@#We conducted a retrospective analysis study of 359 patients who visited an emergency department after suicide attempts from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2016. We used the Poisson regression model to analyze the association. @*Results@#Three hundred and fifty-nine patients were enrolled in this study. According to the Poisson regression analysis, the average temperature on the day of visit (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.038; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.018-1.058), relative humidity (aOR, 0.987; 95% CI, 0.976-0.997), and solar radiation (aOR, 0.965; 95% CI, 0.939-0.993) were meteorological factors associated with the daily number of patients in the non-violent suicidal attempt group. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that meteorological factors are associated with the number of patients who visited an emergency department after suicide attempts daily.

The association between the meteorological factors and the daily number of patients who visited an emergency department after suicide attempts

Objective@#This study was conducted to investigate the association between meteorological factors and the number of patients who visited an emergency department after suicide attempts daily. @*Methods@#We conducted a retrospective analysis study of 359 patients who visited an emergency department after suicide attempts from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2016. We used the Poisson regression model to analyze the association. @*Results@#Three hundred and fifty-nine patients were enrolled in this study. According to the Poisson regression analysis, the average temperature on the day of visit (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.038; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.018-1.058), relative humidity (aOR, 0.987; 95% CI, 0.976-0.997), and solar radiation (aOR, 0.965; 95% CI, 0.939-0.993) were meteorological factors associated with the daily number of patients in the non-violent suicidal attempt group. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that meteorological factors are associated with the number of patients who visited an emergency department after suicide attempts daily.

Factors associated with delayed emergency room visits in adult immigrant patients with mild abdominal pain in Korea

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors associated with unmet needs in immigrant patients complaining of abdominal pain, by analyzing those associated with the time from symptom onset to emergency room visit.METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of immigrants with abdominal pain who visited a tertiary hospital emergency department from January to December 2016. The dependent variable was the time from symptom onset to emergency room visit. The independent variables were age, sex, vital signs, disposition, health insurance status, date of visit, time of visit, level of education, employment status, economic satisfaction, marital status, living with family, duration of residence, having a native spouse, and subjective proficiency in Korean. We analyzed the association of the dependent variable with each independent variable.RESULTS: In total, 102 immigrant patients with abdominal pain were enrolled in this study. The patients who had earlier visits had good subjective proficiency in Korean, high economic satisfaction, longer durations of residence, a tendency to have a native spouse, and a high employment rate. After linear regression analysis, the time from symptom onset to emergency room visit was negatively associated with employment (adjusted odds ratio, -13.67; 95% confidence interval, -23.25 to -4.09; P=0.006) and having a native spouse (adjusted odds ratio, -11.7; 95% confidence interval, -20.61 to -2.8; P=0.011).CONCLUSION: The factors influencing the time from symptom onset to emergency room visit in immigrant patients with abdominal pain are associated with social capital, which improves access to emergency care. Policies that improve immigrant access to emergency care should be considered.

The Validity of the Triage Tool as a Method to Screen Severe Alcoholic Intoxication Patients in the Emergency Department

PURPOSE: Altered mental status is common to alcohol intoxicated patients, resulting in difficulties to perform detailed physical examination and history taking. With this condition, the development of appropriate tools for evaluation was required. This study was conducted to investigate a better method for predicting the prognosis among alcohol intoxicated patients in the emergency department by modifying the Korean Triage Acuity Scale (KTAS). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1,155 alcohol intoxicated patients who presented to the ED between January and December of 2013. The correlation between admission and demographical characteristics of patients was analyzed. We applied the clinical values to KTAS (overdose category) and modified KTAS (alcoholic intoxication category). The efficiency of two triage methods was compared by using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Among these 1,155 patients, 201 were admitted and 954 were discharged. The sensitivity and specificity of the overdose category were 0.736 and 0.623, respectively. Those of the alcoholic intoxication category were 0.647 and 0.979, respectively. The area under ROC curves for overdose category and alcoholic intoxication category were 0.679±0.020 and 0.813±0.021, respectively (95% confidence interval, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the sensitivities of the overdose category and the alcoholic intoxication category were similar. However, the specificity of the alcoholic intoxication category was higher than that of the overdose category. Therefore, the alcoholic intoxication category was superior to the overdose category in predicting the prognosis among alcohol intoxicated patients.

High white blood cell count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate are associated with perforated appendicitis in children

PURPOSE: To investigate the predictors of perforated appendicitis (PA) in pediatric patients with appendicitis seen in the emergency department. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 564 pediatric patients ( 13.5 × 109/L (odds ratio [OR], 3.27; confidence interval [CI], 1.49–7.18; P = 0.003) and ESR > 15 mm/h (OR, 3.18; 95% CI, 2.13–4.74; P < 0.001) are independent predictors of PA. CONCLUSION: WBC count and ESR might be better predictors of PA in pediatric patients with appendicitis in the emergency department than the Alvarado score and CRP concentration.

Factors associated with administration of analgesics for children with forearm fracture

PURPOSE: Analgesia is essential for the treatment of children's fracture. We aimed to investigate the factors associated with administration of analgesics in children with forearm fracture. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of children (< 20 years) with forearm fracture who visited 2 tertiary hospital emergency departments from 2014 to 2015. We analyzed factors, such as gender, age, whether the mother accompanied the visit, visiting time and route, mechanism of injury, duration of symptoms, complicated fracture, manual reduction, surgery, and type and route of analgesics. We also performed logistic regression analysis to identify the factors associated with administration of analgesics. RESULTS: Of 179 children with forearm fracture, 48 (26.8%) were administered analgesics. These children showed older age, shorter duration of symptoms, and more frequent visit with their mothers, visit during the day, use of emergency medical services, and surgery. After logistic regression analysis, we found use of emergency medical service (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 8.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.16–24.08; P < 0.001), visit with the mother (OR, 6.23; 95% CI, 1.68–23.09; P = 0.006), age (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.05–1.32; P = 0.004), and duration of symptoms (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.986–0.999; P = 0.035) as the factors associated with administration of analgesics. CONCLUSION: The factors associated with administration of analgesics might be communicating skill-related factors, such as older age and shorter duration of symptoms. Children with poor communicating skill may need more aggressive analgesia in the emergency department.

Management of right main bronchial rupture with a double lumen endotracheal tube in a patient with blunt chest trauma

Tracheobronchial disruption is one of the most severe injuries caused by blunt chest trauma. It may cause airway obstruction and resulting life-threatening respiratory deficiency. However, the clinical presentations are variable and frequently difficult to diagnose. We report a case of a previously healthy 16-year-old man with complete right main bronchial transection sustained after a vehicular accident, who had progressive dyspnea, subcutaneous emphysema in the neck and anterior chest wall, and bilateral tension pneumothorax. Prompt chest tube drainage for suspected bilateral tension pneumothorax and a tracheal intubation were performed. Shortly after the positive pressure ventilation, severe subcutaneous emphysema developed and he was at risk for developing shock. Additional chest tubes were inserted. An emergency bronchoscopy showed rupture of the right main bronchus. After changing to a double lumen endotracheal tube, the patient’s condition improved. A surgical closure was performed and postoperative bronchoscopy showed good repair. The patient was discharged without complications.

A Clinical Analysis of 179 Cases of Centipede Bite Patients Who Visited the Emergency Department in Korea

PURPOSE: To investigate the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of centipede bite injuries. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of clinical manifestations in patients who were identified between April 2005 to April 2007 as having suffered from centipede bites. Factors evaluated included sex, age, location and time of bite, part of body affected, clinical signs and symptoms, treatment modalities and complications. RESULTS: A total of 179 cases of centipede bite were identified. Centipede bites occurred between spring and autumn. 69.3% of bites happened at night. All patients were bitten on an exposed body parts, and the digit of both the handsand feet were the sites most often involved. Pain, swelling, erythema were the most frequent symptoms and signs. Most cases showed minor manifestations but, three patients needed to be admitted because of anaphylaxis. CONCLUSION: Centipede bites are relatively common in the summer season in rural and island areas, especially at night. Though the clinical symptoms of centipede bites are generally minor symptoms, emergency physicians need to possess accurate knowledge of the clinical manifestations in order to properly identify severe cases.

Fixation of Open Alveolar Bone Fractures: Easily Applicable Method in the Emergency Department

PURPOSE: The purpose of this clinical trial was to evaluate the fixation method for treating alveolar fractures in an emergency department. METHODS: The efficiency of using the fixation method was judged on the basis of clinical criteria. Stability, occlusion state, bleeding amount after fixation, operation time, and difficulties during procedural operation were recorded. RESULTS: Eight patients were enrolled in this study. In all instances, the fixation method was effective in bleeding control. Each patient had a noticeable decrement in bleeding. A wire was used for four of the eight patients, and nylon strings was used for the others. The average operation time was 6.3 minutes for the wire patients and 2.8 minutes for the Nylon string patients. No specific problem was identified during the procedural operation. However, the difference in the fixation material influenced the effectiveness of the procedure, the operation time, and the satisfaction of the doctor. CONCLUSION: In the emergency department, the fixation method using wire or nylon string in the treatment of alveolar fractures is effective in bleeding control.