Comparison of Blood Gas Analysis and Auto-Analyzer Results for Sodium and Potassium Levels in Elderly and Non-elderly Adult Emergency Department Patients.

Objectives This study aims to evaluate the concordance between blood gas and biochemical measurement methods for sodium and potassium levels in elderly and non-elderly patients within an emergency department (ED) setting. Methods A retrospective method comparison study was conducted at an ED from February 1, 2023, to March 1, 2023. The study included 414 patients, categorized into "elderly" (aged 65 and above; n = 138, 33.3%) and "non-elderly" (aged 18 to 64; n = 276, 66.7%) groups. Concordance was assessed using Bland-Altman, Passing-Bablok, and Lin's concordance correlation methods. Results In sodium measurements, the elderly group exhibited an average bias of -1.52 mEq/L (95% confidence interval [CI] -2.12 to -0.92), with lower and upper limits of agreement (LoA) at -8.46 and 5.42 mEq/L, respectively, indicating a broader variance than non-elderly patients, who showed an average bias of -0.82 mEq/L with limits of -4.97 to 3.32 mEq/L. For potassium, the elderly group's average bias was -0.46 mEq/L (95% CI -0.36 to -0.57), with limits of agreement from -1.68 to 0.75 mEq/L, compared to non-elderly patients with a bias of -0.29 mEq/L and limits of -0.71 to 0.13 mEq/L. Furthermore, concordance correlation coefficients revealed a reduced agreement in the elderly for both sodium (r ccc = 0.799) and potassium (r ccc = 0.529) compared to the non-elderly cohort (sodium r ccc = 0.821, potassium r ccc = 0.715). Conclusion The study identifies significant discrepancies in sodium and potassium levels between elderly and non-elderly patients, suggesting a need for diagnostic precision. It emphasizes the importance of customizing diagnostic approaches to better serve the elderly population in EDs.

The role of Ottawa ankle rules in geriatric emergency department visits.

BACKGROUND: Ankle injuries are a common reason for visits to the emergency department (ED). An effective diagnosis and treatment process is crucial for the swift recovery of patients and for alleviating congestion in EDs. This study aims to evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of the Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) in geriatric patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). METHODS: Between February 2022 and November 2022, 160 patients aged 65 and older (118 women, 42 men) who presented to the ED with isolated ankle injuries were included in the study. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the OAR. RESULTS: The study found fractures in 37.5% of patients. The sensitivity of the OAR was 98.33%, the specificity was 86%, the negative predictive value was 98.85%, and the positive predictive value was 80.82%. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the OAR is highly sensitive in the geriatric population but shows some limitations in terms of specificity and positive predictive value. These results support the effectiveness of using the OAR in evaluating ankle injuries in the geriatric population but also highlight the need for cautious application due to the potential for false-positive outcomes.

Comparing Doppler Ultrasonography and Computerized Tomography Angiography in Emergency Department Evaluation of Earthquake-Related Crush Injuries: A Case Series Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This case series aims to provide a comprehensive description of the utilization of doppler ultrasonography (USG) and computerized tomography angiography (CTA) in evaluating patients with earthquake-induced crush injuries in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: This retrospective case series was conducted on 11 patients who presented with crush injuries following a seismic event. These patients underwent initial assessment using doppler USG, with CTA performed when deemed necessary. Clinical outcomes and diagnostic findings were systematically reviewed. RESULTS: A cohort of 11 earthquake-related crush injury patients (six females, five males; age 3-59 years), predominantly with lower extremity injuries, with entrapped durations that ranged from 12 to 128 hours. Transport centers received patients from both affected regions and nearby provinces. Initial X-rays identified fractures in two cases. Doppler USG and subsequent CTA were employed for vascular evaluation, with CTA confirming doppler USG findings. Of the 11 patients, five exhibited abnormal doppler USG findings. Four patients required dialysis and four underwent amputation surgery. Fasciotomy and debridement procedures were performed in five and seven patients, respectively. Three patients received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). CONCLUSION: Doppler USG emerged as a dependable tool for assessing vascular injuries in earthquake-related crush injuries, offering an effective alternative to CTA without the associated contrast agent risks. These findings underscore the need for further research to establish definitive imaging guidelines in these challenging clinical scenarios.

Earthquake-related isolated blunt thoracic trauma patients: A special population study in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to compare patients with severe and mild blunt thoracic trauma, who survived an earthquake and presented to the emergency department (ED), in order to identify factors influencing the severity of trauma in earthquake-related thoracic injuries. METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional, observational comparative study included patients with isolated thoracic injuries due to the February 6th Kahramanmaras earthquake. The patients were categorized into severe and mild groups based on chest trauma scoring (CTS), and their characteristics were compared. RESULTS: The study included 53 patients, with 43 (88.1%) classified as having mild thoracic trauma and 10 (18.9%) classified as having severe thoracic trauma. There was no significant difference in the duration of entrapment between the groups (p = 0.824). The incidence of hemothorax, pneumothorax, rib fractures, and pneumomediastinum did not differ significantly between the two groups (p > 0.05). However, severe thoracic trauma was associated with a higher rate of lung contusion compared to the mild group (p = 0.045). The severe group exhibited significantly higher median scores for lung contusion, rib fractures, and total CTS compared to the mild group (p < 0.001). The mortality rate was significantly higher in the severe group (40%, n = 4) compared to the mild group (2.3%, n = 1) (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: The duration of entrapment did not significantly affect the severity of thoracic injuries in earthquake-related blunt thoracic trauma. However, lung contusion was found to be a more prominent feature in these injuries compared to other clinical conditions such as hemothorax and pneumothorax. These findings highlight the distinct clinical implications of earthquake-related thoracic trauma and may have implications for management strategies in these cases.

Violent Experiences Suffered by Pre-Hospital Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This work was carried out to determine the causes of violence against Prehospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel (PHEMSP) who performed their duties without any special security measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, and who were subjected to violence because of their work. METHOD: The approach of this research is in accordance with case study design, which is concerned with the examination of unique cases. For this study, a volunteer announcement was made on social media for PHEMSPs from 3 different branches (Emergency Medical Technicians or EMTs, paramedics, and doctors) who had been actively working in ambulances during the transportation of COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic, and who had declared that they were subjected to verbal abuse or physical violence. The data was collected through structured interviews from 60 voluntary participants. RESULTS: As a result of the analysis of the data, 3 main themes were revealed as the source of violence that PHEMSPs had been exposed to during the pandemic. They are the following: (1) violence caused by the nature of the disease, (2) violence caused by society, and (3) violence caused by working areas and systems. The reasons which created these themes, were accepted as codes. The codes that arose due to the theme of (1) violence caused by the nature of the disease were 'the fear of contagion,' 'the requirement for disinfection,' and 'triage problems,' which caused both verbal abuse and physical violence. In addition to these codes, the code of 'stigma' due to protective equipment was found only to elicit verbal abuse. The codes for the theme (2) 'violence caused by society,' were determined as societal perceptions regarding high wages, attempts to misuse health services, and distrust. All 3 of these codes were found to evoke both verbal abuse and physical violence. The codes for the theme (3) 'violence caused by working areas and systems,' included team mismatch in PHEMSPs, resignation ban, and long working hours, as well as mismatch between in-hospital HCWs and PHEMSPs, mobbing, feeling unsupported, and gender disadvantage. It has been revealed among these codes that only the team mismatch in PHEMSPs caused both verbal abuse and physical violence, while all the others only lead to verbal abuse. CONCLUSION: If a 0 tolerance for 'violence in the healthcare system' is to be targeted, it should start in the pre-hospital phase and with all PHEMSPs, since this is the 0 point where the healthcare system, and patients first meet. Additionally, this group should be considered a vulnerable group for workplace violence (WPV), especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enhancing Triage and Management in Earthquake-Related Injuries: The SAFE-QUAKE Scoring System for Predicting Dialysis Requirements.

OBJECTIVES: Identifying early predictors of dialysis requirements in earthquake-related injuries is crucial for optimal resource allocation and timely intervention. This study aimed to develop a predictive scoring system, named SAFE-QUAKE (Seismic Assessment of Kidney Function to Rule Out Dialysis Requirement), to identify patients at high risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI) and requiring dialysis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of 205 patients presenting with earthquake-related injuries. Patients were divided into two groups based on their need for dialysis: the no dialysis group (n = 170) and the dialysis group (n = 35). Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected and compared between the two groups to identify significant predictors of dialysis requirements. The parameters that would form the score were determined by conducting an importance analysis using artificial neural networks (ANNs) to identify parameters that exhibited statistically significant differences in univariate analysis. RESULTS: The dialysis group had a significantly longer median duration of being trapped under debris (48 hours) compared to the no dialysis group (eight hours). Blood gas and laboratory analyses revealed significant differences in pH levels, lactate values, creatinine levels, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, and aspartate transaminase (AST)-to-alanine transaminase (ALT) ratio between the two groups. Based on these findings, the SAFE-QUAKE rule-out scoring system was developed, incorporating entrapment duration (<45 hours), pH levels (>7.31), creatinine levels (<2mg/dL), LDH levels (<1600mg/dL), and the AST-to-ALT ratio (<2.4) as key predictors of dialysis requirements. This score included 139 patients, and among them, only one patient required dialysis, resulting in a negative predictive value of 99.29%. CONCLUSIONS: The SAFE-QUAKE scoring system demonstrated a high negative predictive value of 99.29% in ruling out the need for dialysis among earthquake-related injury cases. This scoring system offers a practical approach for health care providers to identify patients at high risk of developing AKI and requiring dialysis in earthquake-affected regions.

The efficacy of intradermal sterile water application in severe renal colic: a randomised clinical trial.

It is important to do a fast and effective treatment for patients with renal colic pain in emergency departments for both patients' comfort and clinicians' patient management. In this study, we aimed primarily to test the efficacy of intradermal sterile water application as a rapid and effective treatment in severe renal colic. This is a single-centre, prospective, randomised controlled trial. Study group consists of patients with severe renal colic related to urolithiasis. Patients were randomly divided into three groups. The first group received only intramuscular diclofenac sodium, the second group received intramuscular diclofenac sodium and intradermal sterile water, and the third group received intramuscular diclofenac sodium together with intravenous fentanyl. Numerical Rating Scale was used to determine the level of pain before and after the treatment at the 1st, 5th, 15th, 30th, 60th and 120th minutes. 95 out of 201 patients with severe renal colic pain randomly divided into 3 groups. The pre-treatment pain severity of the groups was similar (p = 0.228). We found that the decrease in pain intensity was significantly faster in the intradermal sterile water group than the other groups even in the first minute. Percentages of patients who had 50% pain reduction, which is considered as successful treatment, was higher in the intradermal sterile water group (which had 75.9% success rate) in the first 5 min compared to the IM diclofenac sodium group (which had 7.1% success rate) and IV fentanyl group (which had 25% success rate) (p < 0.001). According to the results, pain control was achieved much faster than the other methods with intradermal sterile water injection. All methods were found to be effective in relieving the pain of the patients.

Can we recognize severe community-acquired pneumonia without pneumonia severity index? Use of modified qSOFA with procalcitonin.

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze the diagnostic value of Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), modified qSOFA, National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and NEWS + Lactate (NEWS + L) scores in the detection of severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: This research is a retrospective cohort study. Patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) with the diagnosis of CAP were divided into severe and mild pneumonia regarding their Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) scores. The accuracies of lactate, procalcitonin (PCT) values, NEWS and qSOFA scores, as well as score combinations (NEWS + L and qSOFA + PCT) in predicting patients with severe CAP were analyzed. Results: Median qSOFA value in the severe CAP group (0 [IQR 0-1]) was found to be higher than median qSOFA value (0 [IQR 0-0]) in the mild CAP group (p < 0.001). The rate of qSOFA positivity (qSOFA ≥ 2) was significantly higher in the severe CAP group (17.1%, n = 21) compared to the mild CAP group (1.3%, n = 1) (p < 0.001). Median qSOFA + PCT for the severe CAP group (2 [IQR 1-2]) was higher than the mild CAP group (1 [IQR 0-1]) (p < 0.001). Mean NEWS score for severe CAP (4.95 ± 3.09) was found to be 1.69 (95% CI 0.92-2.46) higher than mean NEWS score of the mild CAP group (3.26 ± 2.39) (p < 0.001). The severe CAP NEWS + L score (6.97 ± 3.71) was higher than the mild CAP NEWS + L score (4.94 ± 2.48) (p < 0.001). Blood lactate level was not significant in the evaluation of severe CAP (p = 0.221). PCT (AUROC = 0.685 [95% CI 0.610-0.760]; p = 0.038), NEWS score (AUROC = 0.658 95% CI [0.582-0.733]; p < 0.001), qSOFA (AUROC = 0.686) were calculated to have adequate accuracy for the detection of severe CAP. [95% CI 0.613-0.759]; p = 0.037), NEWS + L score (AUROC = 0.665 [95% CI 0.589-0.740]; p = 0.038). The qSOFA + PCT score (AUROC = 0.758 [95% 0.691-0.825]; p = 0.034) was also found to be a highly accurate predictor of severe CAP. Conclusion: In this study, we found a combination of qSOFA and PCT to be the most reliable method of detecting severe CAP.

The role of Mangled Extremity Severity Score in amputation triage in a transport health facility with catastrophic earthquake admissions.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to assess the diagnostic utility of the Mangled Extremity Severity Score (MESS) in the prediction of amputation after a major earthquake, and its utility in disaster triage. METHODS: Study results were presented from a tertiary hospital in Diyarbakir, which was affected by the earthquake but served as a transport hub for other cities in the region affected by the earthquake. MESS was calculated and its diagnostic value is analyzed in predicting amputations. MESS scores were divided into low risk, intermediate risk, and high risk groups by the researchers based on their diagnostic value analysis. RESULTS: 79 patients were included in the study. Based on the outcome of amputation or salvage, patients were divided into two groups. 24.1% (n = 19) of the patients had amputations. Both gender and mean age did not differ statistically significantly between the groups (p > 0.05). Compared with the salvage group, the amputation group had a significantly longer prehospital stay and higher rate of vascular injury and higher median MESS (p = 0.007, p < 0.001, p < 0.001; respectively). Based on MESS scores, amputation outcomes were predicted with an accuracy of 0.889 (95% CI 0.798-0.949). Those with a MESS score below 9 were considered low risk (sensitivity = 100%) whereas those with a MESS score above 12 were considered high risk (specificity = 98.33%). CONCLUSION: In transport centers, MESS may be useful for surgical triage of earthquake-induced limb crush injuries.

Ultrasound guidance versus conventional technique for radial artery puncture in septic shock patients: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Arterial puncture, for obtaining an analysis of blood gas, is an interventional procedure often performed in emergency departments and intensive care units. This study compares the ultrasound (US) guided method with the conventional digital palpation method in radial artery puncture (RAP) for blood gas analysis in septic shock patients. METHODS: This is a prospective, single-centre study. Septic shock patients over 18 years of age who needed a RAP sample for blood gas analysis were included. Patients with local infection or trauma at the puncture site, arteriovenous fistula, vascular graft, coagulopathy, a positive Allen test, or did not want to participate were excluded. Patients were randomized into two groups and RAP was obtained with either the US-guided method or the conventional method. The main outcomes were success at first entry, the number of attempts before success, and the time to success. RESULTS: The 50 eligible patients were randomized into two groups. First entry success rate for the US-guided group and the conventional group was 80% and 42%, respectively. The number of attempts before success and time to success was significantly higher in the conventional group. CONCLUSION: The US-guided method has been found to be more successful in terms of first entry success, the number of attempts before success, and the time to success when compared to the conventional method.

Investigation of the usability of the REMS, RAPS, and MPM II0 scoring systems in the prediction of short-term and long-term mortality in patients presenting to the emergency department triage.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate triage is an important component of patient management in emergency departments. The risk scoring system used for triage purposes in emergency departments should be obtained quickly and based on parameters directly related to prognosis. AIMS: To investigate the success of the Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) and Rapid Acute Physiology Score (RAPS) as triage scoring systems and the Mortality Probability Model (MPM II0) as an intensive care scoring system in identifying critical patients visited to the emergency department (ED) triage and predicting mortality, and to evaluate their superiority over each other, if any. METHODS: This research was planned as a single-center and prospectively. The data of the study were obtained by screening the medical records of all patients who presented to the ED triage between January 1, 2020 and January 31, 2020. Patients under the age of 18 years, those with missing information in their files and pregnant women were not included in the study. Only the patients for whom the REMS, RAPS, and MPM II0 scores could be calculated were included in the sample. RESULTS: After excluding the patients who did not meet the inclusion criteria, the study was completed with 12,210 patients. The mean age of these patients was 44.7 ± 18.7 years, and 47.3% were male. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve values for the prediction of 24-h, 30-day, 90-day, and 180-day mortality were determined as 0.979, 0.921, 0.904, and 0.897, respectively, for REMS; 0.929, 0.778, 0.75, and 0.725, respectively, for RAPS; and 0.925, 0.888, 0.866, and 0.861, respectively, for MPM II0. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, it was concluded that the REMS score was superior to the MPM II0 and RAPS scores in predicting the short-term and long-term mortality status of patients and determining the discharge and hospitalization status of the patients.