Prognostic accuracy of qSOFA score, SIRS criteria, and EWSs for in-hospital mortality among adult patients presenting with suspected infection to the emergency department (PASSEM) Multicenter prospective external validation cohort study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Early identification of a patient with infection who may develop sepsis is of utmost importance. Unfortunately, this remains elusive because no single clinical measure or test can reflect complex pathophysiological changes in patients with sepsis. However, multiple clinical and laboratory parameters indicate impending sepsis and organ dysfunction. Screening tools using these parameters can help identify the condition, such as SIRS, quick SOFA (qSOFA), National Early Warning Score (NEWS), or Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS). We aim to externally validate qSOFA, SIRS, and NEWS/NEWS2/MEWS for in-hospital mortality among adult patients with suspected infection who presenting to the emergency department. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: PASSEM study is an international prospective external validation cohort study. For 9 months, each participating center will recruit consecutive adult patients who visited the emergency departments with suspected infection and are planned for hospitalization. We will collect patients' demographics, vital signs measured in the triage, initial white blood cell count, and variables required to calculate Charlson Comorbidities Index; and follow patients for 90 days since their inclusion in the study. The primary outcome will be 30-days in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcome will be intensive care unit (ICU) admission, prolonged stay in the ICU (i.e., ≥72 hours), and 30- as well as 90-days all-cause mortality. The study started in December 2021 and planned to enroll 2851 patients to reach 200 in-hospital death. The sample size is adaptive and will be adjusted based on prespecified consecutive interim analyses. DISCUSSION: PASSEM study will be the first international multicenter prospective cohort study that designated to externally validate qSOFA score, SIRS criteria, and EWSs for in-hospital mortality among adult patients with suspected infection presenting to the ED in the Middle East region. STUDY REGISTRATION: The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05172479).

Prone position protocol in awake COVID-19 patients: A prospective study in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Limited effective interventions exist in the emergency department (ED) for COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure. One of the promising interventions is the prone position, which has been proven to improve oxygenation in ICU settings. Here, we aimed to describe and assess the utility of the prone position in awake non-intubated adult patients in EDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of hypoxic COVID-19 adult patients who presented to our emergency department. We collected the data from June to the end of August 2020, including vital signs and physiological and clinical parameters before and after completing the four-hour prone position protocol. The main outcomes assessed were improvement in oxygenation, respiratory rate, respiratory distress score, ICU admission, and intubation. Oxygenation was calculated based on the standard pulse oximeter saturation [SpO2]/fractional concentration of oxygen in inspired air (FiO2). RESULTS: The study included 49 patients (81.63% men; mean age, 53.37 ± 11 years). The mean oxygen saturation during the triage was 84.49% ± 7.98 on room air. After completing of the four-hour prone protocol, the mean SpO2/FiO2 ratio increased from 1.62 ± 0.78-1.99 ± 0.75 (p < 0.0001). The respiratory rate decreased from 32.45 ± 5.24-26.29 ± 5.40 (p < 0.0001). Respiratory distress scores decreased after changing patients' positions (p < 0.0001). Twenty-four patients (48.9%) were admitted to the ICU, 6 patients were intubated (12.2%), and 7 (14.3%) died in the hospital. CONCLUSION: After applying the prone position in the ED, significant and immediate improvement was observed in oxygenation, respiratory rate, respiratory distress, and carbon dioxide levels. A linear relationship between the level of improvement in oxygenation and reduction in ICU admission was observed. However, further studies recommended to assess the advantage of the procedure in terms of ICU admission, intubation, or mortality.

National Early Warning Score (NEWS) as Prognostic Triage Tool for Septic Patients.

PURPOSE: We assessed the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) in emergency triage for predicting sepsis-related outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all cases enrolled in the sepsis management protocol for a one-year duration. The protocol utilized the NEWS as a screening tool for sepsis in the triage area. Primary outcomes of interest were hyperlactatemia, admission to ICU and intrahospital mortality. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for a given NEWS. RESULTS: A total of 444 patients were reviewed from July 2018 to June 2019, with a mean age of 58.7 years. A NEWS ≥5 was more than 88% sensitive in predicting hyperlactatemia, ICU admission, and/or mortality. Specificity, on the other hand, was as low as 12%. The AUC for the NEWS was 0.667 for predicting hyperlactatemia and 0.602 for predicting ICU admission or mortality. CONCLUSION: The NEWS was a sensitive screening tool for predicting sepsis-related outcomes. However, it was not specific, and further studies are recommended to assess the integration of other factors to improve specificity.

Localisation of the cricothyroid membrane by digital palpation in the emergency department.

INTRODUCTION: A surgical approach to airway management may be essential in situations of difficult or failed airway, where immediate airway access is needed to provide oxygenation. However, the procedure is uncommonly performed and expertise among emergency clinicians may be limited. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of cricothyroid membrane (CTM) identification by junior and senior emergency trainees by identification of surface anatomy landmarks. A secondary aim was to determine patient variables associated with accurate identification of CTM. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary emergency department in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Emergency Medicine board trainees participated in the study. Data were also obtained on gender and body habitus of patients. Junior trainees attempted to locate the membrane by palpation and marked it with an ultraviolet mark (blinded) pen followed by senior trainees. A certified ultrasound physician, also blinded to the trainee attempts, marked the membrane within a 5 mm circumference using a different coloured ultraviolet pen and was used as the reference gold standard. RESULTS: There were 80 patients enrolled with junior and senior doctors assessing location for emergency cricothyrotomy. Proportion of correct localisation was 30% (95% CI 20% to 41%) among junior trainees and 33% (95% CI 22% to 44%) among seniors (P=0.73). Level of training, sex, height and weight of patients were not associated with success. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical localisation of CTM by emergency medicine trainees was poor even in non-stressful settings, and warrants further dedicated education and/or use of adjunct techniques.

Emergency department management of patients with ACE-inhibitor angioedema.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) are one of the most prescribed medications worldwide. Angioedema is a well-recognized adverse effect of this class of medications, with a reported incidence of ACEI angioedema of up to 1.0%. Of importance to note, ACEI angioedema is a class effect and is not dose dependent. The primary goal of this literature search was to determine the appropriate Emergency Department management of patients with ACEI angioedema. METHODS: A MEDLINE literature search from January 1990 to August 2012 and limited to human studies written in English for articles with keywords of ACEI angioedema. Guideline statements and non-systematic reviews were excluded. Studies identified then underwent a structured review from which results could be evaluated. RESULTS: Five hundred sixty-two papers on ACEI angioedema were screened and 27 appropriate articles were rigorously reviewed in detail and recommendations given. CONCLUSION: The literature search did not support any specific treatment protocol with a high level of evidence due to the limited--and limitations of the--available studies.

Is culture-positive urinary tract infection in febrile children accurately identified by urine dipstick or microanalysis?

BACKGROUND: Fever from a urinary tract source remains the predominant etiology of serious bacterial infection in children ages 0-36 months. Urine culture is the gold standard for diagnosing a urinary tract infection (UTI); however, urine dipstick (UDip) and urine microanalysis (UA) are typically used real time by Emergency Physicians to diagnose and treat UTIs, as cultures can take days to grow and be available. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the literature on the accuracy and utility of the UDip and UA in this pediatric population. METHODS: A structured review of the medical literature to determine the accuracy of UDip and UA for the diagnosis of UTI in children before the result of the urine culture. RESULTS: Upon comprehensive review and after applying predefined inclusion criteria, a total of 13 articles met inclusion criteria, addressed the clinical question, and were reviewed in detail. CONCLUSIONS: The literature search did not conclusively identify any component of either the UDip or the UA, which would allow a practitioner to conclude definitively that the source of an infant's fever is a UTI.