Urban Teaching Hospital Emergency Department Research Articles

Asymptomatic Bacteriuria versus Symptom Underreporting in Older Emergency Department Patients with Suspected Urinary Tract Infection

Asymptomatic Bacteriuria versus Symptom Underreporting in Older Emergency Department Patients with Suspected Urinary Tract Infection

Yes, not now, or never: an analysis of reasons for refusing or accepting emergency department-based take-home naloxone.

Take-home naloxone (THN) reduces deaths from opioid overdose. To increase THN distribution to at-risk emergency department (ED) patients, we explored reasons for patients' refusing or accepting THN. In an urban teaching hospital ED, we identified high opioid overdose risk patients according to pre-specified criteria. We offered eligible patients THN and participation in researcher-administered surveys, which inquired about reasons to refuse or accept THN and about THN dispensing location preferences. We analyzed refusal and acceptance reasons in open-ended responses, grouped reasons into categories (absolute versus conditional refusals,) then searched for associations between patient characteristics and reasons. Of 247 patients offered THN, 193 (78.1%) provided reasons for their decision. Of those included, 69 (35.2%) were female, 91 (47.2%) were under age 40, 61 (31.6%) were homeless, 144 (74.6%) reported injection drug use (IDU), and 131 (67.9%) accepted THN. Of 62 patients refusing THN, 19 (30.7%) felt "not at risk" for overdose, while 28 (45.2%) gave conditional refusal reasons: "too sick," "in a rush," or preference to get THN elsewhere. Non-IDU was associated with stating "not at risk," while IDU, homelessness, and age under 40 were associated with conditional refusals. Among acceptances, 86 (65.7%) mentioned saving others as a reason. Most respondents preferred other dispensing locations beside the ED, whether or not they accepted ED THN. ED patients refusing THN felt "not at risk" for overdose or felt their ED visit was not the right time or place for THN. Most accepting THN wanted to save others.

Emergency Department Crowding and Time at the Bedside: A Wearable Technology Feasibility Study

IntroductionED crowding is a public health crisis, limiting quality and access to lifesaving care. The purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate the feasibility of radio-frequency identification tags to measure clinician-patient contact and (2) to test the relationship between ED occupancy and clinician-patient contact time. MethodsIn this 4-week observational study, radio-frequency identification tags were worn by emergency clinicians in a 21-bay urban teaching hospital emergency department. The time-motion data were merged with electronic medical repository patient information (N = 3,237) to adjust for occupancy, age, gender, and acuity. Qualitative themes were generated from focus group (N = 39) debriefings of the quantitative results. ResultsData were collected on 56,342 total clinician events. Adjusting for patient age, increasing ED occupancy increased the number of times the attending physician entered and left the patient room (b = 0 .008, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.001-0.016], P = 0.03). There was no relationship for patient gender, triage acuity, shift at arrival, disposition to home, or discharge diagnosis category with either total minutes or number of encounters per patient visit. No time-motion and occupancy associations were observed for nurses, residents, or nurse practitioners/physician assistants. Debriefings indicated occupancy influenced the quality of care, despite maintaining the same quantity of contact time. DiscussionThe physical environment and clinician privacy concerns limit the feasibility of wearable tracking technology in the emergency setting. Attending physician care becomes more fragmented with increasing ED occupancy. Other clinicians report changes in the quality of care, whereas the quantity of time and encounters were unchanged with occupancy rates.Unlabelled Box

Patient Satisfaction and Treatment Adherence for Urban Adolescents and Young Adults with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

Urban adolescents with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) often seek care in emergency departments (ED). This study examines the effect of the ED patient experience - wait time (WT) and length of stay (LOS) - on satisfaction and medication adherence among urban adolescents with PID. Adolescents with PID were enrolled in an urban teaching hospital ED. Chart data were matched with 2-week interview queries about satisfaction and medication adherence. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses evaluated the relationships between WT, LOS, provider type, satisfaction, and medication adherence. Of 83 participants, 96% report satisfaction with care, but only 45% report medication adherence. Mean WT was 55 minutes and mean LOS 200 minutes. Patients with higher LOS were less adherent with medication; this relationship became non-significant after adjustments. Patients seen by trainees had much longer LOS, but no differences in satisfaction or medication adherence. Urban adolescents with PID report satisfaction with ED care despite prolonged LOS and medication adherence is poor. Optimization of ED workflows may improve outcomes in young women with PID.

Comparing an Unstructured Risk Stratification to Published Guidelines in Acute Coronary Syndromes

IntroductionGuidelines are designed to encompass the needs of the majority of patients with a particular condition. The American Heart Association (AHA) in conjunction with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) developed risk stratification guidelines to aid physicians with accurate and efficient diagnosis and management of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). While useful in a primary care setting, in the unique environment of an emergency department (ED), the feasibility of incorporating guidelines into clinical workflow remains in question. We aim to compare emergency physicians’ (EP) clinical risk stratification ability to AHA/ACC/ACEP guidelines for ACS, and assessed each for accuracy in predicting ACS.MethodsWe conducted a prospective observational cohort study in an urban teaching hospital ED. All patients presenting to the ED with chest pain who were evaluated for ACS had two risk stratification scores assigned: one by the treating physician based on clinical evaluation and the other by the AHA/ACC/ACEP guideline aforementioned. The patient’s ACS risk stratification classified by the EP was compared to AHA/ACC/ACEP guidelines. Patients were contacted at 30 days following the index ED visit to determine all cause mortality, unscheduled hospital/ED revisits, and objective cardiac testing performed.ResultsWe enrolled 641 patients presenting for evaluation by 21 different EPs. There was a difference between the physician’s clinical assessment used in the ED, and the AHA/ACC/ACEP task force guidelines. EPs were more likely to assess patients as low risk (40%), while AHA/ACC/ACEP guidelines were more likely to classify patients as intermediate (45%) or high (45%) risk. Of the 119 (19%) patients deemed high risk by EP evaluation, 38 (32%) were diagnosed with ACS. AHA/ACC/ACEP guidelines classified only 57 (9%) patients low risk with 56 (98%) of those patients diagnosed with no ACS.ConclusionIn the ED, physicians are more efficient at correctly placing patients with underlying ACS into a high-risk category. A small percentage of patients were considered low risk when applying AHA/ACC/ACEP guidelines, which demonstrates how clinical insight is often required to make an efficient assessment of cardiac risk and established criteria may be overly conservative when applied to an acute care population.

Can emergency medicine practitioners predict disposition of psychiatric patients based on a brief medical evaluation?

Emergency medicine practitioners (EMPs) often provide 'medical clearance' before evaluation by a psychiatry practitioner (PP). We set out to determine the level of agreement between EMP impression and disposition as determined by PPs. This was a prospective observational study in an urban tertiary teaching hospital emergency department. We collected data from February to April 2011. We used a convenience sample of patient encounters evaluated by EMPs and subsequent referral for psychiatric evaluation. We asked EMPs whether they thought the patients would be admitted or discharged following psychiatric evaluation, and if discharged, whether to outpatient psychiatric follow-up or to no follow-up. EMPs were asked to base their opinion upon their general impression following their brief medical evaluation. They were not given guidelines on which to base their decision. The EMPs were blind to PP decisions. The κ-statistic was used to calculate agreement between the EMP's impression and disposition decision by the PP. We excluded patients who were acutely intoxicated, in police custody, or lived in an extended care facility. We included 156 patient encounters over the study period and had complete data for 152 encounters. Of these, 86 (55%) were admitted, 46 (30%) were discharged with no specific psychiatric follow-up, and 20 (13%) were discharged with a follow-up plan. EMPs predicted the exact disposition in 77/152 (51%) cases (κ=0.264, 95% confidence interval 0.77-0.333). Agreement was higher for admitted patients, with EMPs predicting inpatient admission for 57/86 (66%) of these patients. Other factors associated with higher agreement scores were years in emergency medicine practice by the EMP and suicidal ideation by the patient. EMPs did not reliably predict psychiatric disposition decisions based on clinical 'gestalt'. Future research will focus on clinical guidelines to help EMPs better independently assess need for emergency psychiatric services.

Emergency department-initiated buprenorphine/naloxone treatment for opioid dependence: a randomized clinical trial.

Opioid-dependent patients often use the emergency department (ED) for medical care. To test the efficacy of 3 interventions for opioid dependence: (1) screening and referral to treatment (referral); (2) screening, brief intervention, and facilitated referral to community-based treatment services (brief intervention); and (3) screening, brief intervention, ED-initiated treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone, and referral to primary care for 10-week follow-up (buprenorphine). A randomized clinical trial involving 329 opioid-dependent patients who were treated at an urban teaching hospital ED from April 7, 2009, through June 25, 2013. After screening, 104 patients were randomized to the referral group, 111 to the brief intervention group, and 114 to the buprenorphine treatment group. Enrollment in and receiving addiction treatment 30 days after randomization was the primary outcome. Self-reported days of illicit opioid use, urine testing for illicit opioids, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk, and use of addiction treatment services were the secondary outcomes. Seventy-eight percent of patients in the buprenorphine group (89 of 114 [95% CI, 70%-85%]) vs 37% in the referral group (38 of 102 [95% CI, 28%-47%]) and 45% in the brief intervention group (50 of 111 [95% CI, 36%-54%]) were engaged in addiction treatment on the 30th day after randomization (P < .001). The buprenorphine group reduced the number of days of illicit opioid use per week from 5.4 days (95% CI, 5.1-5.7) to 0.9 days (95% CI, 0.5-1.3) vs a reduction from 5.4 days (95% CI, 5.1-5.7) to 2.3 days (95% CI, 1.7-3.0) in the referral group and from 5.6 days (95% CI, 5.3-5.9) to 2.4 days (95% CI, 1.8-3.0) in the brief intervention group (P < .001 for both time and intervention effects; P = .02 for the interaction effect). The rates of urine samples that tested negative for opioids did not differ statistically across groups, with 53.8% (95% CI, 42%-65%) in the referral group, 42.9% (95% CI, 31%-55%) in the brief intervention group, and 57.6% (95% CI, 47%-68%) in the buprenorphine group (P = .17). There were no statistically significant differences in HIV risk across groups (P = .66). Eleven percent of patients in the buprenorphine group (95% CI, 6%-19%) used inpatient addiction treatment services, whereas 37% in the referral group (95% CI, 27%-48%) and 35% in the brief intervention group (95% CI, 25%-37%) used inpatient addiction treatment services (P < .001). Among opioid-dependent patients, ED-initiated buprenorphine treatment vs brief intervention and referral significantly increased engagement in addiction treatment, reduced self-reported illicit opioid use, and decreased use of inpatient addiction treatment services but did not significantly decrease the rates of urine samples that tested positive for opioids or of HIV risk. These findings require replication in other centers before widespread adoption. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00913770.

Vitamin C Deficiency of Korean Homeless Patients Visiting to Emergency Department with Acute Alcohol Intoxication.

Vitamins are essential micronutrients for maintenance of tissue functions. Vitamin deficiency is one of the most serious and common health problems among both chronic alcoholics and the homeless. However, the vitamin-level statuses of such people have been little studied. We evaluated the actual vitamin statuses of alcoholic homeless patients who visited an emergency department (ED). In this study the blood levels of vitamins B1, B12, B6, and C of 217 alcoholic homeless patients were evaluated retrospectively in a single urban teaching hospital ED. Vitamin C deficiency was observed in 84.3% of the patients. The vitamin B1, B12, and B6 deficiency rates, meanwhile, were 2.3%, 2.3%, and 23.5%, respectively. Comparing the admitted patients with those who were discharged, only the vitamin C level was lower. (P=0.003) In fact, the patients' vitamin C levels were markedly diminished, vitamin C replacement therapy for homeless patients should be considered in EDs.

The Total Pentad: a Case Report of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Presenting as an Acute Cerebrovascular Accident

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) is a rare blood-coagulation disorder that causes extensive thrombus formation within the blood vessels. Diagnosis of the disorder is made on the basis of identification of some or all of five clinical features, described as the typical “pentad”: thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, fluctuating neurological symptoms, renal failure, and fever. We report the case of a middle aged female who presented to an urban teaching hospital emergency department. Her initial symptoms of TTP were subtle, making it difficult to achieve a definitive early diagnosis. Awareness of the disorder allowed us to follow through on monitoring for the pentad during the initial period of hospitalization and facilitated the diagnosis, which led to prompt and appropriate treatment. The patient made a complete and sustained recovery. Since prompt institution of plasmapheresis is essential to recovery, we share this case in order to increase the possibility that TTP will be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with all or part of the total pentad.

Urinalysis in acute care of adults: pitfalls in testing and interpreting results.

Background. Rapid urine tests for infection (urinalysis, dipstick) have low up-front costs. However, many false positives occur, with important downstream consequences, including unnecessary antibiotics. We studied indications, collection technique, and results of urinalyses in acute care.Methods. This research was a prospective observational study of a convenience sample of emergency department (ED) patients who had urinalysis performed between June 1, 2012 and February 15, 2013 at an urban teaching hospital. Analyses were conducted via t tests, χ2 tests, and multivariable logistic regression.Results. Of 195 cases included in the study, the median age was 56 and 70% of participants were female. There were specific symptoms or signs of urinary tract infection (UTI) in 74 cases (38%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 31%–45%), nonspecific symptoms or signs in 83 cases (43%; 95% CI, 36%–50%), and no symptoms or signs of UTI in 38 cases (19%; 95% CI, 14%–25%). The median age was 51 (specific symptoms), 58 (nonspecific symptoms), and 61 (no symptoms), respectively (P = .005). Of 137 patients who produced the specimen without assistance, 78 (57%; 95% CI, 48%–65%) received no instructions on urine collection. Correct midstream clean-catch technique was used in 8 of 137 cases (6%). Presence of symptoms or signs was not associated with a new antibiotic prescription, but positive urinalysis (OR, 4.9; 95% CI, 1.7–14) and positive urine culture (OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.1–12) were. Of 36 patients receiving antibiotics, 10 (28%; 95% CI, 13%–43%) had no symptoms or nonspecific symptoms.Conclusion. In this sample at an urban teaching hospital ED, urine testing was not driven by symptoms. Improving practice may lower costs, improve efficiency of care, decrease unnecessary data that can distract providers and impair patient safety, decrease misdiagnosis, and decrease unnecessary antibiotics.

Factors contributing to emergency department care within 30 days of hospital discharge and potential ways to prevent it: Differences in perspectives of patients, caregivers, and emergency physicians

Identifying needs in patients who utilize the emergency department (ED) soon after being discharged from inpatient care is essential for planning appropriate care-transition interventions. To examine differences in stakeholder perspectives on reasons for ED care soon after hospital discharge and interventions that could be useful to prevent these ED visits. A convenience sample of 135 patients who presented to an urban teaching hospital ED <30 days after last hospital discharge, their caregivers (when present), and emergency physicians were administered identical structured surveys. Concordance and agreement rates between patient-physician and patient-caregiver dyads were calculated. Concordances between stakeholders were poor, with weighted kappas ranging from 0.02 to 0.34 for patient-physician dyads and 0.03 to 0.68 for patient-caregiver dyads. Emergency physicians and caregivers identified factors between 1% and 42% of the time the patients did not. Less than half of any stakeholder could identify an intervention to potentially prevent the ED visit. Our findings suggest the difficulty in forming unified definitions for root cause of ED visits soon after hospital discharge and support the use of multiple stakeholders in identifying appropriate targets for care-transition interventions.

How familiar are clinician teammates in the emergency department?

ObjectivesLack of familiarity between teammates is linked to worsened safety in high risk settings. The emergency department (ED) is a high risk healthcare setting where unfamiliar teams are created by...

Clinical impact of diagnostic imaging discrepancy by radiology trainees in an urban teaching hospital emergency department

BackgroundTo characterize clinically significant diagnostic imaging (DI) discrepancies by radiology trainees and the impact on emergency department (ED) patients.MethodsConsecutive case series methodology over a 6-month period in an urban, tertiary care teaching hospital. Emergency physicians (EPs) were recruited to flag discrepant DI interpretations by radiology trainees that the EP deemed clinically significant. Cases were characterized using chart review and EP interview.ResultsTwenty-eight discrepant reports were identified (representing 0.1% of 18,185 images interpreted). The mean time between provisional discrepant diagnosis (PDDx) and revised diagnosis (RDx) by attending radiology staff was 8.6 h (median 4.8 h, range 1.1-48.4), and 67.9% (n = 19) of the patients had left the ED by time of notification. The most frequently reported PDDx was CT abd/pelvis (32.1%, n = 9) and CT head (28.6%, n = 8). The impact of RDx was deemed major in 57.1% (n = 16) for reasons including altered admitting status (32.1%, n = 9), immediate subspecialty referral (n = 16, 57.1%), impact on management (25%, n = 7), and surgical management (21.4%, n = 6). EPs reported likely perceived impact of PDDx as resulting in increased pain (17. 9%, n = 5), morbidity (10.7%, n = 3), and prolonged hospitalization (25%, n = 7), but not altered long-term outcome or mortality.ConclusionsRelatively few clinically important discrepant reads were reported. Revised diagnosis (RDx) was associated with major clinical impact in 57.1% of reports, but few patients experienced increased morbidity, and none increased mortality. The importance of expedient communication of discrepant reports by staff radiologists is stressed, as is EP verification of patient contact information prior to discharge.

A descriptive study of myoclonus associated with etomidate procedural sedation in the ED

BackgroundMyoclonus is a well-recognized side effect of etomidate when given in induction doses for rapid sequence intubation. Most of the data reported on myoclonus with emergency department (ED) sedation doses are reported as a secondary finding. Study objectivesOur objective was to prospectively quantify the incidence and duration of myoclonus associated with the administration of etomidate in the lower doses given for procedural sedation in the ED. MethodsThis was a prospective descriptive study performed between September 2008 and September 2010 at an urban teaching hospital ED with approximately 50000 patient visits per year. Procedural sedation was performed at the discretion of the treating emergency physician, and adult patients receiving etomidate were eligible for enrollment. The occurrence and duration of myoclonus were observed and recorded. Any interference of myoclonus with the ability to complete the procedure was recorded, and adverse effects were identified. ResultsThirty-four eligible subjects were enrolled, and 36 separate sedation procedures were performed. The mean initial etomidate dose was 0.13 mg/kg (range, 0.077-0.20), and the mean total etomidate dose was 0.15 mg/kg (range, 0.077-0.29). Myoclonus was noted in 26 (72%) of 36 sedations. Mean time to onset of myoclonus was 50 seconds (range, 15-146), and the mean duration was 93 seconds (range, 03-557). Myoclonus interfered with the procedure in only 1 (3%) of 36 attempted procedures, and no procedure was unsuccessful because of myoclonus. ConclusionMyoclonus associated with sedation doses of etomidate was common but rarely interfered with the completion of a procedure.

Restraint Use in the Elderly Emergency Department Patient

BackgroundThe elderly frequently suffer from altered mental status and other medical conditions requiring physical or chemical restraint for safety in the Emergency Department (ED). ObjectiveThis study examined outcomes of restrained elderly patients in the ED. MethodsA 2-year retrospective study was conducted in an urban community teaching hospital ED. Included were patients ≥65 years of age who were physically restrained in the ED and hospitalized. Data collected included age, gender, restraint indications, restraint type, restraint duration, adverse outcomes, ED discharge diagnosis, ED disposition, hospital length of stay, and disposition. ResultsThere were 83 patients in the study. Forty-seven (56.6%) were nursing home residents. Twenty-seven (32.5%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. Thirty-five (42.2%) received both chemical and physical restraint. The average number of patient medications on arrival to the ED was eight, and 3 patients were on a medication that could adversely interact with a chemical restraint medication. The mean inpatient length of stay was 7.2 days (SD 5.7 days). Ten patients expired, 14 were discharged home, and 59 were discharged to a nursing facility (8 with new behavioral medications). Of the 36 patients originally presenting to the ED from home, only 11 (30.6%) were discharged back to home. There were no significant differences in outcome between patients who received a combination of both chemical and physical restraints and patients who received physical restraint alone. ConclusionIn this 2-year retrospective study, elderly patients placed in physical restraints in the ED had no recorded adverse outcomes. In addition, there were no adverse outcomes when they received both physical and chemical restraint. Elderly patients who were originally admitted from home and subsequently required physical restraint were unlikely to return home.

Dental Visits to a North Carolina Emergency Department: A Painful Problem

Emergency departments (EDs) act as the safety net and alternative care site for patients without insurance who have dental pain. We conducted a retrospective chart review of visits to an urban teaching hospital ED over a 12-month period, looking at patients who presented with a chief complaint or ICD code indicating dental pain, toothache, or dental abscess. The number of visits to this ED by patients with a dental complaint was 1,013, representing approximately 1.3% of all visits to this ED. Dental patients had a mean age of 32 (+/- 13) years, and 60% of all dental visits were made by African Americans. Dental patients were more likely to be self-pay than all other ED patients (61% versus 22%, P < 0.001). At the vast majority of dental ED visits (97%), the patient was treated and discharged; at most visits (90%) no dental procedure was performed. ED treatment typically consisted of pain control and antibiotics; at 81% of visits, the patient received an opiate prescription on discharge, and at 69% of visits, the patient received an antibiotic prescription on discharge. This retrospective chart review covered a limited period of time, included only patients at a large urban academic medical center, and did not incorporate follow-up analysis. Although they make up a small percentage of all ED visits, dental ED visits are more common among the uninsured, seldom result in definitive care or hospital admission, and often result in prescription of an opioid or antibiotic. These findings are cause for concern and have implications for public policy.

A before- and after-intervention trial for reducing unexpected events during the intrahospital transport of emergency patients

BackgroundThis study was aimed to explore the effect of intervention in safe intrahospital transport on the incidence of unexpected events (UEs) occurring during the transport of emergency patients. MethodsThis study was performed in an urban tertiary teaching hospital emergency department (ED) from May 17 to October 30, 2010. Patients older than 15 years who were transported to general wards; intensive care units; and magnetic resonance imaging, intervention, or operation rooms were enrolled. Demographics and data on all UEs related to the devices, clinical situations, and tubes or lines were measured by registered nurses at pre- and postintervention period. The intervention was that acting nurses were required to use a designed transport checklists before the patients were transported. Primary outcomes were the rate of all and serious UEs during the pre- and postintervention periods. Serious UEs were defined as any worsening of a patient's clinical status. Statistical values were measured with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and compared using Student t tests or χ2 tests. ResultsIn total, there were 680 transports before interventions and 605 transports after interventions. Overall, UEs decreased significantly from a value of 36.8% (95% CI, 33.1-40.5) in the preintervention period to a value of 22.1% (95% CI, 18.9-25.7) in the postintervention period (P = .001). Serious UEs in clinical status also decreased significantly from 9.1% (95% CI, 7.1-11.5) in the preintervention period to a value of 5.2% (95% CI, 3.6-7.4) in the postintervention period (P = .005). ConclusionA significant reduction in the rate of total and serious UEs during intrahospital transport from the ED was found through using transport checklists.

Abstract 218: CPR Quality in an Urban Teaching Hospital Emergency Department: Are 2010 AHA Guidelines Being Implemented?

Background: CPR quality is closely linked to outcome in cardiac arrest. AHA 2010 Guidelines recommend monitoring CPR quality performed by healthcare providers both inside and outside the hospital. We recently reported that CPR quality varies significantly during the transition from the prehospital to emergency department (ED) setting in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). While many EMS systems are now monitoring CPR quality, most EDs do not. We began an ongoing ED CPR quality improvement program based upon the 2010 AHA Guidelines. This two-phase study will measure the baseline quality of ED CPR, followed by measurement of CPR quality with the initiation of real-time CPR feedback technology. Here we report preliminary data showing the baseline CPR quality from Phase I. Methods: Prospective, IRB-approved study at an urban, teaching hospital ED. Chest compression (CC) quality was measured using accelerometer-equipped monitor/defibrillators (ZOLL R-Series, Chelmsford, MA). These baseline data were collected with the real-time audiovisual CPR feedback feature disabled. Results: CC data were captured over 7 months from 31 adult patients in cardiac arrest resulting in 6.5 hours of CPR and 37,348 individual CCs. CC fraction was 76.2%. Mean CC depth was 1.89 ± 0.61 inches and average rate was 122.4 ± 16.5 compressions/min. Using the 2010 AHA Guideline-recommended CC depth &gt;2 inches, 61.0% of compressions were too shallow. The rate of compressions was below 100/min in 6.3%. The mean pre-shock and post-shock pauses in CC were 7.8 and 7.4 sec, respectively (n=24 defibrillations/cardioversions). Conclusions: We describe the quality of CPR in a large urban teaching hospital ED. At the beginning of our ED CPR QI program, a large proportion of chest compression depth was less than the 2010 AHA Guideline of 2 inches. These data will be used for resuscitation training during the next phase of the program which will include real-time audiovisual CPR feedback and debriefing sessions for the ED providers.

Improving Patient Flow in Acute Coronary Syndromes in the Face of Hospital Crowding

BackgroundThe current paradigm for the evaluation of patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in the emergency department (ED) is focused on the identification of patients with active underlying coronary disease. The majority of patients evaluated in the ED setting do not have active underlying cardiac disease. ObjectiveTo measure the effect of bedside point-of-care (POC) cardiac biomarker testing on telemetry unit admissions from the ED. Furthermore, to evaluate the effect telemetry admissions have on ED length of stay (LOS) and overall hospital LOS. MethodsPrimary data were collected over two 6-month periods in an urban teaching hospital ED. This was an observational cohort study conducted pre- and post- availability of a POC testing platform for cardiac biomarkers. Major measures included number of overall telemetry admissions, ED LOS, hospital LOS, and disposition. Patients were followed at 30 days for significant cardiac events, repeat ED visit or admission, and death. ResultsIn the post-implementation period there was a 30% (95% confidence interval [CI] 36–44%) reduction in admissions to telemetry with a 33% (95% CI 26–39%) reduction in ED LOS and a 20% (95% CI 7–34%) reduction in hospital LOS. There was a 62% reduction in overall mortality between the pre-implementation period and the post-implementation period (p=0.001). ConclusionThe focused use of a rapid cardiac disposition protocol can dramatically impact resource utilization, expedite patient flow, and improve short-term outcomes for patients with suspected ACS.

A Retrospective Look at Length of Stay for Pediatric Psychiatric Patients in an Urban Emergency Department

The objective of the study was to compare the length of stay (LOS) of patients with psychiatric diagnoses in a pediatric emergency department (ED) to that of patients with nonpsychiatric diagnoses. This is a retrospective review of all patients younger than 19 years with psychiatric conditions, who presented to an urban teaching hospital ED with psychiatric symptoms, from January 2004 to December 2007. A control group of patients with nonpsychiatric diagnoses was selected over a random 4-day period. Emergency department LOS (in minutes) of nonpsychiatric versus psychiatric patients was compared. Length of stay was determined from the time of triage to disposition (discharge or admission). Patients with psychiatric diagnoses were further classified into 1 of 2 categories: major psychiatric diagnoses (bipolar disorder, psychoses, major depression, suicidal attempt or ideation, homicidal ideation, and hallucination) and minor psychiatric diagnoses (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, adjustment disorder, anxiety or panic attack, and behavioral issues). A total of 1468 patients with psychiatric diagnoses visited the ED. Three hundred eighty-two patients had major psychiatric diagnoses, and 1086 patients had minor psychiatric diagnoses. The control group (patients with nonpsychiatric diagnosis) consisted of 345 patients. Mean LOS of nonpsychiatric patients was 160 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI], 142-177 minutes); LOS for minor psychiatric patients was 737 minutes (95% CI, 670-803 minutes) and 1127 minutes for major psychiatric patients (95% CI, 972-1283 minutes). On the other hand, median LOS of nonpsychiatric patients was 129 minutes; minor psychiatric patients, 328 minutes; and major psychiatric patients, 437.5 minutes. Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant difference between each group with P = 0.0001. The LOS was significantly higher in patients with psychiatric diagnoses. The mean and median for LOS both rose steadily from nonpsychiatric to major psychiatric diagnoses.