OBJECTIVES: Emergency department (ED) providers are faced with the challenge of diagnosing and treating patients in a timely fashion given many obstacles including limited patient information, complex disease states, and high patient turnover. Time delays in administration or selection of appropriate drug therapies have been associated with negative outcomes in severe infections. This study was conducted to assess the impact of an emergency medicine pharmacist (EPh) on the selection of appropriate antibiotics and the timeliness of administration in pediatric patients in the ED.
METHODS: Patients younger than 18 years were evaluated who were admitted through the ED and received 1 dose of intravenous antibiotic for the following conditions: community-acquired pneumonia, complicated skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI), meningitis, and sepsis. To evaluate the impact of the presence of an EPh, patients with orders placed during the EPh's hours of 1 pm and 11 pm were compared to those with an order placed between 11 pm and 1 pm.
RESULTS: A total of 142 patients were included in the study. Patients seen during EPh hours received an appropriate first antibiotic 93.4% of the time (p = 0.157) and second antibiotic 96.8% of the time (p = 0.023). Time from order to verification was significantly shorter for the first 2 antimicrobials in the EPh group (10.5 minutes [p = 0.003] and 11.4 minutes [p = 0.047], respectively). The days from discharge to return to readmission to the ED were also significantly different (17.5 days vs. 62.4 days, p = 0.008).
CONCLUSIONS: The available data suggest that patients are more likely to receive appropriate doses of antimicrobials, and in a more timely fashion, whenever the EPh is present. Areas for future investigation include whether the presence of EPhs at the bedside has the potential to impact areas of patient care, including readmission rates, drug costs, and medication errors.
The findings from this study highlight the importance of prompt physician evaluation, direct transfer to the CT scanner, and a quick turnaround time on laboratory values. The development of protocols to ensure the rapid receipt of tPA therapy should focus on limiting any potential delay these steps may cause.
It is not uncommon for providers in the emergency department to take care of patients who are taking anticoagulant therapy in the outpatient setting. However, the bigger challenge is caring for these patients when they present with bleeding that could be secondary to 1 or more of these medications. In recent years, this class of medications has expanded from warfarin to include direct thrombin inhibitors and Factor Xa inhibitors. As this class of medications has evolved, so has the approach to the reversal of these agents. Thus, it is imperative that providers in the emergency department be familiar not only with the anticoagulants that patients may be taking in the outpatient setting but also with their reversal agents.
Approximately 17,000 new spinal cord injuries occur each year in the United States, with motor vehicle collisions and falls being the most common causes. Even though 94% of patients survive the initial injury and corresponding hospitalization, their life expectancy is reduced secondary to the long-term complications that stem from their injury. Every patient should be approached in the same manner (i.e., as if they have a spinal cord injury) until proven otherwise to prevent additional injury. Important considerations that should take place in the emergency department include the patient's airway, the presence of shock, and the prevention of complications secondary to the primary injury. This article briefly summarizes the epidemiology and pathophysiology of spinal cord injuries and the therapies that may be recommended and initiated following a thorough assessment of the patient.
Nausea and vomiting are 2 of the most common complaints of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). In addition, antiemetics are the most commonly prescribed medications in the ED behind analgesics. Treating these conditions can be complex, especially as one considers that nausea and/or vomiting could be the primary presenting illness or simply a symptom of a more complex etiology. Although there is a wide variety of pharmacotherapeutic options in the armamentarium to treat these conditions, very few consensus recommendations exist to help guide the use of antiemetic agents in the ED, leading to wide variability in medication use. Contributing to these variations in practice is the extended spectrum of etiologies and potential physiological factors that contribute to the development of nausea or vomiting. A thorough understanding of the pharmacology and administration of these agents can help practitioners devise tailored antiemetic regimens based upon the underlying etiology.
Bioterrorism presents a real and omnipresent risk to public health throughout the world. More than 30 biological agents have been identified as possessing the potential to be deployed in a bioterrorist attack. Those that have been determined to be of the greatest concern and possess the greatest potential of use in this arena are known as the Category A agents: Bacillus anthracis (anthrax); Variola major (smallpox); Yersinia pestis (plague); Francisella tularensis (tularemia); viral hemorrhagic fevers; and Clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism toxin). Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention utilizes surveillance systems to identify illnesses, the weight of diagnosing, effectively treating, and notifying the appropriate public health officials lies squarely on the shoulders of emergency care personnel. Part I of this two-part review will focus on the clinical presentation and treatment of anthrax, plague, and tularemia. The subsequent Part II of this review will discuss smallpox, viral hemorrhagic fevers, botulism toxin, and the provision of mass prophylaxis.
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