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The results of EuReCa ONE highlight that OHCA is still a major public health problem accounting for a substantial number of deaths in Europe. EuReCa ONE very clearly demonstrates marked differences in the processes for data collection and reported outcomes following OHCA all over Europe. Using these data and analyses, different countries, regions, systems, and concepts can benchmark themselves and may learn from each other to further improve survival following one of our major health care events.

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In most of the case, regional citrate anticoagulation is using diluted citrate around 1% depending on the types used in clinical practice. Diluted citrate is much more safer when compared to highly concentrated citrate around 4% or even more. In clinical practice, trisodium citrate is used in high concentration (around 30%) as a bactericidal agent with anticoagulant properties for locking deep venous catheters used in hemodialysis (HD; close to 25–30% of citrate). In this review article, buffer and anticoagulant potential of citrate are discussed during renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with particular focus on the practical approach at the bedside.

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Introduction Using respiratory virus rapid diagnostic tests in the emergency department could allow better and faster clinical management. Point-of-care PCR instruments now provide results in less than 30 minutes. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the use of a rapid molecular diagnostic test, the cobas® Influenza A/B & RSV Assay, during the clinical management of emergency department patients. Methods Patients (adults and children) requiring admission or suffering from an underlying condition at risk of respiratory complications were prospectively recruited in the emergency department of four hospitals in the Brussels region. Physicians’ intentions regarding admission, isolation, antibiotic, and antiviral use were collected before and after performing the rapid molecular test. Additionally, a comparison of the analytical performance of this test against antigen rapid tests and viral culture was performed as well as a time-to-result evaluation. Results Among the 293 patients recruited, 90 had a positive PCR, whereas 44 had a positive antigen test. PCR yielded a sensitivity of 100% for all targets. Antigen tests yielded sensitivities ranging from 66.7% for influenza B to 83.3% for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The use of PCR allowed a decrease in the overall need for isolation and treatment by limiting the isolation of negative patients and antibiotic use for positive patients. Meanwhile, antiviral treatments better targeted patients with a positive influenza PCR. Conclusion The use of a rapid influenza and RSV molecular test improves the clinical management of patients admitted to the emergency department by providing a fast and reliable result. Their additional cost compared to antigen tests should be balanced with the benefit of their analytical performance, leading to efficient reductions in the need for isolation and antibiotic use.

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We present a case of a 21-year-old Caucasian woman at 27 weeks of pregnancy who was admitted to the obstetric department for pre-term labor. She received 10 mg of nifedipine 4 times in 1 h, according to the internal protocol. Shortly after, she brutally deteriorated with pulmonary edema and hypoxemia requiring transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) for mechanical ventilation. She finally improved and was successfully extubated after undergoing a percutaneous valvuloplasty of the mitral valve. This case illustrates a severe cardiogenic shock after administration of nifedipine for premature labor in a context of unknown rheumatic mitral stenosis. Nifedipine induces a reflex tachycardia that reduces the diastolic period and thereby precipitates pulmonary edema in case of mitral stenosis. This case emphasizes the fact that this drug may be severely harmful and should never be used before a careful physical examination and echocardiography if valvular heart disease is suspected.