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Post-resuscitation prognostic biomarkers for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes have not been fully elucidated. We examined the association of acid-base blood values (pH) with patient outcomes and calculated the pH test performance to predict prognosis.This was a post-hoc analysis of data from the continuous chest compression trial, which enrolled non-traumatic adult emergency medical system-treated OHCA in Canada and the United States. We examined cases who survived a minimum of 24 h post hospital arrival. The independent variables of interest were initial pH, final pH, and the change in pH (δpH). The primary outcome was neurological status at hospital discharge, with favorable status defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤ 3. We reported adjusted odds ratios for favorable neurological outcome using multivariable logistic regression models. We calculated the test performance of increasing pH thresholds in 0.1 increments to predict unfavorable neurological status (defined as mRS3) at hospital discharge.We included 4189 patients. 32% survived to hospital discharge with favorable neurological status. In the adjusted analysis, higher initial pH (OR 6.82; 95% CI 3.71-12.52) and higher final pH (OR 7.99; 95% CI 3.26-19.62) were associated with higher odds of favorable neurological status. pH thresholds with highest positive predictive values were initial pH 6.8 (92.5%; 95% CI 86.2 %-98.8%) and final pH 7.0 (100%; 95% CI 95.2 %-100%).In patients with OHCA, pH values were associated with patients' subsequent neurological status at hospital discharge. Final pH may be clinically useful to predict unfavorable neurological status at hospital discharge.

Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic has required new protocols for endotracheal intubation mandating cumbersome personal protective equipment and modifications to prior intubation procedures. We assessed the success and complications of endotracheal intubation under such protocols. Methods We conducted a prospective study of endotracheal intubation in the emergency department, intensive care unit, or ward between September 11, 2018 and June 11, 2020 at two urban hospitals. Using a standardized form, we included basic demographics, intubation techniques, and success, and pre-specified complications, defined as critical (cardiac arrest or failure to intubate) or non-critical. At both sites, Covid-19 intubation protocols took effect on March 11, 2020, and we compared pre-post patients. The primary outcome was first-pass success without complications. Secondary outcomes included first-pass success and complications. We analysed by descriptive techniques. Results Overall, we collected 1534 patients before March 11, 2020 and 227 after; groups were similar in age and sex distribution. Staff endotracheal intubation increased from 37 to 63%. First pass success was 1262/1534 (82.3%) pre versus 195/227 (85.9%) post, for a difference of 3.6% (95% CI − 1.8–8.0%). First pass success without complications was 1116/1534 (72.8%) pre versus 168/227 (74.0%) post, for a difference of 1.3%, (95% CI − 5.2–7.0%). There were 226 complications pre (14.7%) versus 47 (20.7%) post, for a difference of 6.0%. (95% CI 0.6–12.1%). Conclusions New pandemic endotracheal intubation protocols did not result in a decrease in first-pass success, or first-pass success without complications. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43678-020-00061-z.

Background Mental health concerns in childhood and adolescence are prevalent, affecting nearly one million Canadian youth. In the absence of screening, up to 98% of these concerns can go undiagnosed, leading to significant health, educational, and social consequences. Consequently, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the development of screening tools to facilitate early identification and access to treatment. The Emergency Department (ED) represents a unique environment to implement such universal screening, as it is immediately accessible and may be the only point of contact for some vulnerable youth with undiagnosed illness. However, there are few existing instruments which take into account commonly cited barriers such as time constraints, disruption of ED flow, limited resources, and patient privacy. Objectives To facilitate efficient screening with minimal impact on ED flow, our team developed MyHEARTSMAP, an electronic self-administered screening tool. The tool is adapted from HEARTSMAP, a previously validated computerized assessment and management tool used by ED clinicians. MyHEARTSMAP has previously been evaluated for face validity and inter-rater reliability. Here, we measured the sensitivity and specificity of MyHEARTSMAP in identifying mental health concerns in youth. Design/Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted at two tertiary care pediatric EDs. Eligible youth aged 10-17 years presenting for a non-mental health complaint were invited to self-screen using MyHEARTSMAP. An accompanying parent/guardian could also complete an assessment of their child. The sensitivity and specificity was measured as the proportion of screened youth with mental health concerns identified through self-assessment by MyHEARTSMAP compared to assessment performed by a clinician (criteron standard). Results 760 youth and/or parents completed the study intervention. The sensitivity at identifying any psychiatric concerns was comparable between youth and guardian assessments: 92.7% (95%CI: 89.1, 95.4%) and 93.1% (95%CI: 89.5, 95.8%) respectively. The specificity at identifying youth without any psychiatric issues was also comparable between youth and their guardians: 42.2% (95%CI: 37.3, 47.3) and 37.0% (95%CI: 32.2,42.1), respectively. Conclusion MyHEARTSMAP is sensitive for identifying youth with mental health concerns. While it showed only modest specificity, false positives were almost entirely (98%) mild issues identified by youth and deemed to be normal by clinicians. This would not place a burdensome demand on mental health services and could be effectively assessed without specialized psychiatric training. Thus, MyHEARTSMAP may be an effective tool for early identification and management of mental health concerns.

Matthew Mo Kin Kwok,1,2 Rob Stenstrom,1 Edward Mak,2 Ka Wai Cheung1 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 2Emergency Department, Richmond Hospital, Vancouver Coastal Health, Richmond, BC, Canada Background: Barriers exist in translating clinical practice guidelines into medical management of patients. These barriers result in delay in translating the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines into clinical practice. We conducted a pilot study employing the recommendation change in atropine usage in the 2010 ACLS guideline algorithm to examine the time lag in translating guidelines into medical practice. Methods and results: We completed a retrospective chart review at a community hospital. Study data was derived from cardiac arrest records from the emergency department between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013, before and after the publication of the 2010 ACLS guidelines. All cardiac arrests in the form of asystole and/or pulseless electrical activity at some time during resuscitation in patients aged 19 years and older were included in the study. We examined whether atropine was used during the resuscitation. We studied the use of epinephrine as a control. A time versus atropine and a time versus epinephrine usage graphs were generated and examined. Fifty-five resuscitations met inclusion criteria. Although the 2010 ACLS guidelines were first presented in October 2010, we observed that change in atropine use occurred around the summer of 2011. There was no change in the use of epinephrine. Conclusion: Despite several guideline dissemination strategies, a time lag was found in physicians’ adaptation of the ACLS guidelines. Keywords: cardiopulmonary resuscitations, resuscitations, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, guidelines translation, guidelines dissemination

Objectives To evaluate the utility of universal psychosocial screening in the emergency department (ED) using MyHEARTSMAP, a digital self-assessment and management guiding tool. Study design We conducted a cohort study of youth 10-17 years of age with nonmental health related presentations at 2 pediatric EDs. On randomly selected shifts (December 2017-February 2019), participants completed their psychosocial self-assessments using MyHEARTSMAP on a mobile device, then underwent a standardized clinical mental health assessment (criterion standard). We reported the sensitivity and specificity of respondents' self-assessment, against a clinician's standard emergency psychosocial assessment, and the frequency of psychosocial issues and recommended mental health resources identified by screening. Results We approached 1432 eligible youth, among which 795 youth consented to participate (55.5%). Youth and guardians' sensitivity at self-identifying psychiatric concerns was 92.7% (95% CI 89.1, 95.4%) and 93.1% (95% CI 89.5, 95.8%), respectively. In cases where clinicians had determined to be no psychiatric issues, 98.5% (95% CI 96.7, 99.4%) of youth and 98.9% (95% CI 97.3, 99.7%) of guardians identified the youth as having no or only mild issues. Screening identified 36.4% of youth as having issues in at least 1 psychosocial domain which warranted further follow-up. Conclusions Psychosocial screening in EDs using MyHEARTSMAP can reliably be conducted using the MyHEARTSMAP self-assessment tool and over one-third of screened youth identified issues which can be directed to further care.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of HIV infection and the acceptability of point-of-care HIV testing in an innercity Canadian emergency department. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in an urban tertiary care emergency department between August 2009 and January 2011. Randomly selected patients were enrolled using probabilistic sampling based on patient volumes. Inclusion criteria were age 19–75 years and ability to provide informed consent. Patients who were intoxicated or in extremis were excluded. After informed consent and brief pre-test counselling, participants’ HIV status was obtained using the INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 Antibody Test. Participants completed a questionnaire on HIV risk behaviours and satisfaction with emergency department HIV testing. Participants with a positive result or those having other blood tests received confirmatory Western blot testing. HIV-positive participants were offered immediate referral to an HIV specialty clinic. RESULTS: A total of 2,077 patients were approached, and 1,402 (67.5%) agreed to participate. Participants’ mean age was 43.3 years, and 58.4% of participants were male. The HIV antibody seroprevalence based on the point-of-care test was 65/1,402 (4.6%; 95% confidence interval: 3.5%–5.8%). No new diagnoses of HIV were identified in our cohort. Patient satisfaction with point-of-care HIV testing was high (mean satisfaction score 9.6/10). CONCLUSION: On the basis of a rapid, point-of-care HIV antibody test, the seroprevalence rate of HIV in an inner city emergency department was 4.6%. Point-of-care testing in the emergency department is acceptable, and patients’ satisfaction with the testing procedure was high.

Background Moxifloxacin can be used in the treatment of tuberculosis, its effect on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis is not well characterized. Objective To identify patients from the St. Paul's Hospital emergency department (ED) treated with moxifloxacin who also had sputum sent for investigation of possible tuberculosis and the impact on sensitivity of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smears and time to initiation of tuberculosis treatment. Methods We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study on patients that were prescribed moxifloxacin in the ED during a 5-year period and had samples collected for pulmonary tuberculosis. All AFB samples obtained throughout the hospital in patients not exposed to moxifloxacin during the same time period were also examined. Results Two-thousand six hundred and seventy-three patients who were admitted to St. Paul's Hospital through the ED received moxifloxacin during the study period. 273 (10.2%) of these patients were subsequently investigated for tuberculosis, with 9 positive cases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (3.3%). One-thousand three hundred and sixty-nine patients not exposed to moxifloxacin were screened for tuberculosis with 33 active cases (2.4%). The false-negative rate for AFB smears in the exposed group was 85.2% vs. 53.8% in the unexposed group (relative risk of false-negative AFB = 1.55; 95% CI 1.24–2.03). Time to initiation of anti-tuberculosis therapy was significantly delayed in the exposed group, with median time to initiation of 14 days vs. 2 days (p = 0.013). Conclusions Exposure to moxifloxacin is associated with significantly increased rates of false-negative AFB smears and was associated with a significant delay in the initiation of anti-tuberculosis therapy.

Background Psychosocial concerns in youth are prevalent and undertreated. Early identification through screening may promote appropriate management before youth present in crisis. Objectives Our primary objective was to assess the acceptability of psychosocial screening in the pediatric emergency department (ED) setting. Secondarily, we report the prevalence of psychosocial issues among youth with non-psychiatric ED presentations, and the impact of screening on mental health resource-seeking behaviour. Design/Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of youth aged 10-17 years at two pediatric EDs. Youth with a mental health-related reason for visiting the ED were excluded. Eligible and consenting youth (and their families) completed a comprehensive psychosocial self-assessment delivered on an electronic tablet, followed by standardized clinician assessment. Consent to participate in the study was used as a proxy measure for acceptability of screening. Participants with identified psychosocial resource needs were followed up at 30 days with a semi-structured telephone/email interview to assess whether they had sought recommended resources and to explore barriers to accessing care. Results Of the 1432 eligible youth given the opportunity to enrol, 795 consented. Among the 637 youth who declined enrolment, 467 specified that they declined for reasons other than not wanting to conduct a psychosocial self-assessment. This suggests that at least 55.5% (95% CI = 52.9%, 58.1%) and up to 88.1% (95% CI = 86.4%, 89.8%) find screening acceptable. Among the 760 participants who completed clinician assessment, 276 (36.3%) were identified as having a psychosocial resource need. Resources were already in place for 105 youth, leaving 171 (22.5%) with newly identified or unmet psychosocial needs. Only 41 (33.1%) of the 124 participants and/or their families who completed a 30-day follow up interview reported attempting to access the recommended resources, despite 92 (74.2%) stating they agreed with the original recommendations. The most common reason for not accessing care was the belief that the recommendations were not yet necessary or were not a priority. Of those who had attempted to access resources, 18 (43.9%) were unsuccessful at the time of interview, with the most common barrier being access delay (e.g. on a waitlist). Conclusion We found that previously unidentified/unmet psychosocial needs are prevalent among youth in the ED, and that screening is generally acceptable. However, a limited number of those who screened positive attempted to access resources, and when they did, access was often unsuccessful or delayed. More work is needed to address barriers to timely psychosocial care.

ObjectiveFee-for-service payment may motivate physicians to see more patients and achieve higher productivity. In 2015, emergency physicians at one Vancouver hospital switched to fee-for-service payment, while those at a sister hospital remained on contract, creating a natural experiment where the compensation method changed, but other factors remained constant. Our hypothesis was that fee-for-service payment would increase physician efficiency and reduce patient wait times.MethodsThis interrupted time series with concurrent control analysed emergency department (ED) performance during a 42-week period, encompassing the intervention (fee for service). Data were aggregated by week and plotted in a time series fashion. We adjusted for autocorrelation and developed general linear regression models to assess level and trend changes. Our primary outcome was the wait time to physician.ResultsData from 142,361 ED visits were analysed. Baseline wait times rose at both sites during the pre-intervention phase. Immediately post-intervention, the median wait time increased by 2.4 minutes at the control site and fell by 7.2 minutes at the intervention site (difference=9.6 minutes; 95% confidence interval, 2.9-16.4;p=0.007). The wait time trend (slope) subsequently deteriorated by 0.5 minutes per week at the intervention site relative to the expected counterfactual (pfor the trend difference=0.07). By the end of the study, cross-site differences had not changed significantly from baseline.ConclusionFee-for-service payment was associated with a 9.6-minute (24%) reduction in wait time, compatible with an extrinsic motivational effect; however, this was not sustained, and the intervention had no impact on other operational parameters studied. Physician compensation is an important policy issue but may not be a primary determinant of ED operational efficiency.

ObjectivesAlthough procedural sedation for cardioversion is a common event in emergency departments (EDs), there is limited evidence surrounding medication choices. We sought to evaluate geographic and temporal variation in sedative choice at multiple Canadian sites, and to estimate the risk of adverse events due to sedative choice.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of one health records review, the Recent Onset Atrial Fibrillation or Flutter-0 (RAFF-0 [n=420, 2008]) and one prospective cohort study, the Recent Onset Atrial Fibrillation or Flutter-1 (RAFF-1 [n=565, 2010 – 2012]) at eight and six Canadian EDs, respectively. Sedative choices within and among EDs were quantified, and the risk of adverse events was examined with adjusted and unadjusted comparisons of sedative regimes.ResultsIn RAFF-0 and RAFF-1, the combination of propofol and fentanyl was most popular (63.8% and 52.7%) followed by propofol alone (27.9% and 37.3%). There were substantially more adverse events in the RAFF-0 data set (13.5%) versus RAFF-1 (3.3%). In both data sets, the combination of propofol/fentanyl was not associated with increased adverse event risk compared to propofol alone.ConclusionThere is marked variability in procedural sedation medication choice for a direct current cardioversion in Canadian EDs, with increased use of propofol alone as a sedation agent over time. The risk of adverse events from procedural sedation during cardioversion is low but not insignificant. We did not identify an increased risk of adverse events with the addition of fentanyl as an adjunctive analgesic to propofol.

BACKGROUND: While a substantial literature exists demonstrating a strong association of alcohol and intentional injury, less is known about the association of intentional injury with recreational drug use, either alone, or in combination with alcohol. OBJECTIVES: The risk of intentional injury due to alcohol and other drug use prior to injury is analyzed in a sample of emergency department (ED) patients. METHODS: Logistic regression was used to examine the predictive value of alcohol and drug use on intentional versus non-intentional injury in a probability sample of ED patients in Vancouver, BC (n = 436). RESULTS: Those reporting only alcohol use were close to four times more likely (OR = 3.73) to report an intentional injury, and those reporting alcohol combined with other drug(s) almost 18 times more likely (OR = 17.75) than those reporting no substance use. Those reporting both alcohol and drug use reported drinking significantly more alcohol (15.7 drinks) than those reporting alcohol use alone (5 drinks). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that alcohol in combination with other drugs may be more strongly associated with intentional injury than alcohol alone. CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: The strong association of alcohol combined with other drug use on injury may be due to the increased amount of alcohol consumed by those using both substances, and is an area requiring more research with larger samples of intentional injury patients. (Am J Addict 2013;22:87-92). Language: en

Introduction and Aims. A substantial literature exists demonstrating the risk of injury from alcohol, but less is known about the association of alcohol in combination with other drugs and injury. This study examined the risk of injury associated with alcohol and drug use prior to the event. Design and Methods. Case-crossover analysis was used to estimate the relative risk (RR) of injury due to alcohol use alone, compared with alcohol in combination with other drug use in a sample of emergency department injured patients from two sites in Vancouver, British Columbia (n = 443). Alcohol and drug use in the 6 h prior to injury was compared with the patient's use of these substances during the same 6 h period the day prior and the week prior to injury. Results. Using multiple matching for the two control time periods, RR of injury was significantly related to both alcohol use (RR = 3.3) and to alcohol combined with drug use (RR = 3.0), but not to drug use alone. Effect modification was found only for age for alcohol combined with drug use, with a significant increase in injury risk (P = 0.087) for those over 30. Discussion and Conclusion. While a similar elevated risk of injury was found for alcohol use alone and alcohol used with other drugs, the literature suggests that alcohol in combination with some drugs may be potentially more risky for injury occurrence. Findings suggest the need for future research on risk of injury for specific alcohol and drug combinations.[Cherpitel CJ, Ye Y, Watters K, Brubacher JR, Stenstrom R. Risk of injury from alcohol and drug use in the emergency department: A case-crossover study. Drug Alcohol Rev 2011]. Language: en

Objective:Our primary objective was to determine the effectiveness of 3 immobilization methods (circumferential casting [CC], volar–dorsal splinting [VDS] and modified sugar-tong [MST] splinting) in maintaining the position of displaced distal radius fractures after successful closed reduction. Our secondary objective was to assess long-term functional outcomes associated with immobilization with fibreglass splinting versus standard CC in patients maintaining initial nonoperative reductions.Methods:We conducted a prospective randomized single-blind controlled trial in patients over 18 years of age who presented to the emergency department with a displaced fracture of the distal radius requiring closed reduction. The primary outcome was loss of reduction (defined as radiologic slippage or the need for surgical fixation during the 3–4 week primary immobilization period after initial successful reduction). Secondary outcomes included DASH (disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand) score, return to work, activities of daily living, wrist pain, range of motion and grip strength assessed at 8 weeks and 6 months.Results:Thirty participants were randomly assigned to receive MST splinting, 31 to receive VDS and 40 to receive CC. Baseline characteristics were similar among groups. Radiographic loss of reduction occurred in 16% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.1%–28.9%) of participants in the VDS group, 20% (95% CI 7.6%–32.4%) in the CC group and 30% (95% CI 13.6°%–46.4°%) in the MST splinting group (p= 0.17). Based on multivariate analysis of variance, functional outcomes at 8 weeks were similar among groups (p= 0.89). DASH scores at 8 weeks and 6 months were similar among groups, based on 1-way analysis of variance (p> 0.25).Conclusion:Rates of loss in anatomic position were not statistically significant among the 3 types of dressings used. However, there was a clinically important trend of increased loss of reduction with the use of MST splinting. Functional outcomes at 8 weeks and 6 months were not significantly different between CC, VDS and MDS splinting. Ease of application and familiarity with use should guide clinical decisions when choosing a dressing type for displaced Colles fractures.

Objectives: While the short-term (

Emergency medicine departments within several organizations are now advocating the adoption of early intervention guidelines for patients with the signs and symptoms of sepsis. This proposed research will lead to a comprehensive understanding of how diverse emergency department (ED) sites across British Columbia (BC), Canada, engage in a quality improvement collaborative to lead to improvements in time-based process measures and clinical outcomes for septic patients in EDs. To address the challenge of sepsis management, in 2007, the BC Ministry of Health began working with emergency health professionals, including health administrators, to establish a provincial ED collaborative: Evidence to Excellence (E2E). The E2E initiative employs the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) model and is supported by a Web-based community of practice (CoP) in emergency medicine. It aims to (1) support clinicians in accessing and applying evidence to clinical practice in emergency medicine, (2) support system change and clinical process improvement, and (3) develop resources and strategies to facilitate knowledge translation and process improvement. Improving sepsis management is one of the central foci of the E2E initiative. The primary purpose of our research is to investigate whether the application of sepsis management protocols leads to improved time-based process measures and clinical outcomes for patients presenting to EDs with sepsis. Also, we seek to investigate the implementation of sepsis protocols among different EDs. For example: (1) How can sepsis protocols be harmonized among different EDs? (2) What are health professionals' perspectives on interprofessional collaboration with various EDs? and (3) What are the factors affecting the level of success among EDs? Lastly, working in collaboration with the BC Ministry of Health as our policy-maker partner, the research will investigate how the demonstrated efficacy of this research can be applied on a provincial and national level to establish a template for policy makers from other jurisdictions to translate knowledge into action for EDs. This research study will employ the IHI model for improvement, incorporate the principles of participatory action research, and use the E2E online CoP to engage ED practitioners (eg, physicians, nurses, and administrators, exchanging ideas, engaging in discussions, sharing resources, and amalgamating knowledge) from across BC to (1) share the evidence of early intervention in sepsis, (2) adapt the evidence to their patterns of practice, (3) develop a common set of orders for implementing the sepsis pathway, and (4) agree on common indicators to measure clinical outcomes. Our hypothesis is that combining the social networking ability of an electronic CoP and its inherent knowledge translation capacity with the structured project management of the IHI model will result in widespread and sustained improvement in the emergency and overall care of patients with severe sepsis presenting to EDs throughout BC.

Objective:It is believed that when patients present to the emergency department (ED) with recent-onset atrial fibrillation or flutter (RAFF), controlling the ventricular rate before cardioversion improves the success rate. We evaluated the influence of rate control medication and other variables on the success of cardioversion.Methods:This secondary analysis of a medical records review comprised 1,068 patients with RAFF who presented to eight Canadian EDs over 12 months. Univariate analysis was performed to find associations between predictors of conversion to sinus rhythm including use of rate control, rhythm control, and other variables. Predictive variables were incorporated into the multivariate model to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) associated with successful cardioversion.Results:A total of 634 patients underwent attempted cardioversion: 428 electrical, 354 chemical, and 148 both. Adjusted ORs for factors associated with successful electrical cardioversion were use of rate control medication, 0.39 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21-0.74); rhythm control medication, 0.28 (95% CI 0.15-0.53); and CHADS2score > 0, 0.43 (95% CI 0.15-0.83). ORs for factors associated with successful chemical cardioversion were use of rate control medication, 1.29 (95% CI 0.82-2.03); female sex, 2.37 (95% CI 1.50-3.72); and use of procainamide, 2.32 (95% CI 1.43-3.74).Conclusion:We demonstrated reduced successful electrical cardioversion of RAFF when patients were pretreated with either rate or rhythm control medication. Although rate control medication was not associated with increased success of chemical cardioversion, use of procainamide was. Slowing the ventricular rate prior to cardioversion should be avoided.

Study objective Atrial fibrillation is the most common dysrhythmia observed in the emergency department (ED), yet there is little research describing long-term outcomes after ED management. Our objective is to describe ED treatment approach, conversion success rates, ED adverse events, and 30-day and 1-year outcomes for a cohort of ED patients with atrial fibrillation and no acute underlying medical cause. Methods This retrospective cohort study used a database from 2 urban EDs to identify consecutive patients with an ED discharge diagnosis of atrial fibrillation from April 1, 2006, to March 31, 2010. Comorbidities, rhythms, management, and immediate outcomes were obtained by manual chart review, and patients with an acute underlying medical condition were excluded by predefined criteria. Patients were stratified into 5 groups according to ED management: electrocardioversion, chemical cardioversion, spontaneous cardioversion, rate control only, and no arrhythmia-specific treatment. To identify deaths, strokes, and ED revisits within 1 year, each patient's unique provincial health number was linked to the provincial vital statistics registry and the regional ED database. Primary outcome was the number of patients having either stroke or death of any cause at 30 days, stratified by treatment group. Results Of 927 consecutive eligible patients, 121 (13.1%) converted to sinus rhythm before ED intervention, 357 (38.5%) received ED rhythm control, and 449 (48.4%) did not receive rhythm control. Overall, 142 of 927 patients (15.3%) were admitted to the hospital at the index ED visit. At 30 days, 2 patients had a stroke and 5 died (combined outcome rate 0.8%; 95% confidence interval 0.3% to 1.6%). All 7 of these patients were admitted at the index ED visit. Conclusion In this large cohort of ED patients with atrial fibrillation and no acute underlying medical cause, the 30-day rate for stroke or death was less than 1%. Nearly 85% of patients—regardless of treatment approach or conversion to sinus rhythm—were discharged at the index ED visit, and none of these patients had a stroke or died at 30 days.

Objectives Increases in regional emergency department (ED) efficiencies might be obtained by shifting patients to less crowded EDs. The authors sought to determine factors associated with a patient's decision to choose a specific regional ED. Based on prior focus group discussions with volunteers, the hypothesis was that distance to a specific ED and perceived ED wait times would be important. Methods A cross-sectional survey was developed using qualitative focus group methodology. The resulting survey was composed of 17 questions relating to patient decisions in choosing a specific ED and was administered in each of six EDs in a single urban Canadian health region at all hours of the day. Ambulatory patients with a Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) level 3 to 5 and aged ≥19 years were surveyed. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients whose main motivation for attending a specific ED was either distance traveled to reach the ED or perceived ED waiting time. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess factors influencing both of these reasons. Results A total of 757 patients were approached and 634 surveys (83.8%) were completed. Distance from the ED (named by 44.0% of respondents as their primary reason) and perceived ED wait times (9.3%) were the main motivations for patients to attend a specific ED. Multivariable analysis of factors associated with choosing distance revealed that ED distance

Study objective Although recent-onset atrial fibrillation and flutter are common arrhythmias managed in the emergency department (ED), there is insufficient evidence to help physicians choose between 2 competing treatment strategies, rate control and rhythm control. We seek to evaluate variation in ED management practices for recent-onset atrial fibrillation and flutter patients at multiple Canadian sites and to determine whether hospital site was an independent predictor of attempted cardioversion. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey by health records review on an observational cohort of all eligible adult recent-onset atrial fibrillation and flutter cases, with onset of symptoms less than 48 hours, treated at 8 academic hospital EDs during a 12-month period, and evaluated the variation in practice among sites for important management strategies. Results Among the 1,068 study patients, 88.3% had atrial fibrillation and 11.7% had atrial flutter. The proportion of cases managed with rhythm control was 59.4% (interhospital range 42% to 85%) and, among these, electrocardioversion was attempted first for 44.2% (range 7% to 69%). There was variation in most management strategies, including use of rate control drugs 54.9% (range 37% to 65%), choice of procainamide as rhythm control drug 62.1% (range 15% to 89%), referral to cardiology in the ED 30.7% (range 16% to 64%), use of heparin 13.7% (range 1% to 29%), and outpatient cardiology referral 43.0% (range 30% to 65%). Adverse events were relatively uncommon and transient for patients undergoing attempts at pharmacologic (13.0%) or electrocardioversion (12.1%). Overall, 83.3% of patients were discharged home from the ED (range 73% to 90%). After controlling for 12 covariates, multivariate logistic regression found that factors independently associated with attempted cardioversion were age (odds ratio [OR] 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95 to 0.98), history of electrocardioversion (OR 2.73; 95% CI 1.56 to 4.80), associated heart failure (OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.95), and hospital site (ORs ranged from 0.38 to 3.05). Conclusion We demonstrated a high degree of variation in management approaches for recent-onset atrial fibrillation and flutter patients treated in academic hospital EDs. Individual hospital site, age, previous cardioversion, and associated heart failure were independent predictors for the use of rhythm control.

BACKGROUND: Asthma exacerbations constitute one of the most common causes of emergency department (ED) attendance in most developed countries. While severe asthma often requires hospitalization, variability in admission practices has been observed. OBJECTIVE: To describe the factors associated with admission to Canadian hospitals for acute asthma after ED treatment. METHODS: Subjects 18 to 55 years of age treated for acute asthma in 20 Canadian EDs prospectively underwent a structured ED interview (n=695) and telephone interview two weeks later. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 30 years, and the majority were women (62.8%). The admission rate was 13.1% (95% CI 10.7% to 15.8%). Admitted patients were older, more often receiving oral or inhaled corticosteroids at presentation, and more frequently receiving systemic corticosteroids and magnesium sulphate in the ED. Similar proportions received beta-2 agonists and/or ipratropium bromide within 1 h of arrival. On multivariable analyses, factors associated with admission included age, previous admission in the past two years, more than eight beta-2 agonist puffs in the past 24 h, a Canadian Triage and Acuity Score of 1 to 2, a respiratory rate of greater than 22 breaths/min and an oxygen saturation of less than 95%. CONCLUSION: The admission rate for acute asthma from these Canadian EDs was lower than reported in other North American studies. The present study provides insight into practical factors associated with admission for acute asthma and highlights the importance of history and asthma severity markers on ED decision making. Further efforts to standardize ED management and expedite admission decision-making appear warranted.