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International audience; Aims: The objective was to compare major bleeding risk of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs; per type and dose) with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), irrespective of indication, using real-world data.Methods: A population-based prospective cohort study, using the French national health data system (SNIIRAM), identified 47 469 adults living within 5 well-defined geographical areas, who were new users of oral anticoagulants in the period 2013-2015: 20 205 VKA users, 19 579 rivaroxaban users, 4225 dabigatran users and 3460 apixaban users. From all emergency departments within these areas, clinical data for all adults referred for bleeding was collected and medically validated. The databases were linked for common key variables. The main outcome measure was major bleeding: intracranial haemorrhage, major gastrointestinal bleeding and other major bleeding events. Hazard ratios were derived from adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. We used propensity score weighting as a sensitivity analysis, with separate analyses according to indications (atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism).Results: Compared to VKAs, high and low-dose DOACs were associated with a reduced risk of intracranial haemorrhage (adjusted hazard ratio 0.55, 95% confidence interval 0.37-0.82 and 0.54, 0.26-1.12 respectively), and a reduced risk of other major bleeding events (0.41, 0.29-0.58 and 0.41, 0.22-0.79 respectively), irrespective of duration and indication. Neither DOAC dose evidenced any significant difference from VKAs in terms of risk of major gastrointestinal bleeding.Conclusion: There is a clear benefit of using DOACs with regard to intracranial haemorrhage. The study provides new insight into major gastrointestinal and other major bleeding events.

Insufficient analgesia affects around 50% of emergency department patients. The use of a protocol helps to reduce the risk of oligoanalgesia in this context. Our objective was to describe the feasibility and efficacy of a multimodal analgesia protocol (combining paracetamol, oxycodone, and inhaled methoxyflurane) initiated by triage nurse. We performed a prospective, observational study in an emergency department (Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, France) between December 2017 and April 2018. Adult non-severe trauma patients with a numerical pain rating scale (NRS) score ≥ 4 were included. The primary efficacy criterion was the proportion of patients with an NRS score ≤ 3 at 15 min. Pain intensity was measured for 60 min and during radiography. Data on adverse events and satisfaction were recorded. A total of 200 adult patients were included (median [interquartile range (IQR)] age: 32 [23-49] years; 126 men (63%)). Sixty-six patients (33%) reported an NRS score ≤ 3 at 15 min. The time required to achieve a decrease of at least 2 points in the NRS score was 10 (5-20) min. The median [IQR] pain intensity was 4 [2-5] before radiography and 4 [2-6] during radiography. Adverse events were frequent (n = 128, 64%). No serious adverse events were reported. The patients and caregivers reported good levels of satisfaction. The administration of a nurse-driven multimodal analgesia protocol (combining paracetamol, oxycodone, and methoxyflurane) was feasible on admission to the emergency department. It rapidly produced long-lasting analgesia in adult trauma patients.Trial registration: NCT03380247.

Resume Contexte Lorsqu’un patient atteint d’un cancer du poumon se presente aux urgences avec une defaillance d’organe, la question d’une admission en reanimation se pose. Notre objectif est de decrire le processus aboutissant aux soins proposes. Methodes Retrospectivement, tous les patients admis aux urgences entre decembre 2010 et janvier 2015 et un diagnostic CIM-10 C34.9 (cancer du poumon) ont ete etudies. Ceux avec au moins une defaillance d’organe ont ete inclus. Resultats Les dossiers de 561 patients ont ete etudies, 79 (14 %) presentaient au moins une defaillance d’organe. La majorite de ces patients ont recu des soins medicaux maximaux (59 %), 25 % des soins de confort exclusifs et 15 % des soins intensifs. L’indice de performance, le statut metastatique et l’efficacite du traitement anti-tumoral etaient consignes dans le dossier medical des urgences dans 20 %, 66 % et 74 % des cas, respectivement. Un avis a ete pris aupres de l’oncologue dans 44 % des cas et aupres du reanimateur dans 41 % des cas. Aucun avis exterieur n’a ete pris dans 27 % des cas. Conclusion Dans la majorite des cas, la decision sur l’intensite des soins a proposer aux patients atteints d’un cancer du poumon avec une defaillance d’organe a ete prise de facon collegiale.

BACKGROUND Cardiorespiratory decompensation (CRD) visits have a profound effect on adult emergency departments (EDs). Respiratory pathogens like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza virus are common reasons for increased activity in pediatric EDs and are associated with CRD in the adult population. Given the seasonal aspects of such challenging pathology, it would be advantageous to predict their variations. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to evaluate the increased burden of CRD in adult EDs during flu and bronchiolitis outbreaks in the pediatric population. METHODS An ecological study was conducted, based on admissions to the adult ED of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) of Grenoble and Saint Etienne from June 29, 2015 to March 22, 2020. The outbreak periods for bronchiolitis and flu in the pediatric population were defined with a decision-making support tool, PREDAFLU, used in the pediatric ED. A Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis and a Spearman monotone dependency were performed in order to study the relationship between the number of adult ED admissions for the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes related to cardiorespiratory diagnoses and the presence of an epidemic outbreak as defined with PREDAFLU. RESULTS The increase in visits to the adult ED for CRD and the bronchiolitis and flu outbreaks had a similar distribution pattern (CHU Saint Etienne: χ23=102.7, Pχ23=126.67, Pρ=0.64; CHU Grenoble: Spearman ρ=0.71). The increase in ED occupancy for these pathologies was also significantly related to the pediatric respiratory infection outbreaks. These 2 criteria gave an idea of the increased workload in the ED due to CRD during the bronchiolitis and flu outbreaks in the pediatric population. CONCLUSIONS This study established that CRD visits and bed occupancy for adult EDs were significantly increased during bronchiolitis and pediatric influenza outbreaks. Therefore, a prediction tool for these outbreaks such as PREDAFLU can be used to provide early warnings of increased activity in adult EDs for CRD visits.

International audience; Introduction: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has been reported to be associated with neurological disor-ders. However, the real prevalence of acute hepatitis E in those diseases is still unknown. We determinedthe prevalence of anti-HEV IgM antibody in a population with acute non-traumatic, non-metabolic,non-vascular neurological injury.Method: A registry was created in Grenoble Hospital University from 2014 to 2018 to collect data onpatients with acute (

There is still debate as to the safety of non-palliative opioid administration to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients punctually treated for an acute complaint. All patients over 40 presenting at two university hospital emergency departments (Montréal Qc, Grenoble Fr) from March 2008 to September 2014 with dyspnea, abdominal pain or trauma were retrieved, and COPD patients were selected. Our primary endpoint was a composite criterion including invasive ventilation and death. Comparisons between visits in which opioid drugs were prescribed and those without opioids were performed using an inverse probability of treatment and censoring weight (IPTCW) estimator to adjust for baseline confounders. A survival weighted Cox model was used. 7799 visits by COPD patients were identified, corresponding to 4173 unique patients. Opioid drug prescription was reported in 1317 (16.9%) visits. After applying IPCTW weighting, opioid prescription was found to be associated with the composite criterion of poor clinical outcomes (HR = 4.73 (2.94; 7.61), p

Background Poisoning is one of the leading causes of admission to the emergency department and intensive care unit. A large number of epidemiological changes have occurred over the last years such as the exponential growth of new synthetic psychoactive substances. Major progress has also been made in analytical screening and assays, enabling the clinicians to rapidly obtain a definite diagnosis. Methods A committee composed of 30 experts from five scientific societies, the Société de Réanimation de Langue Française (SRLF), the Société Française de Médecine d’Urgence (SFMU), the Société de Toxicologie Clinique (STC), the Société Française de Toxicologie Analytique (SFTA) and the Groupe Francophone de Réanimation et d’Urgences Pédiatriques (GFRUP) evaluated eight fields: (1) severity assessment and initial triage; (2) diagnostic approach and role of toxicological analyses; (3) supportive care; (4) decontamination; (5) elimination enhancement; (6) place of antidotes; (7) specificities related to recreational drug poisoning; and (8) characteristics of cardiotoxicant poisoning. Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) questions were reviewed and updated as needed, and evidence profiles were generated. Analysis of the literature and formulation of recommendations were then conducted according to the GRADE® methodology. Results The SRLF-SFMU guideline panel provided 41 statements concerning the management of pharmaceutical and recreational drug poisoning. Ethanol and chemical poisoning were excluded from the scope of these recommendations. After two rounds of discussion and various amendments, a strong consensus was reached for all recommendations. Six of these recommendations had a high level of evidence (GRADE 1±) and six had a low level of evidence (GRADE 2±). Twenty-nine recommendations were in the form of expert opinion recommendations due to the low evidences in the literature. Conclusions The experts reached a substantial consensus for several strong recommendations for optimal management of pharmaceutical and recreational drug poisoning, mainly regarding the conditions and effectiveness of naloxone and N-acetylcystein as antidotes to treat opioid and acetaminophen poisoning, respectively.

Background Intravenous morphine titration (IVMT) is the French gold standard for opioid treatment in the emergency department (ED). Nebulized morphine titration (NMT) may represent an alternative without venous access, but it has not been adequately studied in adults. We test the hypothesis that NMT is at least as effective as IVMT to initially manage severe acute pain in the ED. Methods/design We designed a multicenter (10 French EDs), single-blind, randomized and controlled trial. Adults between 18 and 75 years with visual analog scale (VAS) ≥ 70/100 or numeric rating scale (NRS) ≥ 7/10 will be enrolled. We will randomize 850 patients into two groups to compare two routes of MT as long as VAS > 30 or NRS > 3. In group A (425), patients will receive an initial NMT for 5–25 min associated with titration of an intravenously (IV) administered placebo of physiologic serum (PS). In group B (425), patients will receive IVMT plus nebulized PS placebo. NMT is defined as a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 5-min nebulized boluses of 10 mg or 15 mg (weight ≥ 60 kg), at 10-min fixed intervals. IVMT is defined as a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 6 boluses of 2 mg or 3 mg (weight ≥ 60 kg), at 5-min fixed intervals. Nebulized placebo titration will be performed every 10 min. IV titration of PS will be performed every 5 min. In both groups, after 25 min, if VAS > 30/100 or NRS > 3/10, routine IVMT will be continued until pain relief. Pain severity, vital signs, bronchospasm, and Ramsay score will be recorded every 5 min. The primary outcome is the rate of relief obtained 1 h from the start of drug administration. Complete pain relief in both groups will be compared with a non-inferiority design. Secondary outcomes are pain relief at 30 min (the end of NMT) and at 2 h and median pain relief. We will compare final doses, and study the feasibility and tolerance of NMT (protocol deviations, respiratory or hemodynamic depression, sedation, and minor vegetative side effects). Co-analgesia will be recorded. Discharge criteria from the ED and hospital are defined. Discussion This trial is the first multicenter randomized and controlled NMT protocol for severe pain in the ED using the titration concept. We propose an original approach of combined titration with an endpoint at 1 h and a non-inferiority design. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03257319. Registered on 22 August 2017. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-019-3326-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Trauma pain represents a large proportion of admissions to emergency departments across Europe. There is currently an unmet need in the treatment of trauma pain extending throughout the patient journey in emergency settings. This review aims to explore these unmet needs and describe barriers to the delivery of effective analgesia for trauma pain in emergency settings. A comprehensive, qualitative review of the literature was conducted using a structured search strategy (Medline, Embase and Evidence Based Medicine Reviews) along with additional Internet-based sources to identify relevant human studies published in the prior 11 years (January 2006–December 2017). From a total of 4325 publications identified, 31 were selected for inclusion based on defined criteria. Numerous barriers to the effective treatment of trauma pain in emergency settings were identified, which may be broadly defined as arising from a lack of effective pain management pan-European and national guidelines, delayed or absent pain assessment, an aversion to opioid analgesia and a delay in the administration of analgesia. Several commonly used analgesics also present limitations in the treatment of trauma pain due to the routes of administration, adverse side effect profiles, pharmacokinetic properties and suitability for use in pre-hospital settings. These combined barriers lead to the inadequate and ineffective treatment of trauma pain for patients. An unmet need therefore exists for novel forms of analgesia, wider spread use of available analgesic agents which overcome some limitations associated with several treatment options, and the development of protocols for pain management which include patient assessment of pain. Funding: Mundipharma International Ltd. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s40122-018-0101-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Resume Contexte Lorsqu’un patient atteint d’un cancer du poumon se presente aux urgences avec une defaillance d’organe, la question d’une admission en reanimation se pose. Notre objectif est de decrire le processus aboutissant aux soins proposes. Methodes Retrospectivement, tous les patients admis aux urgences entre decembre 2010 et janvier 2015 et un diagnostic CIM-10 C34.9 (cancer du poumon) ont ete etudies. Ceux avec au moins une defaillance d’organe ont ete inclus. Resultats Les dossiers de 561 patients ont ete etudies, 79 (14 %) presentaient au moins une defaillance d’organe. La majorite de ces patients ont recu des soins medicaux maximaux (59 %), 25 % des soins de confort exclusifs et 15 % des soins intensifs. L’indice de performance, le statut metastatique et l’efficacite du traitement anti-tumoral etaient consignes dans le dossier medical des urgences dans 20 %, 66 % et 74 % des cas, respectivement. Un avis a ete pris aupres de l’oncologue dans 44 % des cas et aupres du reanimateur dans 41 % des cas. Aucun avis exterieur n’a ete pris dans 27 % des cas. Conclusion Dans la majorite des cas, la decision sur l’intensite des soins a proposer aux patients atteints d’un cancer du poumon avec une defaillance d’organe a ete prise de facon collegiale.

Many scores derived from Early Warning Scores have been developed to detect patients at risk of poor outcome. Few of these scores incorporate the oxygen flow rate while this is a major marker in patients with respiratory complaint. We developed and evaluated a new automatable monitoring tool (Early Warning Score OAll patients presenting at an emergency department for dyspnea from June 2011 to June 2018 with available initial value (nurse triage) of respiratory parameters were included. Our primary endpoint was a composite criterion including the use of non-invasive ventilation, ICU admission and death. The Area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUROC) of the SpOAmong the 1729 patients retrieved, the composite outcome was observed in 288 (16.7%). The EWS.OThis new ScoreO

International audience; Bleeding represents the most recognized and feared complications of antithrombotic drugs including oral anticoagulants. Previous studies showed inconsistent results on the safety profile. Among explanations, bleeding definition could vary and classification bias exists related to the lack of medical evaluation. To quantify the risk of major haemorrhagic event and event-free survival associated with antithrombotic drugs (vitamin K antagonist [VKA], non-VKA anticoagulant [NOAC], antiplatelet agent, parenteral anticoagulant) in 2012–2015, we linked the French nationwide Health Insurance database (SNIIRAM) with a local ‘emergency database’ (clinical and biological data collected in clinical records). In the VKA-NOAC comparison, a Cox regression analysis will be used to estimate the hazard ratio of major haemorrhagic event adjusted on gender, modified HAS-BLED score and comorbidities. A distinction on the type of major haemorrhagic event (intracranial, gastrointestinal and other haemorrhagic events) was made. We present here the study protocol and the database linkage results. Using six linkage keys, among 3 837 557 hospital visits identified in SNIIRAM, 5264 have been matched with a major haemorrhagic event identified in the ‘emergency database’, thus clinically confirmed. The 1090 unmatched haemorrhagic events could be explained by the fact that patients were not extracted in the SNIIRAM database (patients living in accommodation establishment with internal use of pharmacy, military people with specific insurance…). We showed the value of SNIIRAM enrichment with a clinical database, a necessary step to categorize haemorrhagic events by a clinically relevant definition and medical validation; it will allow to estimate more accuracy each type of haemorrhagic event.

Background Intravenous morphine (IVM) is the most common strong analgesic used in trauma, but is associated with a clear time limitation related to the need to obtain an access route. The intranasal (IN) route provides easy administration with a fast peak action time due to high vascularization and the absence of first-pass metabolism. We aimed to determine whether IN sufentanil (INS) for patients presenting to an emergency department with acute severe traumatic pain results in a reduction in pain intensity non-inferior to IVM. Methods and findings In a prospective, randomized, multicenter non-inferiority trial conducted in the emergency departments of 6 hospitals across France, patients were randomized 1:1 to INS titration (0.3 μg/kg and additional doses of 0.15 μg/kg at 10 minutes and 20 minutes if numerical pain rating scale [NRS] > 3) and intravenous placebo, or to IVM (0.1 mg/kg and additional doses of 0.05 mg/kg at 10 minutes and 20 minutes if NRS > 3) and IN placebo. Patients, clinical staff, and research staff were blinded to the treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was the total decrease on NRS at 30 minutes after first administration. The prespecified non-inferiority margin was −1.3 on the NRS. The primary outcome was analyzed per protocol. Adverse events were prospectively recorded during 4 hours. Among the 194 patients enrolled in the emergency department cohort between November 4, 2013, and April 10, 2016, 157 were randomized, and the protocol was correctly administered in 136 (69 IVM group, 67 INS group, per protocol population, 76% men, median age 40 [IQR 29 to 54] years). The mean difference between NRS at first administration and NRS at 30 minutes was −4.1 (97.5% CI −4.6 to −3.6) in the IVM group and −5.2 (97.5% CI −5.7 to −4.6) in the INS group. Non-inferiority was demonstrated (p < 0.001 with 1-sided mean-equivalence t test), as the lower 97.5% confidence interval of 0.29 (97.5% CI 0.29 to 1.93) was above the prespecified margin of −1.3. INS was superior to IVM (intention to treat analysis: p = 0.034), but without a clinically significant difference in mean NRS between groups. Six severe adverse events were observed in the INS group and 2 in the IVM group (number needed to harm: 17), including an apparent imbalance for hypoxemia (3 in the INS group versus 1 in the IVM group) and for bradypnea (2 in the INS group versus 0 in the IVM group). The main limitation of the study was that the choice of concomitant analgesics, when they were used, was left to the discretion of the physician in charge, and co-analgesia was more often used in the IVM group. Moreover, the size of the study did not allow us to conclude with certainty about the safety of INS in emergency settings. Conclusions We confirm the non-inferiority of INS compared to IVM for pain reduction at 30 minutes after administration in patients with severe traumatic pain presenting to an emergency department. The IN route, with no need to obtain a venous route, may allow early and effective analgesia in emergency settings and in difficult situations. Confirmation of the safety profile of INS will require further larger studies. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02095366. EudraCT 2013-001665-16., In the emergency departments of six French hospitals, Marc Blancher and team compared intranasal sufentanil versus intravenous morphine for acute severe trauma pain in a randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority trial., Author summary Why was this study done? To relieve acute pain in an emergency room, the priorities are analgesia as early as possible, using an agent with rapid onset of action and powerful enough to achieve a level of pain as low as possible. Intravenous morphine is the most commonly used strong analgesic, but the need to obtain intravenous access is a clear limitation to its rapid use. The intranasal route using sufentanil spray could provide rapid easy administration with fast peak action time. What did the researchers do and find? We compared the effectiveness of intranasal sufentanil to that of intravenous morphine for patients presenting at an emergency room with acute severe traumatic pain. Patients were randomly assigned to receive intranasal sufentanil and intravenous placebo, or intravenous morphine and intranasal placebo. The 2 treatments gave similar levels of relief from pain according to self-assessments of pain by the patients. What do these findings mean? In the emergency room, intranasal sufentanil is feasible and not inferior to intravenous morphine in reducing severe pain due to traumatic injury at 30 minutes. Adverse events were frequent, as expected for opioids, but rarely serious. Larger studies are needed to confirm safety. The use of intranasal sufentanil might provide an easy and time-saving solution in the management of acute pain.

Background Intravenous drug infusions in critically ill patients require accurate syringe infusion pumps (SIPs). This is particularly important during transportation of critically ill patients by helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), where altitude may influence device performance. Because weight is a real concern in HEMS, new low-weight devices are very appealing. The aim of this study was to compare infusion flow rates delivered by low-weight versus standard SIP devices, in the prehospital emergency medicine setting, at different altitudes. Methods We conducted a comparative bench study involving five SIP devices (two standard and three low-weight models) at 300, 1700 and 3000 m altitude. The primary endpoint was the flow rate delivered by SIPs for prespecified values. We used two methods to measure flow. The normative method consisted in measuring weight (method A) and the alternate method consisted in measuring instantaneous flow (method B). Results Using method A, no significant differences were found in median flow rates and interquartile range depending on device and altitude for a prespecified 10-mL/h flow. However, method B showed that low-weight SIPs delivered multiple sequential boluses with substantial variations (1.2–15.8 mL/h) rather than a prespecified continuous 5-mL/h flow. At 1700 m altitude, the interquartile range of delivered flows increased only for low-weight devices (p for interaction

Background and objectivePain, a symptom often present in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), alters quality of life. COPD exacerbation augments several mechanisms that may cause pain (dyspnea, hyperinflation and inflammation) and therefore we hypothesized that pain might be increased during exacerbation.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted in patients admitted for acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) in two emergency departments in France and Canada. Patients with cancer-related pain or recent trauma were not included. The Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) scale were used to evaluate pain intensity and location. Patients also completed the Borg Dyspnea Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The questionnaires were completed again during an outpatient assessment in the stable phase. The primary outcome was difference in pain intensity (SF-MPQ) between the exacerbation and stable phases.ResultsFifty patients were included. During exacerbation, 46 patients (92%) reported pain compared to 29 (58%) in the stable phase (pConclusionThe frequency and intensity of pain were higher during AECOPD, with a specific distribution. Pain should therefore be routinely assessed and treated in patients with AECOPD.

Emergency management of deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) by drug overdose is common in emergency medicine. There is a paucity of data about the prehospital care of these patients. The principal aim was to describe the intensity of care received by patients with DSP who were managed by prehospital emergency medical service (EMS) physicians. A 48-h cross-sectional study was conducted in 319 EMS and emergency units in France. Patient and poisoning characteristics and treatments administered were recorded. Complications of poisoning, hospitalization, intensive care unit admission and death were recorded until day 30. The primary endpoint was the probability of receiving prehospital intensive care, including fluid resuscitation, vasopressor therapy, invasive ventilation, or antidotal treatments, depending whether prehospital treatment was carried out by an EMS physician or not. Data from 703 patients (median age was 43 [30-52] years, 288 (40%) men) were analyzed. One hundred and fifteen (16%) patients were attended by an EMS physician. Patients attended by EMS physicians were more likely to receive intensive treatment in the prehospital setting [odds ratio (OR) 7.4, 95% confidence interval 4.3-12.9]. These patients had more severe poisoning as suggested mainly by a lower Glasgow Coma Score (13 [8-15] vs. 15 [15-15]; p 0.001) and a higher rate of admission to an intensive care unit [29 (25%) vs. 15 (2%), p 0.001]. Patients with DSP attended by prehospital EMS physicians frequently received intensive care. The level of care seemed appropriate for the severity of the poisoning.

Study objectiveTo investigate the performance of a rapid RT-PCR assay to detect influenza A/B at emergency department admission.MethodsThis single-center prospective study recruited adult patients attending the emergency department for influenza-like illness. Triage nurses performed nasopharyngeal swab samples and ran rapid RT-PCR assays using a dedicated device (cobas Liat, Roche Diagnostics, Meylan, France) located at triage. The same swab sample was also analyzed in the department of virology using conventional RT-PCR techniques. Patients were included 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week. The primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy of the rapid RT-PCR assay performed at triage.ResultsA total of 187 patients were included over 11 days in January 2018. Median age was 70 years (interquartile range 44 to 84) and 95 (51%) were male. Nine (5%) assays had to be repeated due to failure of the first assay. The sensitivity of the rapid RT-PCR assay performed at triage was 0.98 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91-1.00) and the specificity was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.94-1.00). A total of 92 (49%) assays were performed at night-time or during the weekend. The median time from patient entry to rapid RT-PCR assay results was 46 [interquartile range 36-55] minutes.ConclusionRapid RT-PCR assay performed by nurses at triage to detect influenza A/B is feasible and highly accurate.

Resume Le controle cible de la temperature (CCT) ameliore le pronostic neurologique et de la survie des patients comateux admis a l’hopital apres un arret cardiaque. Il est recommande de maintenir une temperature centrale, ciblee entre 32 et 36 °C, pendant au moins 24 h. Pour l’induction de l’hypothermie, la perfusion de volume important de solute froid n’est pas recommandee. Le maintien autour de la temperature cible doit etre precis et constant et le rechauffement doit etre lent et controle (maximum 0,5 °C/h). Le rebond hyperthermique lors de l’arret du CCT est frequent, probablement deletere sur le plan neurologique et devra donc etre controle.

Background Ultrasonography – assisted lumbar puncture helps physicians identify traditional anatomical landmarks. However, it could help to overcome the anatomical dogmas and thus identify the best interspinous space under the medullary cone. Methods Traditional anatomical landmarks were reported on a tracing paper in patients with an indication for lumbar puncture. Then, ultrasonography was used to locate the optimal interspinous level defined as the widest subarachnoid space located below the conus medullaris. Primary endpoint was the distance between traditional and ultrasound landmarks. Results Fifty-seven patients were included. Seven emergency physicians practiced the procedure. The median absolute distance between traditional anatomical landmarks and ultrasound marking was 32 [interquartile (IQR) 27 – 37] mm. The inter-spinous space identified in the two procedures was different in 68% of the cases. Conclusions Ultrasound not only allows us to better identify anatomical structures before lumbar puncture, but it also allows us to choose a site of puncture different from recommendations.

International audience; BACKGROUND:Acute trauma pain is poorly managed in the emergency department (ED). The reasons are partly organizational: ED crowding and rare trauma care pathways contribute to oligoanalgesia. Anticipating the organizational impact of an innovative care procedure might facilitate the decision-making process and help to optimize pain management.METHODS:We used a multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach to consider the organizational impact of methoxyflurane (self-administered) in the ED, introduced alone or supported by a trauma care pathway. A MCDA experiment was designed for this specific context, 8 experts in emergency trauma care pathways (leading physicians and pharmacists working in French urban tertiary hospitals) were recruited. The study involved four steps: (i) Selection of organizational criteria for evaluating the innovation's impact; (ii) assessment of the relative weight of each criterion; (iii) choice of appropriate scenarios for exploring the organizational impact of MEOX under various contexts; and (iv) software-assisted simulation based on pairwise comparisons of the scenarios. The final outcome measure was the expected overall organizational impact of methoxyflurane on a 0-to-100 scale (score >50: positive impact).RESULTS:Nine organizational criteria were selected. "Mean length of stay in the ED" was the most weighted. Methoxyflurane alone obtained 59 as a total score, with a putative positive impact for eight criteria, and a neutral effect on one. When a trauma care pathway was introduced concomitantly, the impact of methoxyflurane was greater overall (score: 75) and for each individual criterion.CONCLUSIONS:Our model highlighted the putative positive organizational impact of methoxyflurane in the ED-particularly when supported by a trauma care pathway-and the relevance of expert consensus in this particular pharmacoeconomic context. The MCDA approach could be extended to other research fields and healthcare challenges in emergency medicine.

Study objective Efforts to reduce unnecessary and unnecessarily long antibiotic treatment for community-acquired pneumonia have been attempted through use of procalcitonin and through guidelines based on serial clinical assessment. Our aim is to compare guideline-based clinical assessment– and procalcitonin algorithm–guided antibiotic use among patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Methods We performed a pragmatic, randomized, multicenter trial from November 2012 to April 2015 at 12 French hospitals. We included emergency department (ED) patients older than 18 years with community-acquired pneumonia. Patients were randomly assigned to either the procalcitonin-guided or clinical assessment group. In accordance with past studies, we hypothesized that serial clinical assessment would be superior to procalcitonin-guided care. The primary outcome was antibiotic duration, and secondary outcomes included rates of antibiotic duration less than or equal to 5 days, and clinical success and combined serious adverse outcomes at 30 days in the intention-to-treat population. Results Of 370 eligible patients, 285 (77%) were randomly assigned to either clinical assessment– (n=143) or procalcitonin-guided care (n=142). Median age was 67 years (range 18 to 93 years) and 40% of patients were deemed to have Pneumonia Severity Index class IV or V. Procalcitonin algorithm adherence was 76%. Antibiotic duration was not significantly different between clinical assessment– and procalcitonin-guided groups (median 9 versus 10 days, respectively). Clinical success rate was 92% in each group and serious adverse outcome rates were similar (15% versus 20%, respectively). Conclusion Guideline-based serial clinical assessment did not reduce antibiotic exposure compared with procalcitonin-guided care among ED patients with community-acquired pneumonia. The strategies were similar in terms of duration of antibiotic use and clinical outcomes.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) both independently increase cardiovascular risk. We hypothesized that NAFLD might increase the incidence of cardiovascular disease and death in COPD patients. The relationship between NAFLD, incident cardiovascular events, and death was assessed in a prospective cohort of COPD patients with 5-year follow-up. Noninvasive algorithms combining biological parameters (FibroMax®) were used to evaluate steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to assess the hazard for composite outcome at the endpoint (death or cardiovascular event) for each liver pathology. In 111 COPD patients, 75% exhibited liver damage with a prevalence of steatosis, NASH and fibrosis of 41%, 37% and 61%, respectively. During 5-year follow-up, 31 experienced at least one cardiovascular event and 7 died. In univariate analysis, patients with liver fibrosis had more cardiovascular events and higher mortality (Hazard ratio [95% CI]: 2.75 [1.26; 6.03]) than those with no fibrosis; this remained significant in multivariate analysis (Hazard ratio [95% CI]: 2.94 [1.18; 7.33]). We also found that steatosis and NASH were not associated with increased cardiovascular events or mortality. To conclude, early assessment of liver damage might participate to improve cardiovascular outcomes in COPD patients.

Introduction: Insufficient analgesia affects around 50% of emergency department patients. The use of a protocol helps to reduce the risk of oligoanalgesia in this context. Our objective was to describe the feasibility and efficacy of a multimodal analgesia protocol (combining paracetamol, oxycodone, and inhaled low-dose methoxyflurane) initiated by triage nurse. Methods: We performed a prospective, observational study in the emergency department at Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (Grenoble, France) between October 2017 and April 2018. Non severe adult trauma patients with a numerical pain rating scale (NRS) score ≥4 and receiving MEOF were included. The primary efficacy criterion was the proportion of patients with an NRS score ≤3 at 15min post-administration. Pain intensity was measured for 60 min as well as during radiography. Data on adverse events and satisfaction were also recorded. Data are presented as median [interquartile (IQR)] and were compared using non parametric tests. Results: A total of 200 adult patients were included (age: 32 [IQR: 23–49] years; 126 men (63%)). Patients presented at triage with a pain score of 7 [IQR: 6-8]. Sixty-six patients (33%) reported an NRS score ≤3 at 15 min post-administration. The time required to achieve a decrease of at least 2 points in the NRS score was 10 [IQR 5–20] min. The pain intensity was 4 [IQR: 2–5] before radiography and 4 [IQR: 2–6] during radiography. Adverse events were frequent (n = 128, 64%), mainly dizziness. No serious adverse events were reported and 89% of minor adverse events resolved at one hour. Both patients and health care providers reported good levels of satisfaction. Conclusion: The administration of a nurse-driven multimodal analgesia protocol combining paracetamol, oxycodone, and low-dose methoxyflurane was feasible on triage. It rapidly produced long-lasting analgesia in adult trauma patients.

Background Variations in the activity of emergency dispatch centers are an obstacle to the rationalization of resource allocation. Many explanatory factors are well known, available in advance and could predict the volume of emergency cases. Our objective was to develop and evaluate the performance of a predictive model of daily call center activity. Methods A retrospective survey was conducted on all cases from 2005 to 2011 in a large medical emergency call center (1,296,153 cases). A generalized additive model of daily cases was calibrated on data from 2005 to 2008 (1461 days, development sample) and applied to the prediction of days from 2009 to 2011 (1095 days, validation sample). Seventeen calendar and epidemiological variables and a periodic function for seasonality were included in the model. Results The average number of cases per day was 507 (95% confidence interval: 500 to 514) (range, 286 to 1251). Factors significantly associated with increased case volume were the annual increase, weekend days, public holidays, regional incidence of influenza in the previous week and regional incidence of gastroenteritis in the previous week. The adjusted R for the model was 0.89 in the calibration sample. The model predicted the actual number of cases within ± 100 for 90.5% of the days, with an average error of −13 cases (95% CI: -17 to 8). Conclusions A large proportion of the variability of the medical emergency call center’s case volume can be predicted using readily available covariates. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13049-017-0430-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

YKL-40, a chitinase-like protein, is a biomarker for type 1 and type 2 diabetes prognosis. We hypothesized that YKL-40 protein levels are elevated in CF patients with dysglycemia.Seventeen healthy control subjects and 66 CF patients were prospectively recruited and subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test. In all participants, fasting serum YKL-40 was compared between control and CF patients and between normal glucose-tolerant patients (NG-CF) and CF patients with dysglycemia (DG-CF). A Botnia clamp procedure was performed on a subset of patients for each group to determine the impact of acute increases of either glucose or insulin on YKL-40 concentration.CF patients had higher serum YKL-40 values than the controls (113 [49;288] vs. 38 [30;50] ng/ml, p0.001). YKL-40 concentrations in CF patients were mainly increased in the DG-CF group, who had significantly higher values: 213 [93;383] vs. 67 [27;97] ng/ml in the NG-CF group, p0.001). No significant modulation of YKL-40 concentration was observed in serum of CF (NG or DG-CF) or non-CF patients, after acute exposure to glucose or insulin.Higher serum YKL-40 levels in CF patients are significantly associated with dysglycemia. The increase in YKL-40 is potentially associated with an inflammatory response resulting from chronic glucose intolerance or CF disease evolution.

Measurement of exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) might help in the selection of lung grafts during ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) since its endogenous production is increased under ischemia reperfusion. The objective of this study was to measure eCO variations depending on the extent of lung ischemia reperfusion injuries. Using a porcine model and a laser spectrometer instrument, eCO was measured during EVLP. eCO was compared after 30 min (D0) or 24 h (D1) of cold ischemia. The ability of eCO to distinguish lungs deemed suitable for transplantation was evaluated. Six lungs were studied at D0 and compared to six lungs studied at D1. eCO was systematically higher on D1 (1.35 ± 0.26 ppmv versus 0.95 ± 0.31 ppmv, p = 0.01). The best threshold concentration for eCO to select lungs was 0.86 ppmv (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.65 [95% confidence interval: 0.34-0.97], p = 0.40). These results show that eCO varies during EVLP. The interpretation of this variation and the role of eCO as a biomarker of ischemia reperfusion injuries during EVLP should be tested in further clinical studies.

Background Blood potassium is the main prognostic biomarker used for triage in hypothermic cardiac arrest. The aim of this review was to assess the impact of hypothermia on blood potassium levels and compare the underlying pathophysiological theories. Methods The Medline electronic database was searched via PubMed for articles published from January 1970 to December 2016. The search strategy included studies related to hypothermia and potassium levels. The relevant literature on clinical studies and experimental studies was reviewed by the authors. Results Among the 50 studies included in the review, 39 (78%) reported a decrease in blood potassium levels upon hypothermia onset. Hypothermic hypokalaemia is linked to an intracellular shift rather than an actual net loss. The intracellular shift is caused by a variety of factors such as enhanced functioning of Na + K + ATPase, beta-adrenergic stimulation, pH and membrane stabilisation in deep hypothermia. In contrast, hypothermia can act as an aggravating factor in severe trauma with hyperkalaemia being an indicator of an irreversible state of cell death. An increase in the blood potassium level during hypothermia may result from a lack of enzyme functioning at cold temperatures and blocked active transport. Conclusion Hypothermia causes an initial decrease of potassium levels; however, the final stage of hypothermic cardiac arrest can induce hyperkalaemia due to cell lysis and final depolarisation. Better understanding the physiopathology of potassium levels during accidental hypothermia could be critically important to better select patients who could benefit from aggressive resuscitation therapy such as extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Intense physical activity, cold and altitude make mountain sports a cause of increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The difficulties of pre-hospital management related to this challenging environment could be mitigated by the presence of ski-patrollers in ski areas and use of helicopters for medical rescue. We assess whether this particular situation positively impacts the chain of survival compared to the general population.Analysis of prospectively collected data from the cardiac arrest registry of the Northern French Alps Emergency Network (RENAU) from 2004 to 2014.19,341 OHCAs were recorded during the period, including 136 on-slope events. Compared to other OHCAs, on-slope patients were younger (56 [40-65] vs. 66 [52-79] years, p0.001) and more often in shockable initial rhythm (41.2% vs 20.1%, p0.001). Resuscitation was more frequently started by a witness (43.4% vs 26.8%, p0.001) and the time to the first electric shock was shorter (7.5min vs 14min, p0.001), whereas time to the advanced life support (ALS) rescue arrival did not differ. The 30-day survival rate was higher for on-slope arrests (21.3% vs 5.9%, p0.001, RR=3.61). In multivariate analysis, on-slope CA remained a positive 30-day survival factor with a 2.6 odds ratio (95% confidence interval, 1.42-4.81, p=0.002).Despite difficult access and management conditions, patients undergoing OHCAs on ski slopes presented a higher survival rate, possibly explained by a healthier population, the efficiency of resuscitation by ski-patrols and similar time to ALS facilities compared to other cardiac arrests.

Martin Dres,1,2 Pierre Hausfater,3,4 Frantz Foissac,5,6 Maguy Bernard,7 Luc-Marie Joly,8 Mustapha Sebbane,9 Anne-Laure Philippon,3,4 Cédric Gil-Jardiné,10 Jeannot Schmidt,11 Maxime Maignan,12 Jean-Marc Treluyer,13 Nicolas Roche14,15 On behalf of the UTAPE Study Investigators and Scientific Committee 1Pulmonary and Critical Care Department, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, 2UMRS1158: Clinical and Experimental Respiratory Neurophysiology, Paris 6 University, 3Emergency Department, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, AP-HP, 4Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ-Paris06, GRC-14 BIOSFAST, 5Clinical Research Department, Necker Cochin Hospital, AP-HP, 6EA 7323, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, 7Biochemistry Department, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, 8Emergency Department, Charles Nicolle Hospital, Rouen, 9Department of Emergency Medicine, Lapeyronie Hospital, Montpellier, 10Emergency Department, Pellegrin Hospital, Bordeaux, 11Emergency Department, Gabriel Montpied Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand, 12Emergency Department, Grenoble University Hospital, Grenoble, 13Clinical Research Department, Paris Descartes University, Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP, 14Pulmonary Department, Cochin Hospital, AP-HP, 15Paris Descartes University, Paris, France Background: Exacerbations of COPD (ECOPD) are a frequent cause of emergency room (ER) visits. Predictors of early outcome could help clinicians in orientation decisions. In the current study, we investigated whether mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) and copeptin, in addition to clinical evaluation, could predict short-term outcomes.Patients and methods: This prospective blinded observational study was conducted in 20 French centers. Patients admitted to the ER for an ECOPD were considered for inclusion. A clinical risk score was calculated, and MR-proADM and copeptin levels were determined from a venous blood sample. The composite primary end point comprised 30-day death or transfer to the intensive care unit or a new ER visit.Results: A total of 379 patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 277 were eventually investigated for the primary end point that occurred in 66 (24%) patients. In those patients, the median (interquartile range [IQR]) MR-proADM level was 1.02 nmol/L (0.77–1.48) versus 0.83 nmol/L (0.63–1.07) in patients who did not meet the primary end point (P=0.0009). In contrast, copeptin levels were similar in patients who met or did not meet the primary end point (P=0.23). MR-proADM levels increased with increasing clinical risk score category: 0.74 nmol/L (0.57–0.89), 0.83 nmol/L (0.62–1.12) and 0.95 nmol/L (0.75–1.29) for the low-, intermediate- and high-risk categories, respectively (P