http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Most children with isolated skull fractures may not need to stay in the hospital, which finding has the potential to save the health care system millions of dollars a year ("Isolated Skull Fractures: Trends in Management in U.S. Pediatric Emergency Departments"). In addition, a new device more accurately estimates children's weights, leading to more precise drug dosing in the ER ("Evaluation of the Mercy TAPE: Performance Against the Standard for Pediatric Weight Estimation"). Two studies published online this month in Annals of Emergency Medicine showcase some of the work emergency physicians are doing to improve care for children in the nation's emergency departments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-advancing-emergency-kids-physicians.html Other Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:28:11 EST news286547284 While all heart attacks have the potential to be deadly, one type is referred to as the "widow maker" because of its high risk of death. A ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a severe type of heart attack that occurs when a blockage in a coronary artery causes heart muscle to die; without prompt treatment risk of fatality increases dramatically. Coronary angioplasty, or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), is the most common emergency treatment for STEMI. During this procedure, an interventional cardiologist feeds a deflated balloon into the artery to the blockage where it is then inflated to open the artery and allow blood to flow to the heart muscle. Current clinical guidelines recommend that PCI be performed for STEMI within 90 minutes of the patient entering the hospital – this is commonly referred to as door-to-balloon time. Recognizing the potential to save even more lives with expedited treatment, Northwestern Medicine® researchers applied performance improvement strategies to lower door-to-balloon times at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, with the goal of creating an approach that could be applied to hospitals across the country. Their findings were published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-heart-response.html Cardiology Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:51:25 EST news286465877 U.S. emergency care costs may be more than twice previously published estimates, according to a new analysis that critiques those estimates, argues for improved accounting, and suggests considering the value of emergency care as well as total spending. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-emergency.html Health Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:48:23 EST news286458431 Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have for the first time determined how often emergency medical helicopters need to help save the lives of seriously injured people to be considered cost-effective compared with ground ambulances. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-cost-effectiveness-helicopter-trauma-victims.html Health Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:44:31 EST news286126942 Long waits for insurance authorization allowing psychiatric patients to be admitted to the hospital from the emergency department waste thousands of hours of physician time, given that most requests for authorization are ultimately granted. A study to be published in the May issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine argues that pre-authorization process is akin to health care "rationing by hassle factor" ("Insurance Prior Authorization Approval Does Not Substantially Lengthen the Emergency Department Length of Stay for Patients with Psychiatric Conditions"). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-ers-de-facto-psych-wards.html Health Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:35:20 EST news286025714 A study published today in Annals of Emergency Medicine reports lengthy waits for severely ill psychiatric patients in need of immediate hospitalization in the Boston area, due in part to time-consuming prior authorizations required by insurance companies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-million-hours-psychiatrist-yearly-hospitalization.html Health Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:55:35 EST news285918922 A study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University School of Medicine has found that nearly one quarter of patients may return to the emergency department within 30 days of being discharged from a hospitalization. None of these emergency room visits that do not lead to subsequent admission are included in calculating hospital readmission rates, which are a key focus of health care cost containment and quality improvement efforts. The findings are published in Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-quarter-patients-discharged-hospitals-ers.html Health Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:10:01 EST news285323461 Even with health insurance, ready access to preventive, specialty and behavioral health care and comprehensive electronic medical records, nearly 8 percent of patients in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) visit the emergency department two or more times per year, according to a study published online Tuesday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("What Drives Frequent Emergency Department Use in an Integrated Health System: National Data from the Veterans Health Administration"). The study, along with an accompanying editorial ("How Frequent Emergency Department Use by U.S. Veterans Can Inform Good Public Policy"), casts doubt that any simplistic solution to frequent ER use exists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-severely-compromised-life-circumstances-frequent.html Health Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:41:47 EST news284902892 For-profit hospitals are out-performing other hospitals when treating stroke, heart attack and pneumonia patients in emergency departments and, thus, will be more likely to receive bonuses under Medicare's new payment rules, according to a new Northwestern Medicine® study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-hospitals-medicare-reimbursement.html Health Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:37:49 EST news284031462 (HealthDay)—Video capsule endoscopy can be safely and accurately used to detect blood in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage seen in emergency departments, according to a study published online Feb. 11 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-video-capsule-accurately-intestinal-blood.html Other Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:10:03 EST news280403965 (HealthDay)—Specialists are more willing to see publicly insured children if they are referred from an emergency department, according to research published online Jan. 10 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-er-referral-ups-specialist-access.html Health Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:50:01 EST news279204300 A study of more than 12,000 children from emergency departments throughout the country in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) has identified seven factors that can help physicians determine the need for a computed tomography (CT) scan following blunt trauma to the abdomen. Because CT scans pose radiation hazards for youngsters, the findings may enable doctors to determine which children do not need to be exposed to such tests after a traumatic injury. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-needless-abdominal-ct-scans-children.html Cancer Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:01 EST news278938493 (HealthDay)—Adult patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) with elevated plasma lactate levels are at a high risk of death and adverse outcomes, regardless of whether they also present with shock or hypotension; right-sided ventricular dysfunction; or elevation of troponin I, according to research published online Jan. 9 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-death-pe-patients-high-plasma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:30:05 EST news278272632 (HealthDay)—Guidelines recommending aggressive testing of young children with fevers for urinary tract infections (UTIs) should be revisited given the lack of evidence and long-term justification, according to research published online Jan. 11 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-evidence-discredits-aggressive-uti-young.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:20:02 EST news277994528 (HealthDay)—Emergency care systems need to focus on integrating into new payment models by promoting efficiency and coordinated care, according to an article published online Jan. 2 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-ers-focus-payment.html Health Sat, 19 Jan 2013 11:00:01 EST news277800873 (HealthDay)—A 2009 ban on ambulance diversion in Massachusetts did not worsen crowding in emergency departments or ambulance turnaround times, according to research published online Dec. 21 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-ambulance-diversions-doesnt-worsen-er.html Health Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:50:04 EST news276442546 (Medical Xpress)—A new study is shedding light on the use of sedative drugs in hospitals and has proven certain clinically used drug combinations to be faster and more effective in sedating highly aggressive patients in the emergency department (ED). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-antipsychotics-patient-sedation.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:26:49 EST news268986398 A Rhode Island Hospital researcher has found that emergency department patients prefer technology-based interventions for high-risk behaviors such as alcohol use, unsafe sex and violence. ER patients said they would choose technology (ie text messaging, email, or Internet) over traditional intervention methods such as in-person or brochure-based behavioral interventions. The paper by Megan L. Ranney, M.D., is available now online in advance of print in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-emergency-patients-technology-based-interventions-behavioral.html Health Mon, 16 Jul 2012 13:07:12 EST news261662821 A Wayne State University School of Medicine study has found that an overwhelming majority of African-American patients with hypertension also suffered hidden heart disease caused by high blood pressure even though they displayed no symptoms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-blacks-high-blood-pressure-early.html Cardiology Thu, 07 Jun 2012 17:00:32 EST news258305801 (HealthDay) -- Minor head trauma patients taking warfarin should have a repeat computed tomography (CT) scan prior to discharge to detect delayed hemorrhage, particularly in those with an initial international normalized ratio (INR) higher than 3, according to research published in the June issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-ct-scan-urged-trauma-patients.html Other Thu, 31 May 2012 09:50:01 EST news257675255 (HealthDay) -- Average emergency department wait times for adult patients with psychiatric emergencies is 11.5 hours, and can be even longer for those who are older, uninsured, or intoxicated, according to research published online May 4 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-psychiatric-patients-average-hours-er.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 14 May 2012 15:40:31 EST news256228819 A national rise in public bike sharing programs could mean less air pollution and more exercise, an environmental and health win-win for people in the cities that host them, but according to researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, more than 80 percent of bike share riders are putting themselves at significant health risk by not wearing helmets. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-bike-cyclists-helmet.html Other Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:04:07 EST news255013395 Children with moderate or severe asthma attacks who are treated with systemic corticosteroids during the first 75 minutes of triage in the Emergency Department (ED) were 16% less likely to be admitted to hospital. This highlights the importance of adopting a strategy to rapidly identify and begin treating children with moderate or severe asthma attacks directly after triage, according to a team of investigators working at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center (UHC), the University of Montreal, McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-hospital-admissions-asthmatics.html Inflammatory disorders Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:02:34 EST news252756118 (HealthDay) -- Medicaid patients have more difficulty getting primary care and visit hospital emergency departments more often than those with private insurance, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-medicaid-patients-ers.html Health Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:10:57 EST news251385027 (Medical Xpress) -- In a new review article, researchers at the University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Children’s Hospital Boston have found there frequently is a lack of patient-family comprehension at the time of discharge from the emergency department, leaving patients and families unable to report the diagnosis or understand instructions for at-home care, medication use or reasons to return to the hospital. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-patients-er-poor.html Health Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:30:01 EST news246694145 Providing access to an outpatient clinic isn't enough to keep some trauma patients who have been discharged from the hospital from returning to the emergency department (ED) for follow-up care, even for such minor needs as pain medication refills and dressing changes, according to new Johns Hopkins research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-uninsured-trauma-patients-ed-follow-up.html Health Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:09:43 EST news233503759 Hospitals could reduce health care costs arising from pressure ulcers, commonly known as bedsores, by investing in pressure-reduction mattresses for elderly patients in emergency departments, according to new research from the University of Toronto. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-mattresses-hospital.html Health Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:46:42 EST news232814718 A review of national data from 1996 through 2007 reveals a sharp uptick in the use of computed tomography, or CT, scans to diagnose illnesses in emergency departments, a University of Michigan Health System study finds. The rate of CT use grew 11 times faster than the rate of ED visits during the study period. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-ct-scans-emergency-rooms-percent.html Cancer Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:00:01 EST news232188588 New University of Cincinnati (UC) research on HIV testing at local emergency departments shows that hospitals miss opportunities to diagnose patients who do not know they are infected with HIV, even when a regular testing program is in place. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-opportunities-hiv-diagnosis-emergency-departments.html HIV & AIDS Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:54:53 EST news231162872 A new study by Harvard Medical School researchers published today [July 21] in the Annals of Emergency Medicine finds that access to outpatient psychiatric care in the greater Boston area is severely limited, even for people with reputedly excellent private health insurance. Given that the federal health law is modeled after the Massachusetts health reform, the findings have national implications, the researchers say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-privately-hard-psychiatric-massachusetts.html Health Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:47:29 EST news230438837