https://medicalxpress.com/emergency-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Emergency medicine As electric scooters (e-scooters) become more available in cities and urban areas, injuries are becoming more common—especially among teenage boys. This is among the findings from a new study using a national database of e-scooter injuries, which also found racial and ethnic disparities among those injured. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-electric-scooter-injuries-racial-ethnic.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:10:02 EDT news694780681 A study of young adults treated in emergency departments found that the SaFETy (Serious fighting, Friend weapon carrying, community Environment, and firearm Threats) score, a firearm-specific risk screening tool, can meaningfully predict the risk of interpersonal firearm violence within 12 months. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-er-screening-tool-accurately-firearm.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:00:01 EDT news694686001 Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators and colleagues created an algorithm designed to use data on sudden cardiac arrests to determine the best public locations for lifesaving devices called automated external defibrillators. Their findings were published in IJC Heart & Vasculature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-aed-algorithm-lifesaving-devices.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:40:03 EDT news694694469 Artificial intelligence has already proven it can perform specific medical tasks, such as interpreting X-rays or flagging risks in patient data. But caring for patients is a dynamic process that unfolds over time, requiring clinicians to interpret signals from multiple sources and intervene as a patient's condition changes. Stabilizing a patient may require a physician to synthesize lab values and medical images, listen to lung or heart sounds, observe physical responses, and decide when to escalate care—often under severe time pressure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-entire-medical-decision.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:30:02 EDT news694355204 Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital have found more than an estimated 240,800 visits to U.S. emergency departments (EDs) associated with household cleaning product-related injuries from 2007 through 2022 for children aged five years and younger. That's one injury every 35 minutes. Among all household cleaning products, bleach and detergents were the most common product types associated with these injuries. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-household-products-source-child-injury.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:30:01 EDT news694358521 For decades, Chicago's South Side neighborhoods have experienced high rates of firearm violence, making speedy access to expert trauma care a matter of life and death. A recent study in JAMA Surgery helps quantify the impact of critical care: the opening of the University of Chicago Medicine's Level 1 trauma center in 2018 was associated with a nearly 4% reduction in firearm mortality, thanks to faster and closer emergency treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-trauma-center-gunshot-minutes-deaths.html Sun, 29 Mar 2026 10:00:22 EDT news693760786 In emergency medicine, triage differentiates patients who require immediate attention from those who can safely wait for care. When it comes to children's mental or behavioral health, however, triage scores were found to be inaccurate in two-thirds of the cases when compared to the level of care the child actually received during their emergency visit, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-er-triage-children-mental-health.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:00:01 EDT news693488121 Doctors in Liverpool working with researchers at the Center for Trials Research at Cardiff University have identified promising evidence for the effectiveness of an early and rapid diagnostic test for sepsis. Teams from the University of Liverpool and NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group conducted the study to address this common and serious condition. They were joined by colleagues at the Center for Trials Research, at Cardiff University, as well as investigators at 20 NHS acute care hospitals in England and Wales. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-advances-accurately-sepsis.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 16:00:04 EDT news693498241 Many seriously injured patients in Global South countries are failing to reach medical care within the lifesaving "golden hour" and ambulances are often associated with these delays. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-global-south-patients-medical-hour.html Sun, 22 Mar 2026 20:00:01 EDT news693123694 Nationally, heat-related mortality has risen by nearly 17% per year since 2016. As a result, New York City now issues heat alerts and opens cooling centers when the heat index is forecast to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for at least two consecutive days or a heat index of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for any length of time. Meanwhile, older adults are known to have a higher risk of heat stroke and related death, to have more heat-sensitive chronic conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes, and to be more likely to take medications that impair heat regulation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-older-adults-illness-health.html Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:00:10 EDT news693154137 One in ten emergency patients with visible blood in their urine dies within three months of presenting at hospital emergency departments, new research has found. The WASHOUT study, presented at the European Association of Urology Congress (EAU26) in London, has found that a scan within 48 hours could reduce this risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-scan-emergency-department-patients-blood.html Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:10:01 EDT news692551321 Results from the RAPID-MIRACLE trial have found, for the first time, that the widely used MIRACLE2 risk score can be applied outside a hospital setting to accurately predict brain injury following a cardiac arrest. This could inform the type of immediate care patients receive, helping to ensure they have the best treatment available while saving crucial resources. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-algorithm-paramedics-brain-cardiac.html Sat, 14 Mar 2026 13:30:01 EDT news692357683 Researchers at Mass General Brigham have developed a series of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that uses machine learning to identify individuals who may be at risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) using information from their electronic medical records (EMRs). In a study published in npj Women's Health, the researchers report the tools could detect IPV up to four years before the individual sought care at a domestic violence treatment center. The findings highlight its potential for proactive screening and supporting health care providers in initiating earlier conversations about IPV with patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-tools-enable-early-intimate.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 06:00:07 EDT news692550661 Sepsis moves fast. A patient can arrive at hospital with what appears to be a routine infection and, within hours, develop organ failure. Survival often depends on how quickly treatment begins. Across Europe, doctors are seeing increasingly complex cases. Populations are aging and more people are living with chronic illness. At the same time, antimicrobial resistance, when bacteria no longer respond to antibiotics, is making infections harder to treat. Together, these pressures are reshaping the landscape of sepsis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-sepsis-harder-europe.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:50:01 EDT news692454709 Research conducted by University of Calgary scientists informed patient care when hundreds of children became sick from exposure to a severe strain of E. coli. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea. One in five infected children experience life-threatening complications. In summer 2023, a large STEC outbreak occurred at several Calgary daycare centers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-daily-blood-curb-coli-complications.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:10:02 EDT news692467741 Researchers at University of Tsukuba conducted a systematic review of published case reports and case series examining carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning associated with waterpipe tobacco use. The findings have been published in JMA Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-links-waterpipe-poisonings-outdoor-short.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:50:03 EDT news692263693 Billings Clinic investigators tracked trauma patients arriving directly from the scene versus patients transferred between facilities and found much longer times to reach the tertiary center for transfers, while adjusted mortality aligned with Injury Severity Score, age, hospital length of stay, and shock index rather than transfer status. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-golden-hour-distance-delay-rural.html Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:00:05 EST news691930974 Clear policies, better training, and survivor advocates can help protect people after violence while letting police do their investigative work in the emergency room, according to researchers from MedStar Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown Law. Their paper is published in the journal JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-roadmap-police-presence-er.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:10:01 EST news691940442 Electronic bikes, also referred to as e-bikes, are zooming in popularity, but they're also responsible for more kids landing in an ER with injuries, a new study says. E-bike injuries have more than tripled in San Diego in recent years, researchers report at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) in New Orleans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-kids-teens-bike.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:50:02 EST news691839035 In the three-and-a-half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the fragmented state of abortion access has put medical professionals in a precarious position. Many states have tightened abortion restrictions, with some enacting criminal penalties up to life in prison for physicians who perform abortions. Medical schools have curtailed abortion-related curricula. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-qa-dobbs-decision-abortion-restrictions.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:40:05 EST news691860302 When a trauma patient enters the emergency department, their potential for survival often depends on what happens within the first minutes after their arrival. After studying trauma resuscitation teams at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, the largest major trauma center in Pennsylvania, it's clear that trauma teams aren't organized ahead of time—they're formed on the fly. Some team members may have worked together many times before, while others may be meeting for the first time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-trauma-patients-recover-faster-medical.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:30:01 EST news691849621 Around six deaths a year are linked to clubbing in the UK, finds a 15-year retrospective study published online in Emergency Medicine Journal. Physical assault, including stabbings and head trauma, or too much ecstasy (MDMA) are the primary causes, the findings indicate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-deaths-year-linked-clubbing-uk.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:30:13 EST news691662602 Kennon Heard, MD, Ph.D., was skeptical when he first heard about cases in emergency departments of severe, recurring episodes of nausea and vomiting associated with chronic use of marijuana. In 2004, Australian researchers were among the first to describe the phenomenon, labeling it cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-vomiting-daily-weed-scromiting-chronic.html Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:10:02 EST news691408301 Refugee and immigrant children are less likely to visit the emergency department (ED) for minor illnesses (e.g., respiratory infections) compared to children born in Ontario, according to a new study from ICES and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). The study, "Emergency department visits for minor illnesses among recent refugee and immigrant children," is published inJAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-refugee-immigrant-children-emergency-department.html Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:00:08 EST news691341782 When Jean Hoffman, MD, was growing up, she watched "ER," the long-running NBC series about an urban hospital's often-chaotic emergency department. The experience steered her toward a career in emergency medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-emergency-department-leader-pitt-wrong.html Fri, 27 Feb 2026 07:30:01 EST news691395835 A new national study shows that while many emergency medical services (EMS) agencies across the United States are well-equipped to care for children, important gaps remain in training, quality improvement, and coordination of care before young patients reach the hospital. The study, published this week in Annals of Emergency Medicine, is part of the National Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project (PPRP), a nationwide effort to improve emergency care for children in ambulances and other out-of-hospital settings. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-national-strengths-gaps-emergency-children.html Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:50:02 EST news691329205 Under current budget pressures in social and health care services, even small but effective improvements matter in everyday practice. A new study shows that valved holding chambers (VHCs) used to deliver inhaled medication to children with acute respiratory diseases differ markedly in their performance. Choosing the right device in emergency care can help reduce costly hospital admissions, and the findings have direct relevance for clinical work in pediatric emergency departments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-valved-chambers-vary-significantly-treatment.html Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:40:02 EST news691173002 ChatGPT Health, a widely used consumer artificial intelligence (AI) tool that provides health guidance directly to the public—including advice about how urgently to seek medical care—may fail to direct users appropriately to emergency care in a significant number of serious cases, according to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The study, fast-tracked in the February 23, 2026 online issue of Nature Medicine, is the first independent safety evaluation of the large language model (LLM)-based tool since its January 2026 launch. It also identified serious concerns with the tool's suicide-crisis safeguards. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-chatgpt-health-independent-safety.html Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:20:01 EST news691156202 Early detection and prompt treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), a sudden and potentially life‑threatening blood clot that blocks arteries in the lungs, is critical. Comprehensive recommendations for the evaluation, management and follow‑up care for adults with acute PE are detailed in a new clinical practice guideline, published in the Circulation and in JACC. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ahaacc-acute-pulmonary-embolism-guideline.html Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:00:06 EST news690713161 A new study from the University of Georgia suggests hurricanes may now pose an additional danger to people through heat exposure. Hurricanes threaten lives and cause significant economic damage. But their risks extend beyond just the storm itself. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-hurricane-overwhelm-prolonged-outages.html Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:42:49 EST news690723721