scholarly journals P109: Does an elevated troponin ultimately matter? An assessment of outcomes in patients presenting to the emergency department with non-cardiac complaints

CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S104-S104
Author(s):  
K. Endres ◽  
B. Chow ◽  
H. Garuba

Introduction: Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most time-sensitive diagnoses made in the emergency department (ED). Troponin (TNI) measurement is an invaluable tool; however, its utility depends on the clinical context and is highest where there is a strong pre-test probability. Studies show that most TNI elevations are due to non-cardiovascular causes; however, elevated TNI has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality, often prompting additional investigations. The aim of our study was to compare 1-year cardiac outcomes of patients who presented to the ED with non-cardiac complaints and elevated TNI who had further cardiac testing versus those who did not. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients ≥18 seen in the ED for non-cardiac complaints with a high TNI from January-June 2016. Patients were stratified into two groups: 1) those who received diagnostic testing for ischemia and/or a cardiac consultation and 2) those without cardiac consultation or testing. Data was also collected on major adverse cardiac events within 1-year of ED presentation. Chi-squared analysis assessed the difference in proportions of outcomes between groups. We present our preliminary data. Results: In total, 1500 patients met inclusion criteria and 861 have been analyzed thus far. Of these 861, 209 went on to have either diagnostic testing for ischemia and/or a cardiology consult while 652 had no further investigations. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of patients who developed unstable angina (p = 0.9824), ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (p = 0.9956), non-STEMI (p = 0.9008), stroke/TIA (p = 0.9657), revascularization (p = 0.8873), cardiac hospitalization (p = 0.9446) or died (p = 0.8972), within 1-year of their ED presentation. Conclusion: In patients with isolated elevated TNI and non-cardiac complaints, preliminary data showed no difference in mortality or cardiac event rates between those who had further testing/consultations and those who did not. TNI ordering could be cautiously limited to only presenting complaints/preliminary diagnoses likely to have cardiac etiology or sequelae or those in whom further testing would impact management/outcomes. Quality of care may be improved by reducing length of stay in the ED and potential risks of unnecessary tests. Future studies include determining cost implications and classifying what level of TNI elevation in non-ACS patients may predict a future cardiac outcome.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengbao Guo ◽  
Yan Qin ◽  
Hailong Fu ◽  
Feng Xu

Abstract Objectives To determine the impact of the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the length of stay (LOS) and prognosis of patients in the emergency department (ED). Methods A retrospective review of case data of patients in the ED during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University (January 15, 2020– January 14, 2021) was performed and compared with that during the pre-COVID-19 period (January 15, 2019 – January 14, 2020). Patient information including age, sex, length of stay, and death was collected. Wilcoxon Rank sum test was utilized to compare the difference in LOS between the two cohorts. Chi-Squared test was utilized to analyze the prognosis of patients. The LOS and prognosis in different departments (emergency internal medicine, emergency surgery, emergency neurology, and other departments) were further analyzed. Results Of the total 8278 patients, 4159 (50.24%) were ordered in the COVID-19 pandemic group and 4119 (49.76%) were ordered in the pre-COVID-19 group. The length of stay prolongs significantly in the COVID-19 group compared with that in the pre-COVID-19 group(13h vs 9.8h; p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in mortality between the two cohorts (4.8% VS 5.3%; p=0.341). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a significant increase in the length of stay, which may lead to emergency department crowding. And the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients in different emergency departments is different. There is no significant impact on the LOS of emergency neuropathy. Across departments, COVID-19 didn’t have a significant impact on the prognosis of ED patients.


Author(s):  
Elena Belloni ◽  
Stefania Tentoni ◽  
Ilaria Fiorina ◽  
Chandra Bortolotto ◽  
Olivia Bottinelli ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the prevalence of reported and unreported potentially important incidental findings in consecutive nonenhanced abdominal CTs performed specifically for renal colic in the urgent setting. METHOD: One radiologist, blinded to the finalized report, retrospectively re-evaluated nonenhanced abdominal CTs performed from January through December 2017 on adult patients from the Emergency Department with the specific request of urgent evaluation for renal colic, searching for potentially important incidental findings. RESULTS: The CTs of 312 patients were included in the study. Thirty-eight findings were reported in 38 different CTs, whereas the re-evaluation added 47 unreported findings in 47 different CTs, adding to total of 85 findings (27%). The difference in the proportion of reported and unreported potentially important incidental findings between the original report and re-evaluation was significant (P<.001). No significant difference was found between the age of patients with and without reported findings. The proportion of potentially important findings did not vary significantly among the three shifts neither in the original report nor in the re-evaluation. The most frequent findings, both reported and unreported, were pleural effusion, lymphadenopaties and liver nodules. CONCLUSIONS: Potentially important additional findings are frequently present in urgent nonenhanced abdominal CTs performed for renal colic, and many are not described in the finalized reports. Radiologists should take care not to under report potentially important incidental findings even in the urgent setting because of the possible consequences on the patient’s health status and in order to avoid legal issues, while satisfying the need for timely and efficient reporting.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
ghufran adnan ◽  
Osman Faheem ◽  
Maria Khan ◽  
Pirbhat Shams ◽  
Jamshed Ali

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed the healthcare system of Pakistan. There has been observation regarding changes in pattern of patient presentation to emergency department (ED) for all diseases particularly cardiovascular. The aim of the study is to investigate these changes in cardiology consultations and compare pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 era. Hypothesis: There is a significant difference in cardiology consultations during COVID era as compared to non-COVID era. Method: We collected data retrospectively of consecutive patients who visited emergency department (ED) during March-April 2019 (non-COVID era) and March-April 2020 (COVID era). Comparison has been made to quantify the differences in clinical characteristics, locality, admission, type, number, and reason of Cardiology consults generated. Results: We calculated the difference of 1351 patients between COVID and non-COVID era in terms of cardiology consults generated from Emergency department, using Chi-square test. Out of which 880 (59%) are male with mean age of 61(SD=15). Analysis shows pronounced augmentation in number of comorbidities [Hypertension(6%), Chronic kidney disease (6%), Diabetes (5%)] but there was 36% drop in total cardiology consultations and 43% reduction rate in patient’s ED visit from other cities during COVID era. There was 60% decrease in acute coronary syndrome presentation in COVID era, but fortuitously drastic increase (30%) in type II myocardial injury has been noted. Conclusion: There is a remarkable decline observed in patients presenting with cardiac manifestations during COVID era. Lack in timely care could have a pernicious impact on outcomes, global health care organizations should issue directions to adopt telemedicine services in underprivileged areas to provide timely care to cardiac patients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amyna Husain ◽  
M. Douglas Baker ◽  
Mark C. Bisanzo ◽  
Martha W. Stevens

False tooth extraction (FTE), a cultural practice in East Africa used to treat fever and diarrhea in infants, has been thought to increase infant mortality. The mortality of clinically similar infants with and without false tooth extraction has not previously been examined. The objective of our retrospective cohort study was to examine the mortality, clinical presentation, and treatment of infants with and without false tooth extraction. We conducted a retrospective chart review of records of infants with diarrhea, sepsis, dehydration, and fever in a rural Ugandan emergency department. Univariate analysis was used to test statistical significance. We found the mortality of infants with false tooth extraction (FTE+) was 18% and without false tooth extraction (FTE−) was 14% (P=0.22). The FTE+ study group, and FTE− comparison group, had similar proportions of infants with abnormal heart rate and with hypoxia. There was a significant difference in the portion of infants that received antibiotics (P=0.001), and fluid bolus (P=0.002). Although FTE+ infants had clinically similar ED presentations to FTE− infants, the FTE+ infants were significantly more likely to receive emergency department interventions, and had a higher mortality than FTE− infants.


2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig I. Schranz ◽  
Robert J. Sobehart ◽  
Kiva Fallgatter ◽  
Robert H. Riffenburgh ◽  
Michael J. Matteucci

Abstract Background Due to increasing time constraints, the use of bedside presentations in resident education has declined. We examined whether patient satisfaction in the emergency department is affected when first-year residents present at the bedside with attendings. Methods We performed an observational, prospective, nonblinded study in the emergency department of a military teaching hospital. We alternately assigned first-year residents to present a convenience sample of 248 patients to the attending physician at the patient's bedside or away from the patient. We measured patient satisfaction by using the Patient Satisfaction Questionaire-18 (PSQ-18), a validated survey instrument that utilizes a Likert scale, and additional nonvalidated survey questions involving Likert and visual analog scales. Results While the median PSQ-18 score of 74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 72–76) was higher for patient satisfaction when residents made bedside presentations than that for standard presentations, 72 (95% CI, 70–74), the difference did not reach statistical significance (P  =  .33). Conclusion There was no significant difference in overall patient satisfaction between residents' bedside presentations and presentations to attendings away from the patient. Although not significant, the differences noted in PSQ-18 subscales of communication, general satisfaction, and interpersonal manner warrant further investigation. Patients did not appear to be uncomfortable with having their care discussed and with having subsequent resident education at the bedside. Future research on patient satisfaction after implementation of standardized bedside teaching techniques may help further elucidate this relationship.


2019 ◽  
Vol 152 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S23-S24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Knoeckel ◽  
Sammie Roberts ◽  
Paul Pokrandt ◽  
Amber Stokes ◽  
Mary Berg

Abstract Prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) is FDA approved for warfarin reversal but is often used for coagulopathy and hemorrhage in patients with liver disease. While studies have explored its use during liver transplant, less is known about its safety and efficacy for other indications in patients with liver disease. Our objective was to retrospectively compare INR and mortality in patients with liver disease treated with PCC versus plasma. After obtaining institutional review board approval, we conducted retrospective chart review of patients with liver disease who received PCC. Control patients with liver disease who received plasma alone were matched based on indication for treatment. Outcomes were first post-PCC or post-plasma INR and mortality during admission. Twenty-one patients with liver disease who received PCC were identified; 21 who received plasma alone were matched. Two PCC patients and 1 plasma patient were excluded due to insufficient data in the medical record to calculate MELD scores. Statistics were calculated in Microsoft Excel (Version 1901). The most frequent indications were coagulopathy reversal and hemorrhage. The most common liver disease etiologies in both groups were alcohol and hepatitis C. The mean MELD score for the PCC group was higher than that for the plasma group (35 ± 7 vs 27 ± 9, P = .01). Mean baseline INR was similar between groups (PCC group, 4.0 ± 2.8 vs plasma group, 3.8 ± 3.8, P = .88). While INR decreased somewhat without a significant difference between groups (PCC group, 2.8 ± 1.5 vs plasma group, 2.4 ± 1.2, P = .44), mortality during admission was significantly higher in patients who received PCC (15 [71%] vs 5 [33%], P < .01). Of the 15 PCC patients who died, 5 died with hemorrhage as a contributing factor, 3 with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, and 1 with both; 1 other patient died with TIPS thrombus as a contributing factor. Of the 5 plasma patients who died during admission, 2 died with hemorrhage as a contributing factor, and none died with clotting complications. The difference in mortality between groups is likely confounded by more severe disease in the PCC group as evidenced by higher mean MELD score. It is unclear whether the higher number of bleeding and clotting complications in the PCC group is related to PCC administration or is a consequence of more advanced liver disease in these patients. The higher mean MELD score in the PCC group may reflect a tendency for providers to prescribe PCC for patients with more severe liver disease, who may not tolerate the large fluid boluses required for coagulopathy reversal with plasma. In conclusion, PCC does not appear to be superior to plasma for INR reversal in patients with liver disease. Further study is needed to determine efficacy and safety of PCC in patients with liver disease and should include comparison of patient groups with similar disease severity.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Zheng ◽  
Guangmei Wang ◽  
Jingjing Ma ◽  
Shuo Wu ◽  
He Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score is recommended for stratifying chest pain. However, there are six formulas used to calculate the GRACE score for different outcomes of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including death (Dth) or composite of death and myocardial infarction (MI), during in hospital (IH), in 6 months after discharge (OH6m) or from admission to 6 months later (IH6m). The more appropriate one for stratification of undifferentiated chest pain remains unclear. We aimed to provide firstly comprehensive evaluation and comparison of six GRACE models to predict 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in acute chest pain at the emergency department (ED). Methods Patients with acute chest pain were consecutively recruited from August 24, 2015 to September 30, 2017 in EDs of two public hospitals in China. The primary outcome was MACE within 30 days, including death, acute myocardial infarction (MI), emergency revascularization, cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock. GRACE scores were calculated retrospectively using the prospectively obtained data. Correlation, calibration, discrimination and reclassification of six GRACE models were evaluated. Results A total of 2886 patients were analyzed, with 590 (20.4%) patients getting outcomes. The GRACE (IH6mDthMI), GRACE (IHDthMI), GRACE (IHDth), GRACE (IH6mDth), GRACE (OH6mDth) and GRACE (OH6mDthMI) showed positive linear correlation with actual MACE rates (r≥0.568, p<0.001), first two of which exerted very strong relationships (r>0.9). All these models had good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, p≥0.073) except GRACE (IHDthMI) (p<0.001). The corresponding c-statistics were 0.82(0.81,0.83), 0.83(0.81,0.84), 0.75(0.73,0.76), 0.73(0.72,0.75), 0.72(0.70,0.73) and 0.70(0.68,0.71). Improvement in AUC, NRI and IDI (p<0.001) represented that GRACE (IH6mDthMI) and GRACE (IHDthMI) were superior to other four models in discrimination and reclassification. Conclusions The GRACE (IH6mDthMI) and GRACE (IHDthMI) outperformed other GRACE models in discriminating high or low-risk of 30-day MACE in patients with chest pain. The reasonable application of appropriate GRACE models should be recommended on stratification of undifferentiated chest pain presenting to the ED.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Samad Shams-Vahdati ◽  
Alireza Ala ◽  
Eliar Sadeghi-Hokmabad ◽  
Neda Parnianfard ◽  
Maedeh Gheybi ◽  
...  

Background: Missing to detect an ischemic stroke in the emergency department leads to miss acute interventions and treatment with secondary prevention therapy. Our study examined the diagnosis of stroke in the emergency department (ED) and neurology department of an academic teaching hospital. Methods and Materials: A retrospective chart review was performed from March 2017 to March 2018. ED medical document (chart) were reviewed by a stroke neurologist to collect the clinical diagnosis and characteristics of ischemic stroke patients. For determining the cases of misdiagnosed and over diagnosed data, the administrative data codes were compared with the chart adjudicated diagnosis. The adjusted estimate of effect was estimated through testing the significant variables in a multivariable model. The comparisons were done with chi square test. Statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05. Results: Of 861 patients of the study, 54% were males and 43% were females; and the mean age of them was 66.51 ± 15.70. We find no statically significant difference between patient’s Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in the emergency department (12.87±3.25) and patients GCS in the neurology department (11.77±5.15). There were 18 (2.2%) overdiagnosed of ischemic stroke, 8 (0.9%) misdiagnosed of ischemic stroke and 36 (4.1%) misdiagnosed of hemorrhagic strokes in the emergency department. Conclusion: There was no significant difference between impression of stroke in the emergency department and diagnosis at the neurology department.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Zheng ◽  
Guangmei Wang ◽  
Jingjing Ma ◽  
Shuo Wu ◽  
He Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score is recommended for stratifying chest pain. However, there are six formulas used to calculate the GRACE score for different outcomes of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including death (Dth) or composite of death and myocardial infarction (MI), while in hospital (IH), within 6 months after discharge (OH6m) or from admission to 6 months later (IH6m). We aimed to perform the first comprehensive evaluation and comparison of six GRACE models to predict 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with acute chest pain in the emergency department (ED). Methods: Patients with acute chest pain were consecutively recruited from August 24, 2015 to September 30, 2017 from the EDs of two public hospitals in China. The 30-day MACEs included death, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), emergency revascularization, cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock. The correlation, calibration, discrimination, reclassification and diagnostic accuracy at certain cutoff values of six GRACE models were evaluated. Comparisons with the History, ECG, Age, Risk Factors, and Troponin (HEART) and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) scores were conducted. Results: A total of 2886 patients were analyzed, with 590 (20.4%) patients experiencing outcomes. The GRACE(IHDthMI), GRACE(IH6mDthMI), GRACE(IHDth), GRACE(IH6mDth), GRACE(OH6mDth) and GRACE(OH6mDthMI) showed positive linear correlations with the actual MACE rates (r≥0.568, p<0.001). All these models had good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test, p≥0.073) except GRACE(IHDthMI) (p<0.001). The corresponding C-statistics were 0.83(0.81,0.84), 0.82(0.81,0.83), 0.75(0.73,0.76), 0.73(0.72,0.75), 0.72(0.70,0.73) and 0.70(0.68,0.71), respectively, first two of which were comparable to HEART (0.82, 0.80-0.83) and superior to TIMI (0.71, 0.69-0.73). With a sensitivity ≥95%, GRACE(IHDthMI) ≤81 and GRACE(IH6mDthMI) ≤79 identified 868(30%) and 821(28%) patients as low risk, respectively, which were significantly better than other GRACEs and HEART ≤3(22%). With a specificity ≥95%, GRACE(IHDthMI) >186 and GRACE(IH6mDthMI) >161 could recognize 12% and 11% patients as high risk, which were greater than other GRACEs, HEART ≥8(9%) and TIMI ≥5(8%). Conclusions: In this Chinese setting, certain strengths of GRACE models beyond HEART and TIMI scores were still noteworthy for stratifying chest pain patients. The validation and reasonable application of appropriate GRACE models in the evaluation of undifferentiated chest pain should be recommended.


2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Branko Gligic ◽  
Radoslav Romanovic ◽  
Goran Radjen ◽  
Dragan Tavciovski ◽  
Predrag Djuran ◽  
...  

Background. QT dispersion (QTd) represents the parameter of the expanded heterogeneity of myocard of ventricles. The aim of this study was to examine the dynamics of changes of QTd during the first 5 days of the acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in dependence to noninvasively estimated success of thrombolytic therapy. Methods. Thirty six patients with AMI were included in the study. All patients were treated with alteplaze according to rapid protocol. QTd (QTc max-QTc min) was measured immediately after the reception (0 min), after the thrombolytic therapy (90 min) and since the 2nd to the 5th day of the hospitalization. Reperfusion was estimated on the basis of electrocardiographic and biohumoral parameters. Results. In the group of 36 patients, 22 male and 11 female, both parameters of the reperfusion were not compatible in 3 patients. The other 23 patients had the reperfusion, while 10 patients did not have it. At the reception there was no significant difference of QTd between the group with reperfusion (79?34 ms) and the group without reperfusion (65?19 ms). After receiving alteplase, the average QTd in the group with reperfusion was 67?31 ms, which was not shorter in relation to the group without reperfusion (70?23 ms). Since the 2nd day of AMI, significantly smaller QTd in patients with reperfusion was not registered compared with the patients without the reperfusion (54?17 vs.73?20 ms), whereas since the 3rd day the difference became significant (46?16 vs. 87?24 ms). On the 4th day it was 43?12 vs. 78?21 ms, and on the 5th day it was 38?11 vs. 62?23 ms. On the 1st day significant difference of QTd between the groups with and without reperfusion was not registered in the group of patients with anterior AMI (0 min: 97?47 vs. 72?16; 90 min 68?47 vs. 72?20) whereas on the 2nd day it became statistically significant (51?15 vs. 74?20 on the 2nd day, 51?20 vs. 88?24 on the 3rd day, 46?10 vs. 81?19 on the 4th day and 40?8 vs. 69?22 ms on the 5th day. In the group of patients with inferolateral AMI, only on the 3rd day significant difference of QTd between the group with and the group without reperfusion was registered (43?14 vs. 69?29 ms), while in all other measuring it was not registered (0 min: 69?22 vs. 42?9; 90 min: 67?20 vs. 67?41; 55?19 vs. 60?25 on the 2nd day; 41?14 vs. 51?6 on the 4th day and 51?12 vs. 37?8 ms on the 5th day). Conclusion. Qt dispersion was of significantly shorter duration in patients with the successfully performed reperfusion in relation to the patients without the reperfusion. In patients with the anterior AMI, QTd was significantly different in patients with in relation to the patients without the reperfusion in distinction with the patients with inferolateral AMI.


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