The emergency department arrival mode and its relations to ED management and 30-day mortality in acute heart failure: an ancillary analysis from the EURODEM study

Background Acute heart failure patients are often encountered in emergency departments (ED) from 11% to 57% using emergency medical services (EMS). Our aim was to evaluate the association of EMS use with acute heart failure patients' ED management and short-term outcomes. Methods This was a sub-analysis of a European EURODEM study. Data on patients presenting with dyspnoea were collected prospectively from European EDs. Patients with ED diagnosis of acute heart failure were categorized into two groups: those using EMS and those self-presenting (non- EMS). The independent association between EMS use and 30-day mortality was evaluated with logistic regression. Results Of the 500 acute heart failure patients, with information about the arrival mode to the ED, 309 (61.8%) arrived by EMS. These patients were older (median age 80 vs. 75 years, p 30/min in 17.1% patients vs. 7.5%, p = 0.005). The only difference in ED management appeared in the use of ventilatory support: 78.3% of EMS patients vs. 67.5% of non- EMS patients received supplementary oxygen (p = 0.007), and non-invasive ventilation was administered to 12.5% of EMS patients vs. 4.2% non- EMS patients (p = 0.002). EMS patients were more often hospitalized (82.4% vs. 65.9%, p < 0.001), had higher in-hospital mortality (8.7% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.014) and 30-day mortality (14.3% vs. 4.9%, p < 0.001). The use of EMS was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality (OR = 2.54, 95% CI 1.11-5.81, p = 0.027). Conclusion Most acute heart failure patients arrive at ED by EMS. These patients suffer from more severe respiratory distress and receive more often ventilatory support. EMS use is an independent predictor of 30-day mortality

Colonisation des solutions de conservation en transplantation rénale : influence sur les pyélonéphrites aiguës secondaires du greffon

International audienceINTRODUCTION: Bacterial colonization of preservative solutions (PS) remains poorly described in renal transplantation. We investigated the bacterial colonization of the PS and its influence on graft pyelonephritis within one year from the renal transplantation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We cultured 2 samples of PS from 424 patients who underwent a renal transplantation. The follow-up period was one year. An acute graft pyelonephritis was defined as a positive bacteriological urine analysis, with temperature higher than 38.5°C or graft pain. RESULTS: In total, 424 samples of PS were tested and 195 were positive for colonization (46%). Forty-five patients developed an acute graft pyelonephritis during the follow-up period (10.6%), of which, 21 (46.7%) showed a colonization of their PS. Twenty-four had no colonization (53.3%). This difference was not significant (P=0.697). DISCUSSION: Our data suggest that the bacterial colonization of PS samples does not seem to increase the risk of acute graft pyelonephritis in renal transplant recipients

Impact on the medical decision-making process of multiplex PCR assay for respiratory pathogens

International audienc

Seasonal variations of patients presenting dyspnea to emergency departments in europe: Results from the eurodem study

Background/aim: To describe seasonal variations in epidemiology, management, and short-term outcomes of patients in Europe presenting to an emergency department (ED) with a main complaint of dyspnea. Materials and methods: An observational prospective cohort study was performed in 66 European EDs which included consecutive patients presenting to EDs with dyspnea as the main complaint during 3 72-h study periods. Data were collected on demographics, comorbidities, chronic treatment, prehospital treatment, mode of arrival of patient to ED, clinical signs at admission, treatment in the ED, ED diagnosis, discharge from El), and in-hospital outcome. Results: The study included 2524 patients with a median age of 69 (53-80) years old. Of the patients presented, 991 (39.3\%) were in autumn, 849 (33.6\%) were in spring, and 48 (27.1\%) were in winter. The winter population was significantly older (P < 0.001) and had a lower rate of ambulance arrival to ED (P < 0.001). In the winter period, there was a higher rate for lower respiratory tract infection (35.1\%), and patients were more hypertensive, more hypoxic, and more hyper/hypothermic compared to other seasons. The ED mortality was about 1\% and, in hospital, mortality for admitted patients was 7.4\%. Conclusion: The analytic method and the outcome of this study may help to guide the allocation of ED resources more efficiently and to recommend seasonal ED management protocols based on the seasonal trend of dyspneic patients

An Observational Study of Dyspnea in Emergency Departments: The Asia, Australia, and New Zealand Dyspnea in Emergency Departments Study ( AANZDEM )

International audienceObjectives: The objective was to describe the epidemiology of dyspnea presenting to emergency departments (EDs) in the Asia-Pacific region, to understand how it is investigated and treated and its outcome.Methods: Prospective interrupted time series cohort study conducted at three time points in EDs in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia of adult patients presenting to the ED with dyspnea as a main symptom. Data were collected over three 72-hour periods and included demographics, comorbidities, mode of arrival, usual medications, prehospital treatment, initial assessment, ED investigations, treatment in the ED, ED diagnosis, disposition from ED, in-hospital outcome, and final hospital diagnosis. The primary outcomes of interest are the epidemiology, investigation, treatment, and outcome of patients presenting to ED with dyspnea.Results: A total of 3,044 patients were studied. Patients with dyspnea made up 5.2% (3,105/60,059, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.0% to 5.4%) of ED presentations, 11.4% of ward admissions (1,956/17,184, 95% CI = 10.9% to 11.9%), and 19.9% of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions (104/523, 95% CI = 16.7% to 23.5%). The most common diagnoses were lower respiratory tract infection (20.2%), heart failure (14.9%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (13.6%), and asthma (12.7%). Hospital ward admission was required for 64% of patients (95% CI = 62% to 66%) with 3.3% (95% CI = 2.8% to 4.1%) requiring ICU admission. In-hospital mortality was 6% (95% CI = 5.0% to 7.2%).Conclusion: Dyspnea is a common symptom in ED patients contributing substantially to ED, hospital, and ICU workload. It is also associated with significant mortality. There are a wide variety of causes however chronic disease accounts for a large proportion