Ileus and Small Bowel Obstruction in an Emergency Department Observation Unit: Are There Outcome Predictors?

DOI: 10.5811/westjem.2011.3.2175 Introduction: The purpose of our study was to describe the evaluation and outcome of patients with ileus and bowel obstruction admitted to an emergency department (ED) observation unit (OU) and to identify predictors of successful management for such patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 129 patients admitted to a university-affiliated, urban, tertiary hospital ED OU from January 1999 through November 2004. Inclusion criteria were al

Risk Stratification in Women Enrolled in the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry Emergency Module (ADHERE-EM)

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75587/1/j.1553-2712.2008.00030.x.pd

Virology—the path forward

In the United States (US), biosafety and biosecurity oversight of research on viruses is being reappraised. Safety in virology research is paramount and oversight frameworks should be reviewed periodically. Changes should be made with care, however, to avoid impeding science that is essential for rapidly reducing and responding to pandemic threats as well as addressing more common challenges caused by infectious diseases. Decades of research uniquely positioned the US to be able to respond to the COVID-19 crisis with astounding speed, delivering life-saving vaccines within a year of identifying the virus. We should embolden and empower this strength, which is a vital part of protecting the health, economy, and security of US citizens. Herein, we offer our perspectives on priorities for revised rules governing virology research in the US

A SARS-CoV-2 protein interaction map reveals targets for drug repurposing

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 respiratory disease, has infected over 2.3 million people, killed over 160,000, and caused worldwide social and economic disruption1,2. There are currently no antiviral drugs with proven clinical efficacy, nor are there vaccines for its prevention, and these efforts are hampered by limited knowledge of the molecular details of SARS-CoV-2 infection. To address this, we cloned, tagged and expressed 26 of the 29 SARS-CoV-2 proteins in human cells and identified the human proteins physically associated with each using affinity-purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS), identifying 332 high-confidence SARS-CoV-2-human protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Among these, we identify 66 druggable human proteins or host factors targeted by 69 compounds (29 FDA-approved drugs, 12 drugs in clinical trials, and 28 preclinical compounds). Screening a subset of these in multiple viral assays identified two sets of pharmacological agents that displayed antiviral activity: inhibitors of mRNA translation and predicted regulators of the Sigma1 and Sigma2 receptors. Further studies of these host factor targeting agents, including their combination with drugs that directly target viral enzymes, could lead to a therapeutic regimen to treat COVID-19

Nicotine Patch Prescription Fulfillment Rates For Emergency Department Patients

Introduction: Smoking cessation has significant health benefits, and the emergency department (ED) can be an important venue for smoking cessation counseling. Nicotine replacement therapy with transdermal patches has been shown to be associated with smoking cessation in a variety of studies. This study evaluated fulfillment rates for prescriptions for nicotine replacement transdermal patches (NRT-P) from the ED.Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients receiving a prescription for a NRT-P product from January 2018–October 2019. Charts were reviewed to gather data including age, gender, presence of chronic heart or lung problems, and health insurance. We assessed the fulfillment rate of prescriptions using the Surescripts system, which is a functionality within our electronic health record system that queries participating pharmacies. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine associations between fill rates and the other variables collected from charts.Results: We had follow-up on 500 patients prescribed nicotine patches. Of those patients, 44% filled their prescriptions. Those who filled their prescriptions were more likely to be female and have a history of chronic lung disease. Self-pay patients were least likely to fill their prescriptions. Overall, we had evidence of smoking cessation in 13% of patients.Conclusion: This study found that a substantial proportion of patients fail to fill their NRT-P prescriptions. Further work on means of enhancing fulfillment rates is warranted

Ileus and Small Bowel Obstruction in an Emergency Department Observation Unit: Are there Outcome Predictors?

Introduction: The purpose of our study was to describe the evaluation and outcome of patients with ileus and bowel obstruction admitted to an emergency department (ED) observation unit (OU) and to identify predictors of successful management for such patients.Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 129 patients admitted to a university-affiliated, urban, tertiary hospital ED OU from January 1999 through November 2004. Inclusion criteria were all adult patients admitted to the OU with an ED diagnosis of ileus, partial small bowel obstruction, or smallbowel obstruction, and electronic medical records available for review. The following variables were examined: ED diagnosis, history of similar admission, number of prior abdominal surgeries, surgery inthe month before, administration of opioid analgesia at any time after presentation, radiographs demonstrating air–fluid levels or dilated loops of small bowel, hypokalemia, use of nasogastric decompression, and surgical consultation.Results: Treatment failure, defined as hospital admission from the OU, occurred in 65 (50.4%) of 129 patients. Only the use of a nasogastric tube was associated with OU failure (21% discharged versus 79% requiring admission, P ¼ 0.0004; odds ratio, 5.294; confidence interval, 1.982–14.14).Conclusion: Half of the patients admitted to our ED OU with ileus or varying degrees of small bowel obstruction required hospital admission. The requirement of a nasogastric tube in such patients was associated with a greater rate of observation unit failure. [West J Emerg Med. 2011;12(4):404–407.

Prediction of short- and long-term outcomes by troponin t levels in low-risk patients evaluated for acute coronary syndromes

Study objective: Recent reports suggest a short series of cardiac troponin (cTnT) testing effectively identifies patients at risk for cardiac events. However, there are few studies validating this strategy. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of cTnT levels to predict short- and long-term outcomes in low-risk patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes. Methods: This prospective longitudinal study was conducted in a 20-bed emergency department observation unit. Patients at low risk for acute coronary ischemia, with a normal creatine kinase–isoenzyme subunit MB (CKMB) index, were admitted to an observation unit for chest pain evaluation. Serum cTnT levels were measured at baseline and at 4, 8, and 16 hours after admission. The main outcome measures were adverse cardiac events (death, acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, revascularization) during the index visit and within 6 months after discharge. Using manufacturer’s recommendations, the cTnT level was considered abnormal if it exceeded 0.2 μg/L. Results: Two hundred sixty-six patients were evaluated. Twenty-one (7.9%) had an adverse event during their index hospitalization. Troponin testing identified only 2 (9.5%) of these patients. Twenty (7.5%) had a cardiac event within 6 months; none were identified by cTnT testing. The sensitivity and specificity were 9.5% and 99.2%, respectively, at the index visit, and 0% and 98.4% at 6 months. The positive and negative predictive values were 50% and 93%, respectively, at the index visit; and 0% and 92% at 6 months. Conclusion: Determination of troponin T levels has a low sensitivity and high specificity for predicting outcomes in low-risk patients evaluated for suspected acute coronary syndromes. This study does not support a strategy of relying solely on troponin testing for disposition decisions. [Peacock WF IV, Emerman CL, McErlean ES, Deluca SA, van Lente F, Rao JS, Nissen SE: Prediction of short- and long-term outcomes by troponin T levels in low-risk patients evaluated for acute coronary syndromes. Ann Emerg Med. March 2000;35:213-220.