Paramedics and emergency doctors almost never suspect sepsis Barcelona, Spain: Two out of the four internationally-recommended screening tools used by emergency medical services are inadequate for recognising sepsis, according to new research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress. Mrs Silke Piedmont, a health scientist at the Department of Emergency Medicine Campus Benjamin Franklin Charité […]
Category: Emergency medicine
Patients visiting emergency departments because of alcohol abuse are more likely to make return visits and to die in the following decades
Barcelona, Spain: People who come to emergency departments with alcohol-related diseases or conditions are more likely to make return visits and to die in the following 20 years, than people who come to emergency departments for other reasons, according to new research. For many, this means they may die in their 40s or 50s. Professor […]
Ultrasound scans by doctors in emergency departments to diagnose deep vein thrombosis halve patients’ stay and may help to reduce over-crowding
Barcelona, Spain: If doctors in hospital emergency departments are trained to carry out ultrasound on patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT), they can nearly halve the time the patients spend in these departments. Dr Ossi Hannula, an emergency medicine specialist at the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland, who presented the findings […]
Women less likely to be given CPR than men in public places
– But in private spaces older people less likely to be given CPR – Barcelona, Spain: Bystanders are less likely to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to women than men, particularly if the emergency takes place in a public area, according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1]. The study also shows that […]
Prescribing just a few opioid tablets to patients discharged from emergency departments can ease pain but prevent misuse
Barcelona, Spain: Half of patients discharged from the emergency department need only five tablets or fewer of morphine 5 mg or an equivalent opioid pain killer, according to new research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress. [1] The recent crisis in opioid abuse has been partly attributed to over-prescription, particularly for chronic pain, and […]
ChatGPT performs as well as doctors for suggesting the most likely diagnoses in the emergency medicine department
Barcelona, Spain: The artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT performed as well as a trained doctor in suggesting likely diagnoses for patients being assessed in emergency medicine departments, in a pilot study to be presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1]. Researchers say a lot more work is needed, but their findings suggest the technology could […]
Are Emergency Departments unsafe? Patients and professionals think so
Emergency departments (EDs) are currently unsafe places for both professionals and patients, according to the results of an international survey carried out for the European Society of Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) and published in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine1. The main reasons for this are staff shortages and overcrowding due to the non-availability of beds […]
Patients waiting for urgent surgery in A&E feel calmer and experience less pain if given a music pillow
Berlin, Germany: Patients waiting in an emergency department for urgent surgery are less anxious, more relaxed and experience less pain if they are given a special music pillow to rest on, according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1]. Ms Lisa Antonsen, a nurse in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Odense […]
Digital technology linking care homes to clinical advice hubs reduces A&E attendances
Berlin, Germany: The use of digital technology in residential care homes can reduce the number of emergency department attendances by 10% each month, according to new research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1]. Preliminary evidence from a study that modelled the effect of implementing the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) HealthCall digital technology […]
Test for carbon monoxide poisoning is unreliable and should not be used
Berlin, Germany: Pulse oximetry is an unreliable method for spotting people suffering with carbon monoxide poisoning and it should not be used for this purpose, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1]. Carbon monoxide is one of the most common causes of poisoning death in the world […]