Wound healing is paramount for the survival of multicellular organisms, but this process can lead to scarring if left uncontrolled. Retinal scarring, in particular, occurs in many prevalent retinal diseases and can be devastating as this pathology leads to blindness. Unfortunately, little is known about retinal scarring, such as the origin of cells producing the scar and the cellular mechanisms leading to scar formation. Understanding these elements behind scar production is vital in creating therapeutic targets that can prevent potential blindness in those affected by retinal scarring. Although there are many retinal disease models in mice, a reliable mouse retinal scarring model has not been established. In this study, I develop two scarring models in mice. One is a mouse model for the disease phthisis bulbi, which is characterized as a shrunken, non-functional eye that is caused by injury, inflammation or other infections. We induce these characteristic symptoms by injecting dispase, a neutral protease, into the eyes of mice, causing degradation of retinal tissue, eye shrinkage, and the production of scars. The other scarring model is termed as Long Oxygen Induced Retinopathy (LOIR), which is a more pathologically severe model of the traditional “Smith” OIR mouse model of retinopathy of prematurity. This newly developed scar producing model is induced by prolonging the exposure of highly concentrated atmospheric oxygen from the traditional “Smith” OIR model protocol of 5 days to 14 days. With these models, I answer what cell type(s) are producing scar tissue in the retina.

Emergency medicine residents are required to accurately log all procedures, yet it is estimated that many procedures are not logged. Traditional procedure logging platforms are often cumbersome and may contribute to procedures not being logged or being logged inaccurately. We designed a mobile procedure logging application (app) that uses quick response (QR) codes to input patient information quickly and accurately. The app integrates with our current procedure log database while maintaining information privacy standards. It scans the QR code displayed for patient identification, automatically extracting pertinent patient information. The user selects the procedure performed and the app uses data analytics to recommend logging other related procedures.

A mobile procedure logging app using QR codes decreases time needed to log procedures and eliminates data entry errors. Improving the speed and convenience of procedure logging may decrease the discrepancy between performed and logged procedures. A similar app can be integrated into any residency program and may improve assessment of resident procedural competency.

Study Objective: Emergency department (ED) testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI) in women is typically performed with a pelvic examination and an endocervical swab. However, vaginal swabs are effective for STI testing and the preferred specimen type according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The utility of using vaginal swabs in the ED for STI screening has not been thoroughly investigated. Our objective was to assess detection rates for two bacterial STIs before and after implementing a screening protocol using vaginal swabs.

Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental, pre-post study using standardized data from electronic health records across nine metropolitan Detroit hospital EDs. Patients included women who were tested for Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the ED between April 2018– December 2019. Pre-implementation tests from April 2018-February 2019 were done using endo-cervical swabs, and post-implementation tests from February 2019-December 2019 were done with vaginal swabs. We used non-inferiority testing for proportion with a non-inferiority margin of one percentage point absolute difference in detection rates of STI.

Results: The study included 22,291 encounters with 11,732 in the pre-implementation and 10,559 in the post-implementation phases. The C. trachomatis detection rates were 7.5% pre-implementation and 7.6% post-implementation (between-group difference, 0.1 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.7, 0.4; p<.01 for non-inferiority). The N. gonorrhoeae detection rates were 3.1% pre-implementation and 3.6% post-implementation (between-group difference, 0.5 percentage points; 95% CI: -0.8, 0.04; p<.01 for non-inferiority).

Conclusion: Using vaginal swabs for STI testing in the ED may be a non-inferior alternative to using endocervical swabs

Introduction: The Department of Health and Human Services and Food and Drug Administration described guidelines for exception from informed consent (EFIC) research. These guidelines require community consultation (CC) events, which allow members of the community to understand the study, provide feedback and give advice. A real-time gauge of audience understanding would allow the speaker to modify the discussion. The objective of the study is to describe the use of audience response survey (ARS) technology in EFIC CCs.

Methods: As part of the Rapid Anticonvulsant Medication Prior to Arrival Trial (RAMPART), 13 CC events were conducted. We prepared a PowerPoint™ presentation with 4 embedded ARS questions,according to specific IRB guidelines to ensure that the pertinent information would reach our targeted audience. During 6 CCs, an ARS was used to gauge audience comprehension. Participants completed paper surveys regarding their opinion of the study following each CC. Results: The ARS was used with minimal explanation and only one ARS was lost. Greater than 80% of the participants correctly answered 3 of the 4 ARS questions with 61% correctly answering the question regarding EFIC. A total of 105 participants answered the paper survey; 80-90% of the responses to the paper survey were either strongly agree or agree. The average scores on the paper survey in the ARS sites compared to the non-ARS sites were significantly more positive.

Conclusion: The use of an audience response system during the community consultation aspects of EFIC is feasible and provides a real-time assessment of audience comprehension of the study and EFIC process. It may improve the community’s opinion and support of the study. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):414-418.]

Introduction: Non-invasive, continuous hemodynamic monitoring is entering the clinical arena. The primary objective of this study was to test the feasibility of such monitoring in a pilot sample of Emergency Department (ED) stroke patients. Secondary objectives included analysis of hemodynamic variability and correlation of continuous blood pressure measurements with standard measurements.

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of 7 stroke patients from a prospectively collected data set of patients that received 2 hours of hemodynamic monitoring in the ED. Stroke patients were included if hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke was confirmed by neuroimaging, and symptom onset was within 24 hours. They were excluded for the presence of a stroke mimic or transient ischemic attack. Monitoring was performed using the Nexfin device (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine CA).

Results: The mean age of the cohort was 71 ± 17 years, 43% were male, and the mean National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was 6.9 ± 5.5. Two patients had hemorrhagic stroke. We obtained 42,456 hemodynamic data points, including beat-to-beat blood pressure measurements with variability of 18 mmHg and cardiac indices ranging from 1.8 to 3.6 l/min/m2. The correlation coefficient between continuous blood pressure measurements with the Nexfin device and standard ED readings was 0.83.

Conclusion: This exploratory investigation revealed that continuous, noninvasive monitoring in the ED is feasible in acute stroke. Further research is currently underway to determine how such monitoring may impact outcomes in stroke or replace the need for invasive monitoring. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):345-350.]

Fracture blisters are a relatively uncommon complication of fractures in locations of the body, such as the ankle, wrist elbow and foot, where skin adheres tightly to bone with little subcutaneous fat cushioning. The blister that results resembles that of a second degree burn.

These blisters significantly alter treatment, making it difficult to splint or cast and often overlying ideal surgical incision sites. Review of the literature reveals no consensus on management; however, most authors agree on early treatment prior to blister formation or delay until blister resolution before attempting surgical correction or stabilization. [West J Emerg Med. 2011;12(1);131-133.]

Introduction: While moderate to severely elevated blood pressure (BP) is present in nearly halfof all emergency department (ED) patients, the incidence of true hypertensive emergencies inED patients is low. Administration of bolus intravenous (IV) antihypertensive treatment to lowerBP in patients without a true hypertensive emergency is a wasteful practice that is discouragedby hypertension experts; however, anecdotal evidence suggests this occurs with relatively highfrequency. Accordingly, we sought to assess the frequency of inappropriate IV antihypertensivetreatment in ED patients with elevated BP absent a hypertensive emergency.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study from a single, urban, teaching hospital.Using pharmacy records, we identified patients age 18-89 who rec eived IV antihypertensivetreatment in the ED. We defined treatment as inappropriate if documented suspicion for anindicated cardiovascular condition or acute end-organ injury was lacking. Data abstractionincluded adverse events and 30-day readmission rates, and analysis was primarily descriptive.

Results: We included a total of 357 patients over an 18-month period. The mean age was 55;51% were male and 93% black, and 127 (36.4%) were considered inappropriately treated.Overall, labetalol (61%) was the most commonly used medication, followed by enalaprilat(18%), hydralazine (18%), and metoprolol (3%). There were no significant differences betweenappropriate and inappropriate BP treatment groups in terms of clinical characteristics oradverse events. Hypotension or bradycardia occurred in three (2%) patients in the inappropriatetreatment cohort and in two (1%) patients in the appropriately treated cohort. Survival todischarge and 30-day ED revisit rates were equivalent.

Conclusion: More than one in three patients who were given IV bolus antihypertensive treatmentin the ED received such therapy inappropriately by our definitio n, suggesting that significantresources could perhaps be saved through education of providers and development of clearlydefined BP treatment protocols. [West J Emerg Med. 2017;18(5)957-962.]

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions