Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Emergency Medicine for August 2010. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Costs of Vehicle-Related Injury Exceeded $99 Billion in 2005
TUESDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- In 2005, motor vehicle crashes in the United States resulted in more than 3.7 million deaths or injuries requiring medical care, as well as loss of productivity and medical costs reaching nearly $100 billion, according to research published in the August issue of Traffic Injury Prevention.
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AHA/ASA Stroke Program Likely Applicable Outside U.S.
MONDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With the Guidelines-Stroke program (GWTG-Stroke) may be useful for assessing and improving the quality of stroke care and outcomes outside the United States, according to research published online Aug. 30 in Circulation.
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Sports-Related Concussions Often Occur in Younger Kids
MONDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Children ages 8 to 13 account for a considerable portion of sports-related concussions (SRCs) that occur among young people, according to research published online Aug. 30 in Pediatrics.
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Collar Preferable to Imaging in Unevaluable Trauma Patients
FRIDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Imaging tests used for cervical spine clearance in unevaluable trauma patients lack sensitivity and are not cost-effective compared with empirical immobilization by a semi-rigid collar, according to research published in the Aug. 15 issue of Spine.
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P2Y12 Inhibitors Reduce Post-PCI Risk of Death
THURSDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- New P2Y12 inhibitors are associated with improved outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with clopidogrel, and appear especially beneficial for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, according to research published online Aug. 25 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Thousands of Children Treated for Sledding Injuries Yearly
MONDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- From 1997 to 2007, an average of more than 20,000 children and adolescents per year were treated in U.S. emergency departments for sledding-related injuries, according to research published online Aug. 23 in Pediatrics.
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Occluded Artery Not Uncommon in ACS Patients
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Occluded arteries and elevated cardiac biomarkers are not rare in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with isolated anterior ST-segment depression, and these patients have worse clinical outcomes and are unlikely to undergo urgent angiography, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.
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System Delay Associated With Mortality in STEMI Patients
TUESDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- In ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients receiving primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), system delays are associated with mortality risk, according to research published in the Aug. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Simple Assessment Score May Predict Critical Care Needs
TUESDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- A prediction score based on out-of-hospital factors may be useful for stratifying non-trauma patients and predicting who will develop critical illness during hospitalization, according to research published in the Aug. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Disclosing Medical Errors May Cut Malpractice Claims, Costs
TUESDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- A malpractice claims management system implemented in Michigan that mandates full disclosure of medical errors accompanied by a monetary offer to the patient has resulted in a reduced claims rate, fewer lawsuits, faster time to resolution of claims, and lower costs, according to a study in the Aug. 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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1,097 Foodborne Outbreaks Occurred in U.S. in 2007
FRIDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- In 2007, nearly 1,100 foodborne outbreaks were reported in the United States, resulting in 21,244 cases of illness and 18 deaths, according to data published in the Aug. 13 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Coagulopathy Often Untreated in Brain Hemorrhage Patients
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- In many patients with symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) associated with thrombolytic therapy for acute stroke, coagulopathy goes untreated, and often, patients experience continued bleeding after diagnosis, according to research published in the August issue of the Archives of Neurology.
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Patients, Doctors Often Have Communication Discrepancies
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalized patients and physicians may have differing beliefs regarding patients' knowledge and aspects of their care, suggesting a need for improved patient-physician communication, according to research published in the Aug. 9/23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Simplified Tool Assesses Death Risk in Pulmonary Embolism
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A simplified version of the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI) has clinical utility and prognostic accuracy that is similar to those of the original index, according to a study published in the Aug. 9/23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Visits to ERs Increasing; Medicaid May Be Playing Role
TUESDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Rates of emergency department visits increased during a recent 10-year period, with findings suggesting that emergency departments are growing in importance as a safety net for adults with Medicaid and other underserved patients, according to research published in the Aug. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Research Confirms Violence Linked to Shaking Infants
TUESDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Cases of infants referred for abusive head trauma (AHT) are usually, if not always, associated with extremely violent shaking, and shaking is repeated in more than half of cases, according to research published online Aug. 9 in Pediatrics.
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Upgraded Child Restraint Law Cuts Traffic Injury Rate
MONDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- After the implementation of a 2005 New York State law requiring 4- to 6-year-old children to use a booster seat or restraint system, traffic injuries in the age group fell by 18 percent, according to a study published online Aug. 9 in Pediatrics.
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Strep Accounts for 37 Percent of Pharyngitis in Children
MONDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Group A Streptococcus (GAS) accounts for 37 percent of pediatric pharyngitis cases, though prevalence varies by age, and clinical scoring systems could reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for non-GAS pharyngitis in low-resource settings, according to research published online Aug. 9 in Pediatrics.
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Fractures Comprise Sizable Portion of HS Sports Injuries
FRIDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Fractures are a common type of injury among high school athletes, with potentially serious repercussions for the students and their families, according to research published in the July issue of the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.
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Two Surveillance Systems in Haiti Monitor Disease Trends
FRIDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Two national surveillance systems established in Haiti after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake on Jan. 12 aim to enable government and community organizations to better monitor disease trends and coordinate relief efforts, according to two reports published in the Aug. 6 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Smoking Tied to Increased Risk for Breast Abscesses
THURSDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of developing primary or recurring breast abscesses increases with smoking, and subareolar breast abscesses may be associated with nipple piercing, according to research published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
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ER Intervention Addresses Aggression, Alcohol in Teens
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Among adolescents seen in the emergency department and reporting recent alcohol use and aggression, a brief intervention may reduce both aggression and alcohol consequences, according to research published in the Aug. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Industry-Funded Clinical Trials Yield More Positive Outcomes
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Drug clinical trials supported by industry are more likely to produce favorable results than trials supported by government or nonprofit/nonfederal organizations, and they are less likely to be published within two years of the study being completed, according to research published in the Aug. 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Deodorant Sprays Can Damage Skin When Used Incorrectly
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Deodorant sprays can cause skin-damaging cold burns if improperly applied, according to a case report published online Aug. 10 in Pediatrics.
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Pediatric Injuries From Household Products Declining
MONDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The number of annual household cleaning product-related injuries in children treated in U.S. emergency departments decreased nearly 50 percent between 1990 and 2006, though the overall number of injuries remains high, according to research published online Aug. 2 in Pediatrics.
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