eLetters

862 e-Letters

  • missed diagnosis of infective endocarditis-related stroke in the emergency department

    Failure to diagnose infective endocarditis(IE) as the underlying cause of embolic stroke merits recognition alongside failure to diagnose other subtypes of stroke,. The reason is that failure to recognise an infective basis for cerebral emboli precludes time-sensitive interventional strategies such as thrombectomy(1)(2) and, instead, exposes the patient to relatively contraindicated treatment options such as intravenous thrombolysis(IVT)(3)(4). One study compared outcomes from IVT in 222 patients(mean age 59) with IE-related stroke versus 134,048 subjects(mean age 69) with ischaemic stroke in the absence of IE. The rate of post-thrombolytic intracranial haemorrhage was significantly(P=0.006) higher in patients with IE-related stroke. The rate of favourable outcome was also significantly(P=0.01) lower in IE-related stroke(3). A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose IE-related stroke because both fever and heart murmurs are present in only a minority of IE patients at the time of presentation with stroke(4). For patients in whom a timely diagnosis of IE-related stroke is made thrombectomy appears to be a treatment option which generates a favourable outcome(1)(2).
    For the sake of completeness one also ought to mention the potential for meningovascular syphilis to be overlooked in a patient presenting with stroke both in HIV positive(5) and in HIV-negative subjects(6). In both instances neither IVT nor thrombectomy will suffice. Definitive treatment o...

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  • HM Coastguard inclusion

    Dear Authors,

    Thank you for your interesting article about hypothermia in the UK. I couldn't find reference in the case to the HM Coastguard cliff rescue operatives nor to HM Coastguard helicopter search and rescue service (Currently run by Bristow). Was there a reason for excluding these organisations or is there data included under the heading of another organisation? Thank you again,

  • Response to Matthew. L Khan-Dyer

    We do not disagree with the comment, hence our conclusion that, “CT is a valid first line imaging technique in suspected occult hip fracture and is easily accessible in most centres.” The intention of the BET was to present evidence on whether one modality was better than the other and so we looked for studies comparing the two imaging techniques. The study by Thomas et al. forms part of the evidence that CT scanning is a valid method of detecting occult hip fractures and so was not included in the table of evidence.
    Thomas RW, Williams HLM, Carpenter EC, Lyons K. The validity of investigating occult hip fractures using multidetector CT. Br J Radiol

  • Mr

    I read this article with interest as I am currently launching a QUIP on this exact subject.

    As a declaration of possible bias I am looking to use highly sensitive CTs to screen off negative findings to frailty services and thus avoiding orthopaedic beds.

    I am surprised that more credence was not given to the study by Thomas et al. who's sensitivity and specificity was 100% for ct. The study is one that clearly identifies MDCT as the protocol of choice when identifying occult hip fractures. I am not sure whether this is directly comparable to other studies in this way, and therefore some doubt exists as to whether current discrepancies in reporting are more attributable to the scanning protocol used.

    I feel that the current nice guidelines are out of date with modern CT scanning and is having undue influence on first line diagnostics of occult hip fractures.

    I do appreciate the move forward for CT scanning hips as first line diagnostics thus cutting bed-days/patient, expediting correct treatment and improving patient experience.

  • methodological variables involved in the measurement of blood pressure

    The conclusion that there is an association between systolic blood pressure and in-hospital mortality requires further qualification in view of the multiciplicity of variables which impact on the measurement of blood pressure in the older patient first evaluated in the emergency department. Firstly, blood pressure measurement in the Post-SPRINT era specifies that the blood pressure should be measured after 5 minutes rest in a quiet room, and that 3 readings should be taken at 1-minute intervals(1). Is that feasible at A & E?. Secondly, "It is axiomatic that ...measurement should be recorded in both arms.....the higher of the two readings should be used for diagnosis and management...."(2). Is that feasible at A & E?. Finally, allowance should be made for seasonal differences in blood pressure, given the fact that many hypertensive patients have higher blood pressure levels in winter than in summer(3). Those who "buck" this trend experience worse cardiovascular outcomes than those who conform to this trend(3).
    References
    (1) Myers MG., Cloutier L., Gelfer M., Padwai RS., Kaczorowski J
    Blood pressure measurement in the Post-SPRINT Era
    Hypertension doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTANSIONAHA.116.07598
    (2)Giles TD., Egan P
    Inter-arm differences in blood pressure may have serious research and clinical implications
    The Journal of Clinical Hypertension 2012;14:491-492
    (2) Giles TD., Egan P
    Inter-arm dif...

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  • The “Do’s and Don’ts” of active compression decompression CPR with an accelerometer feedback device

    We read with interest the recent article by Setala et al, where active compression decompression cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ACD-CPR) was compared with manual CPR. 1 In this study, to ensure continuous high-quality resuscitation, an audiovisual feedback defibrillator (Zoll X Series, Real CPR Help, ZOLL Medical Corporation, USA) was used. This is a key element for cardiac arrest studies. It is known that quality of CPR is an important modifier in cardiac arrest studies. 2 High-quality CPR is necessary to be able to compare and generalize the results. There is, however, a major methodologic flaw in the Setala et al study. None of the accelerometers used in feedback defibrillator are adapted to analyze ACD-CPR. The issue arises from the fact that the accelerometers are designed to measure only one distance from the chest resting point at the end of the passive decompression to the compression maximum depth. In the Setala et al study, there was no difference in distance between groups 76 (SD 1.3) mm versus 71 (SD1.0) mm. However, in ACD CPR, you need active compression (5 cm) combined with active decompression (3 cm or 15kg of pulling). Given the reported data, there are two distinct possibilities. The first is that Setala et al were able to perform active decompression (rising the chest higher than the chest resting point) but that their compressions were not adequately deep enough. As a result, ETCO2 would be lower compared to CPR with high-quality compression. The second...

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  • Ill Advised Use of Tampons for Gunshot Wounds

    We applaud the authors for their effort to educate the bystander and even medical professionals with a means to provide care for the injured in terrorist attacks. While the majority of the information provided is based in historical evidence, in today’s era of superior wound packing materials the use of tampons for gunshot wounds (GSWs) is an inferior and dangerous suggestion.

    Tampons have been around for many thousands of years for vaginal bleeding, but nothing has been documented for their use in GSWs.[1] Stories of tampon use have been around since the Vietnam era. There have even been anecdotes posted on Snopes.com from the war in Iraq.[2] The story is full of unsubstantiated information, yet it is a common reference for many.

    One can find in the fringe of the Internet, other claims of tampon effectiveness. Bioprepper claims tampons are “designed to be ultra-absorbent” and “can be used to plug a bullet hole until…accounts of this use date back to World War I.”[3] They go on to say, “Many items in modern society were first developed as a facet of military research – tampons being a prime example.” This is absolutely false. Not only that the article itself never demonstrates a tampon being used to stop life threatening hemorrhage – rather it illustrates a plethora of Boy Scout novelties of the tampon.

    Elsewhere, there are anecdotes of tampons being used during World War I and II, but nothing specifically written from the era. Still, there is no def...

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  • Response to: Hospital readmissions among mechanically ventilated in the ED: Is it feasibly a preventative strategy?

    Dr. Purro,

    First off, thank you for taking the time to read and respond to our article.  We are in agreement that invasive mechanical ventilation and hospital readmissions are important as they pertain to both patient-centered outcomes and resource utilization. 

    We also agree with your statement that Emergency Department (ED) length of stay is comparatively short when compared to the time spent in the hospital. However, in time-critical conditions such as sepsis, trauma, acute ischemic stroke, and myocardial infarction, this time period is highly influential on long-term patient outcomes. Regarding the management of mechanical ventilation, our group has previously demonstrated that the initial management of ventilator settings in the ED influences outcome (i.e. ventilator-associated lung injury and exposure to hyperoxia are also time-sensitive) (1-3). As it was previously unknown if hospital readmissions are influenced by initial ED management, and readmission is a patient-centered reflection of morbidity, we felt this topic merited further evaluation.

    We agree that the relationship between chronic illness and clinically significant outcomes is important (i.e. length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, etc.). Unfortunately, we felt that this data and subsequent analysis was beyond the scope of our paper.  Our aim was simply to evaluate whether or not processes of care in the ED influenced the rate of hospital readmissions in patients requir...

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  • Hospital readmissions among mechanically ventilated in ED. Is it feasibly a preventative strategy?

    Dear Editor,

    It is widely recognised that the management of patients with acute respiratory failure in the Emergency Department (ED) is a pivotal point that may influence outcomes at later stages in patient care pathways. In particular, the decision to submit patients to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and the mode of ventilator settings utilised are of relevance in determining patient outcomes. It is also acknowledged that early hospital readmission following an episode of acute critical illness is a major problem not only for patients’ quality of life but also healthcare systems in general. Thus we read with great interest the recent retrospective study by Page DB et al., in which the authors investigated the relationship between ED pathways of care and the risk factors for unplanned 30-day readmissions. We applaud the authors on their efforts, however we also feel that there are several confounding issues that warrant further discussion.

    Firstly, the length of the time for which patients were treated and mechanically ventilated in the ED was relatively short - at 5 hours and 30 mins - compared the total length of stay (LOS) in hospital. We feel that this short period is unlikely to have contributed any meaningful effect on overall patient outcomes. Moreover, it would have been of great interest to discuss any changes in ventilator parameters between ED and ICU, and if the initial choice of ventilator settings could have influenced patient outcomes, i...

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  • Reply to Zhou and Wu

    We would like to thank Zhou and Wu for their thoughtful comments on our paper.

    The discrepancy in Table 1 between the first and second to last row is due to an error. The first row should note ‘Admitted to ICU (n=53)’.

    The NEWS, SIRS, and qSOFA scores were directly recorded in the patient electronic medical record (EMR), and our initial step was to extract these scores from the EMR. When these values were missing, the individual components of the scores were extracted from paper records, and the scores calculated. The high number of missing values of the qSOFA were due to the fact that it was not routinely recorded until part way through the study period. The fact that 6% of subjects still had missing values after manual chart review resulted from one or more of the components of any of the three scores not being recorded (or the record being missing) when the patient initially presented to the emergency department (ED).

    Regarding the time window, the qSOFA, NEWS, and SIRS scores used in our analysis were all based on their initial values when the patient was assessed, which would typically be within minutes of ED arrival. This therefore reflects the values upon which clinicians initially treating the patients would base their decisions.

    The high proportion of patients who died that were not admitted to ICU reflects the fact that many patients with advanced age and co-morbidities ultimately die from infection, which at some stage may meet sepsis...

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