Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Emergency Medicine for August 2015. 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.
Consensus for Early Peanut Exposure in High-Risk Infants
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Infants at high risk for peanut allergies should be given foods containing peanuts before they reach the age of 1 year, according to a new consensus statement from 10 medical groups. The statement was published online Aug. 31 in Pediatrics.
AAP: In Office Visits, Ask Every Adolescent About Alcohol Use
MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Alcohol poses a far greater threat to children than many parents may realize, according to a clinical report published online Aug. 31 in Pediatrics.
AMA: Ruling Makes It Easier for Insurers to Terminate Doctors
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The outcome of a recent case regarding the termination of physicians by an insurance company following a dispute over the necessity of medical services provided has serious implications for physicians and their patients, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Azithromycin Routine in Hospital Despite Risk for QTc Prolongation
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Azithromycin is routinely prescribed to hospitalized patients despite risk factors for corrected QT (QTc) prolongation and administration of interacting medications, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Antiviral Rx May Help Prevent Ebola, Small Study Suggests
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Antiviral drugs may help protect people from developing Ebola after exposure to the virus, a new case study suggests. The results were published online Aug. 25 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Worse Outcomes for Children With Delay in Epinephrine
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Delay in epinephrine administration is associated with worse outcomes for children with in-hospital cardiac arrest with an initial nonshockable rhythm, according to a study published in the Aug. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Misdiagnosis of T2DM Reported in Patient With Hb Wayne
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Type 2 diabetes can be misdiagnosed in patients with hemoglobin (Hb) Wayne, according to a case report published online Aug. 20 in Diabetes Care.
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Too Few Blacks, Hispanics Pursuing Careers As Physicians
TUESDAY, Aug. 25, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Too few members of certain minority groups are pursuing careers in U.S. medicine, resulting in a serious lack of diversity among general practitioners and specialists, according to a research letter published online Aug. 24 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Pediatric CT Scan Use Has Declined Over Past Decade
MONDAY, Aug. 24, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Children are receiving fewer computed tomography (CT) scans now than a decade ago, dovetailing with a move to radiation-free magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and ultrasounds, according to research findings published online Aug. 24 in Pediatrics.
Experts Warn Climate Change Will Bring More ER Visits, Mortality
MONDAY, Aug. 24, 2015 (HealthDay News) — High temperatures lead to increased emergency department visits and mortality, and the numbers will grow as climate change makes summers even hotter by the end of the century, according to research published online Aug. 7 in Environmental Health Perspectives.
CDC: Most Contact Lens Wearers Admit Risky Eye Care Behaviors
FRIDAY, Aug. 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The majority of Americans who use contact lenses admit they engage in at least one type of risky behavior that can lead to eye infections, according to survey results published in the Aug. 21 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Significant Rise in Organic Food Recalls in the United States
FRIDAY, Aug. 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) — There has been a sharp rise in recalls of organic food products in the United States this year, according to a new report.
Health Highlights: Aug 20, 2015
Patient Navigators Tied to Shorter Hospital Stays
THURSDAY, Aug. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Use of patient navigators (PNs) as inpatient care facilitators shortens hospital length of stay, according to a study published online Aug. 10 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Two-Thirds of Acute AAA Occur in Those Aged 75 Years and Older
THURSDAY, Aug. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Two-thirds of acute abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) events occur in those aged ≥75 years, with most events in men younger than 75 years occurring in smokers, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Considerable Variation in Cost of Generic Topical Corticosteroids
THURSDAY, Aug. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — There is considerable variation in the unit cost of topical corticosteroids across potencies and by branded generic or generic product, according to a research letter published online Aug. 19 in JAMA Dermatology.
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Report Highlights Ways to Improve Physician Resilience
THURSDAY, Aug. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Strategies can be adopted for improving physician resilience and the ability to handle the challenges presented by patient care, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Case Report of Uterine Artery Pseudoaneurysm After C-Section
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Uterine artery pseudoaneurysm has been described after cesarean delivery and can result in life-threatening hemorrhage if untreated, according to a case report published in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Risk Factors Can ID Patients More Likely to Be Readmitted
TUESDAY, Aug. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients at greatest risk for an unplanned hospital readmission include those with chronic cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, those discharged on Fridays, and those with a high number of previous emergency department visits, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
Physician Score Cards Cut Resource Use in Pediatric ER
TUESDAY, Aug. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An intervention that provides comprehensive physician feedback on practice patterns relative to peers can reduce resource use in the pediatric emergency department, without compromising efficiency or quality of care, according to a study published online Aug. 10 in Pediatrics.
New York Latest State to Ban Powdered Alcohol
MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — New York is the latest state to ban powdered alcohol, even though it isn’t even available on the open market yet.
Classification Details Pain Prevalence Among U.S. Adults
MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An approach for classifying pain severity developed by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics is effective for assessing self-reported pain among U.S. adults, according to a study published in the August issue of The Journal of Pain.
Mandatory Eyewear Cuts Injuries in Girls’ Field Hockey
MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Among female high school field hockey players, implementation of a national mandate for protective eyewear (MPE) reduced the incidence of eye/orbital injuries and severe eye/orbital and head/face injuries, according to a study published online Aug. 17 in Pediatrics.
EMR Care Pathway Aids Treatment of Cellulitis
MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An electronic medical record (EMR)-based care pathway improves treatment of cellulitis, according to a study published online July 28 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Large Bolt Cutters Can Be Used to Split Titanium Rings in ER
FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Large bolt cutters can be used to split titanium rings after multiple failed attempts with other methods, according to a letter to the editor published online Aug. 13 in the Emergency Medicine Journal.
Antibiotics Often Prescribed for Veterans With ARIs
THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Though antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) varies greatly among providers, veterans with ARIs commonly receive antibiotics, according to a study published in the July 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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More Physicians Reporting Dissatisfaction With EHR Systems
THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — More physicians report being dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their electronic health record (EHR) system, compared with five years ago, according to a report published by the AmericanEHR Partners and the American Medical Association.
Some Minorities Less Likely to Call 911 for Stroke
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Use of emergency medical service (EMS) transport varies by race and sex among U.S. stroke patients, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
ER-Based Test Finds High Prevalence of Hepatitis C
TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An emergency department-based screening and diagnostic testing program identified high prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibody positivity in adults, according to a study published online Aug. 4 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Globe Injury Reported While Wearing Protective Eye Goggles
TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A case of globe rupture has been described in a motocross rider who was wearing specifically designed protective eye goggles. The case report was published in the July issue of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.
HAC Reduction Program Penalty Kicks in for FY2015
TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The latest Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) effort to reduce hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) is the HAC Reduction Program, according to an Aug. 6 health policy brief published in Health Affairs.
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In-Person Staff Meetings Are Valuable for Health Care Teams
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In-person staff meetings, which are not too short or too long and are held frequently, are valuable for health care team operation, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Allergists, ER Doctors Should Cooperate in Anaphylaxis Care
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Allergists and emergency medicine physicians should continue to work together to improve anaphylaxis care, according to a review published online Aug. 6 in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
AAFP Spells Out Conditions for Retail Clinics
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Retail clinics have a place in the health care marketplace, but they must meet conditions relating to continuity of care, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
Acute CNS Complications After Breath-Hold Diving in Teens
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Acute central nervous system complications can occur in children after breath-hold diving, according to a case report published online Aug. 10 in Pediatrics.
Many Hospitals Being Penalized for 30-Day Readmissions
FRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — About half of the nation’s hospitals are being penalized by Medicare for having patients return within a month of discharge, losing a combined $420 million, according to a report published by Kaiser Health.
CDC: Action Needed to Better Control Drug-Resistant Infections
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Almost $8 billion in hospital bills could be avoided over five years by halting the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to the Vital Signs report published Aug. 4 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Increasing Trend Toward Use of ‘Laborists’ in Hospitals
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Hospitals are increasingly employing laborists who are always at the hospital to handle births and obstetrical and gynecological emergencies, with positive results, according to a report published by Kaiser Health News.
Women, Blacks Fare Worse After Acute Myocardial Infarction
TUESDAY, Aug. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) takes more years from the expected life spans of women and blacks than from white males, according to a study published in the Aug. 11 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Progress in Reducing U.S. Rates of Violence
TUESDAY, Aug. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Violent crime rates have decreased dramatically over the past three decades, largely due to crime prevention efforts that focus on the root causes of violence, researchers say. Findings from the study are published in the Aug. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on violence and human rights.
Case Report Highlights Dangers of Eyeball Tattooing
TUESDAY, Aug. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Eyeball tattooing can lead to ocular penetration, intraocular pigment deposition, and associated complications, and public awareness of the risks must increase, according to a letter to the editor published in the August issue of Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology.
Liquid Nicotine From E-Cigs Poses Poison Danger to Children
TUESDAY, Aug. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes has led to a number of cases of nicotine poisoning in recent years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns.
Chloride Levels Linked to Mortality in Heart Failure
TUESDAY, Aug. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Serum chloride levels at admission are associated with mortality among patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), according to a study published in the Aug. 11 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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WHO: ‘Ring’ Vaccination for Ebola Very Promising
MONDAY, Aug. 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An experimental Ebola vaccine appears highly effective, according to an interim analysis of findings from a clinical trial being conducted in the West African nation of Guinea. An independent body of international experts conducted the review and recommended that the trial of the VSV-EBOV vaccine continue. The findings were published online July 31 in The Lancet.
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