Emergency Medicine News and Research

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Shots to the heart ‘not risky’

Taser deployments to the chest are no more dangerous than those to other body parts, say researchers.

2 Jul 2012

Taser shots to the chest are no more dangerous: Study

Taser shots to the chest are no more dangerous than those delivered to other body locations, according to a new study by one of the country's leading experts on the devices.

29 Jun 2012

Program linking paramedics in the field to patients' pre-existing health information wins honors

The nation's first and only program linking paramedics in the field to patients' pre-existing health information -- enabling emergency workers to make more informed treatment decisions and to transport patients to the most appropriate facility -- has been recognized by the prestigious Computerworld Honors Program.

28 Jun 2012

Violence is a disease that has to be treated

The Windy City is now The Wounded City, thanks to a spate of carnage that has Chicago ranked tops nationally in violence for several weeks in a row. Violent crime costs Chicago about $5.3 billion a year, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress. Homicides have risen about 35 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

22 Jun 2012

Long QT Syndrome may cause unexplained ExD deaths

The headlines are often filled with this scenario: a person displaying violent, bizarre and agitated behavior is subdued by law enforcement personnel and later dies in custody. It appears to be a case of police brutality - but is it? According to William P. Bozeman, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, some of these deaths may be caused by an abnormal cardiac condition called Long QT Syndrome, compounded by a situation of Excited Delirium (ExD) Syndrome.

21 Jun 2012

Majority of African-American patients with hypertension suffer from hidden heart disease

A Wayne State University School of Medicine study has found that an overwhelming majority of African-American patients with hypertension also suffered hidden heart disease caused by high blood pressure even though they displayed no symptoms.

11 Jun 2012

LUHS opens new renovated Emergency Department

Loyola University Health System (LUHS) unveiled its newly renovated Emergency Department (ED) today. This site has been named the John L. Keeley, MD Emergency Department in honor of the late Dr. John L. Keeley who served as chair of Loyola's Department of Surgery from 1958 to 1969.

8 Jun 2012

UAB researchers aim to improve cardiac-arrest-survival rates

The survival rate for people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States is dismal — around 5 percent — say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

7 Jun 2012

Ultra-sensitive imaging test can demonstrate link between TBI and PTSD

Even when brain injury is so subtle that it can only be detected by an ultra-sensitive imaging test, the injury might predispose soldiers in combat to post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study.

7 Jun 2012

Poll: 70% of Americans oppose efforts by insurance companies to deny payment for ER visits

Seventy percent of Americans oppose efforts by insurance companies to deny payment for emergency visits when patients believe they are having medical emergencies, but after examination are diagnosed with non-urgent medical conditions, according to the results of a new poll conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

21 May 2012

Marathon runners less likely to die during or soon after the race

Even though hundreds of thousands more people finished grueling 26.2 mile marathons in the United States in 2009 compared to a decade earlier, a runner's risk of dying during or soon after the race has remained very low — about .75 per 100,000, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. Men, however, were twice as likely to die as women.

17 May 2012

Death risk for marathon runners remains low during or soon after race

Even though hundreds of thousands more people finished grueling 26.2 mile marathons in the United States in 2009 compared to a decade earlier, a runner’s risk of dying during or soon after the race has remained very low — about .75 per 100,000, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. Men, however, were twice as likely to die as women.

16 May 2012

Duke team, AHA to kick-off Regional Systems of Care Demonstration Project

Competing cardiac care teams in some of the nation's most populated areas will start working together to markedly reduce the time from heart attack to treatment as part of a new program designed by cardiologists at Duke University Medical Center.

14 May 2012

Tips for a cool and injury-free summer

The dog days of summer are fast approaching, and while we cannot control the rising temperatures on the streets, we can control the heat index of our bodies.

14 May 2012

Medical residents perform better in four key skill areas after simulation training

A Henry Ford Hospital study found that simulation training improved the critical decision-making skills of medical residents performing actual resuscitations in the Emergency Department.

14 May 2012

Automated external defibrillators rarely close to locations of public cardiac arrests

More than 75 percent of cardiac arrest victims are stricken too far away from an automated external defibrillator for the lifesaving device to be obtained quickly enough to offer the best chance at saving their lives, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the annual meeting of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

14 May 2012

Tips for a safe and injury-free summer camp experience

Most people have fond memories of their camping experiences. For parents, the anxiety of preparing for those days can be agonizing. Whether it's a day camp or an extended stay, parents can make the most out of the experience by preparing in advance.

14 May 2012

Safety tips to prevent heat-related illness

The National Weather Service reports that heat is the number one cause of weather-related deaths, killing approximately 400 Americans each year.

14 May 2012

New EMR tool helps reduce unnecessary abdominal CT scan use among ER patients

A new electronic medical record tool that tallies patients' previous radiation exposure from CT scans helps reduce potentially unnecessary use of the tests among emergency room patients with abdominal pain, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

14 May 2012

Findings reveal racial disparities in pre-hospital care for cardiac arrest

Black cardiac arrest victims who are stricken outside hospitals are less likely to receive bystander CPR and defibrillation on the scene than white patients, according to research that will be presented by a research team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania today at the annual meeting of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

14 May 2012