Emergency Medicine News and Research

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Process of activating helicopter EMS delays treatment for heart attacks beyond recommended times

Helicopter emergency medical services can be a life saver for patients needing immediate care. But, according to a University of Cincinnati study, the process of activating them often delays treatment beyond recommended times.

10 Dec 2010

Robots in the ER

A group of computer engineers at Vanderbilt University is convinced that the basic technology is now available to create robot assistants that can perform effectively in the often-chaotic environment of the emergency room. The specialists in emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are enthusiastic about the potential advantages. So, the two groups have formed an interdisciplinary team to explore the use of robotics in this critical and challenging setting.

8 Dec 2010

Bright-colored toys can pose a dangerous health risk to children

The right toy can make the Christmas season the most wonderful time of the year for children and their parents.But the wrong toy can make this season a time of pain, grief and regret for families with children who suffer severe injuries or death from toys they never should have been given in the first place, according to medical experts at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill.

7 Dec 2010

Early physical therapy associated with fewer subsequent injections, surgery, physician visits: Study

The American Physical Therapy Association is pointing to a new study on low back pain in Medicare patients in its efforts to encourage the newly established Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to promptly launch a demonstration project on direct access to physical therapist services that was recommended in the recent health reform law.

7 Dec 2010

Outdoor exercise and physical activity increase risk of heat-related injuries

Outdoor exercise and physical activity increase the risk for heat-related injuries, including dangerous heat stroke. A new study finds that heat-injury rates are on the rise for all age groups, and football-playing boys are among the most vulnerable.

7 Dec 2010

New pilot program to honor registered organ donors

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the New York Organ Donation Network today announced the launch of a new pilot program to honor the wishes of registered organ donors and help save lives.

2 Dec 2010

American Journal of Preventive Medicine delineates public health problem about caffeinated alcoholic beverages

In the wake of multiple state bans on caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CABs) and an FDA warning to four companies to remove their products from the marketplace, an article published online today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine delineates the scope of the public health problem and suggests areas of research that might help address it.

30 Nov 2010

University Hospitals receives $42 million for cancer care

Jane and Lee Seidman have donated $42 million to University Hospitals (UH) the largest gift in the Cleveland-based health system's history. In recognition of this unprecedented generosity, UH is naming the "Jane and Lee Seidman Cancer Center" in their honor.

30 Nov 2010

Weather associated with trauma admissions

Every 5-C rise in maximum temperature pushes up the rate of hospital admissions for serious injuries among children, reveals one of the largest studies of its kind published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.

25 Nov 2010

Men failing to protect eyes from injuries: Experts

A review looking at patients attending a Melbourne hospital’s emergency department with a serious eye injury shows that most of them could be prevented by proper eye protection. Men’s particular lack of eye protection while using power tools and lawn mowers, usually during routine house maintenance, were the other major factors in the injury cases say the researchers.

23 Nov 2010

Military surgeons provide guidance on handling emergency blast injuries

Hospitals all over the world need to be aware of how to treat emergency blast injuries and military surgeons can provide valuable knowledge and advice to their civilian counterparts based on their experience of battlefield injuries. That is the driving force behind two papers published online by BJS, the British Journal of Surgery.

22 Nov 2010

Growing emergency room ‘access block’ problem in Australian hospitals

Shockingly the number of Australians who die waiting for a hospital bed is on par with road deaths said a senior Canberra emergency department doctor. According to Australian National University medical school’s road trauma chairman, Associate Professor Drew Richardson, 30 per cent of emergency wards’ work now involves caring for patients whose initial treatment has ended but still await a bed. He suggested a seven-day-a-week surgical roster to avoid the build-ups of patients that overcrowd wards.

21 Nov 2010

FDA warns manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned four companies that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an "unsafe food additive" and said that further action, including seizure of their products, is possible under federal law.

18 Nov 2010

Combination of two devices increases long-term survival in cardiac arrest patients

A combination of two devices could save the lives of several thousand cardiac arrest patients each year if implemented nationwide, suggests results of a clinical trial presented at today's American Heart Association Resuscitation Science Symposium.

17 Nov 2010

Pilot registry to identify AEDs in the community

Monday, Food and Drug Administration officials announced that the University of Colorado School of Medicine will work with the FDA to develop a pilot registry in Denver to identify AEDs in the community. This registry will link AEDs to emergency medical dispatch. It also could increase the ability of bystanders to save a life and help ensure that AEDs are located where they might be needed. Seattle and San Diego are the only other cities that will launch this effort.

17 Nov 2010

U-M researcher awarded $600,000 grant for study of progesterone in treatment of children with TBI

A University of Michigan researcher has received a two-year, $600,000 grant to plan a randomized controlled study of progesterone for the treatment of traumatic brain injury in children.

17 Nov 2010

Faster FDA action against alcoholic energy drinks needed

Alcoholic energy drinks have been making national headlines and four states to date have banned their sale following reports of blackouts and unsafe behaviors, especially among college students. These actions are encouraging to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center emergency physician Mary Claire O'Brien, M.D., who conducted groundbreaking research into the dangers of the manufactured drinks.

17 Nov 2010

FDA announces program to facilitate development of external defibrillators to treat abnormal heart rhythms

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced a program aimed at facilitating the development of safer, more effective external defibrillators used to treat abnormal heart rhythms through improved design and manufacturing practices. External defibrillators are medical devices designed to diagnose life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms and treat them by delivering electrical energy to the heart to restore its normal rhythm.

16 Nov 2010

Study finds significant variability in CPR quality between day and night

CPR quality is worse during in-hospital cardiac arrests occurring overnight than those that happen during the day, according to a new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study that will be presented at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions on November 14.

16 Nov 2010

Erroneous defibrillators: FDA new initiative to check safety

More problems are being reported in external defibrillators, the life-saving medical devices located in emergency rooms, airports and other public places. These Automated external defibrillators, or AEDs are generally used in patients who have suffered sudden cardiac arrest if used in the first few minutes after their collapse. They deliver electrical energy to the heart to restore its normal rhythm.

15 Nov 2010