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Peripheral Intravenous Cannulas (PIVCs) are frequently utilised in the Emergency Department (ED) for delivery of medication and phlebotomy. They are associated with complications and have an associated cost to departmental resources. A growing body of international research suggests many of the PIVCs inserted in the ED are unnecessary. The objective of this study was to determine the rates of PIVC insertion and use. This was a prospective observational study conducted in one UK ED and one Italian ED. Adult ED patients with non-immediate triage categories were included over a period of three weeks in the UK ED in August 2016 and two weeks in the Italian ED in March and August 2017. Episodes of PIVC insertion and data on PIVC utilisation in adults were recorded. PIVC use was classified as necessary, unnecessary or unused. The proportion of unnecessary and unused PIVCs was calculated. PIVCs were defined as unnecessary if they were either used for phlebotomy only, or solely for IV fluids in patients that could have potentially been hydrated orally (determined against a priori defined criteria). PIVC classified as unused were not used for any purpose. A total of 1,618 patients were included amongst which 977 PIVCs were inserted. Of the 977 PIVCs, 413 (42%) were necessary, 536 (55%) were unnecessary, and 28 (3%) were unused. Of the unnecessary PIVCs, 473 (48%) were used solely for phlebotomy and 63 (6%) were used for IV fluids in patients that could drink. More than half of PIVCs placed in the ED were unnecessary in this study. This suggests that clinical decision making about the benefits and risks of PIVC insertion is not being performed on an individual basis.

Many causal mechanisms in sepsis susceptibility are largely unknown and the functional genetic polymorphisms (GP) of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their natural tissue inhibitor of MMPs (TIMP1) could play a role in its development. GPs of MMPs and TIMP (namely MMP-1 rs1799750, MMP-3 rs3025058, MMP-8 rs11225395, MMP-9 rs2234681, and TIMP-1 rs4898) have been compared in 1058 patients with suspected sepsis to assess the association with susceptibility and etiology of sepsis. Prevalence of MMP8 rs11225395 G/G genotype was higher in sepsis patients than in those with non-infective Systemic Inflammatory Reaction Syndrome (35.6 vs. 26%, hazard ratio, HR 1.56, 95% C.I. 1.04–2.42, p = 0.032). G/G patients developed less hyperthermia (p = 0.041), even after stratification for disease severity (p = 0.003). Patients carrying the 6A allele in MMP3 rs3025058 had a higher probability of microbiologically-proven sepsis (HR 1.4. 95%C.I. 1.01–1.94, p = 0.044), particularly when due to virus (H.R. 2.14, 95% C.I. 1.06–4.31, p = 0.046), while MMP-1 G/G genotype patients carried a higher risk for intracellular bacteria (Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, and Legionella, H.R. 6.46, 95% C.I. 1.58–26.41, p = 0.003). Neither severity of sepsis at presentation, nor 30-day mortality were influenced by the investigated variants or their haplotype. MMP8 rs11225395 G/G carriers have lower temperature at presentation and a more than 50% increased susceptibility to sepsis. Among patients with sepsis, carriers of MMP1 rs1799750 G/G have an increased susceptibility for intracellular pathogen infections, while virus serology is more often positive in those with the MMP3 rs3025058 A/A genotype.

The aim of this study is to assess practice and effectiveness of Peripheral Venous Catheter (PVC) insertion and intravenous fluid administration in the Emergency Department (ED). A prospective study was conducted at a single primary ED in Brescia, Italy. 455 participants were included in the analysis. PVC were placed in 88 % of patients, 18 gauge catheters were the most frequently used (63%). In 360 patients PVC placement required one attempt. In 99 % of patients PVCs were used at least once. Fluid administration was considered appropriate in 23 patients. Out of 402 PVC placements, 244 were not necessary (in 225 patients PVCs were used only for blood samples withdrawal, and in 16 patients they were used for blood samples withdrawal, and inappropriate fluid administration). We concluded that a large number of PVC placements in the ED was potentially avoidable, and, when PVCs were used for IV fluid administration, the indication was often inappropriate. Physicians should carefully assess the real need of PVC placement in patients admitted to the ED and critically assess some issues of everyday practice, like PVC placement or IV fluids prescription, with evaluation of cost savings.

Soluble tyrosine kinase receptor Mer (sMer) and its ligand Growth arrest-specific protein 6 (Gas6) are predictors of mortality in patients with sepsis. Our aim is to clarify whether their measurement at emergency department (ED) presentation is useful in risk stratification. We re-analyzed data from the Need-Speed trial, evaluating mortality and the presence of organ damage according to baseline levels of sMer and Gas6. 890 patients were eligible; no association with 7- and 30-day mortality was observed for both biomarkers (p > 0.05). sMer and Gas6 levels were significantly higher in acute kidney injury (AKI) patients compared to non-AKI ones (9.8 [4.1–17.8] vs. 7.9 [3.8–12.9] ng/mL and 34.8 [26.4–47.5] vs. 29.8 [22.1–41.6] ng/mL, respectively, for sMer and Gas6), and Gas6 also emerged as an independent AKI predictor (odds ratio (OR) 1.01 [1.00–1.02]). Both sMer and Gas6 independently predicted thrombocytopenia in sepsis patients not treated with anticoagulants (OR 1.01 [1.00–1.02] and 1.04 [1.02–1.06], respectively). Moreover, sMer was an independent predictor of both prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) > 1.4 (OR 1.03 [1.00–1.05]) and sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC) (OR 1.05 [1.02–1.07]). An early measurement of the sMer and Gas6 plasma concentration could not predict mortality. However, the biomarkers were associated with AKI, thrombocytopenia, PT-INR derangement and SIC, suggesting a role in predicting sepsis-related organ damage.

Background Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (aoPWV), the gold-standard measurement of arterial stiffness, has been found associated with cardiac and vascular organ damage. Less information is available with regard to the correlation between local carotid stiffness (CS) and cardiac and vascular preclinical damage. Aim of the study was to analyse the correlation between aoPWV and CS and cardiac and vascular preclinical organ damage in a middle age general population in Northern Italy (Vobarno Study). Methods 245 subjects (57%female, age 56±4 years) underwent laboratory examinations, clinic and 24 hours BP measurement, cardiac and carotid ultrasound, aoPWV measurement (Complior-system). CS was determined from the relative stroke change in diameter (measured with a high-resolution echotracking system) and carotid pulse pressure (measured with applanation tonometry) and was expressed in the same dimensions as pulse wave velocity (m/s). Results Both aoPWV and CS were significantly related with age (r = 0.29, p<0.001 and r = 0.23, p<0.001, respectively). A positive correlation was observed with clinic and 24 hours blood pressure parameters and both aoPWV and CS. AoPWV was significantly related to left ventricular mass index (LVMi, r = 0.20, p<0.05), and was significantly higher in subjects with LV hypertrophy (LVMi>115 g/m2 in men and>95 g/m2 in women)as compared to subjects without LVH (9.1±1.5 vs 8.5±1.4 m/s, p<0.05). On the contrary, CS was not related with LVMi and no difference in CS was observed between subjects with or without LVH(6.5±1.5 vs 6.3±1.2, p = ns). AoPWV was also significantly related to vascular organ damage(carotid IMTMeanmax:r = 0.16, p<0.05; CBMmax:r = 0.16, p<0.05; Tmax:r = 0.19, p<0.005), while CS was not. Conclusion Although carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (AoPWV) and carotid stiffness provided similar information on the impact of aging and blood pressure on large artery stiffness, only AoPWW, and not CS, is related to cardiac (LVM) and vascular(IMT) damage in a general population sample.

This review describes the use of central blood pressure (BP) measurements during ambulatory monitoring, using noninvasive devices. The principles of measuring central BP by applanation tonometry and by oscillometry are reported, and information on device validation studies is described. The pathophysiological basis for the differences between brachial and aortic pressure is discussed. The currently available methods for central aortic pressure measurement are relatively accurate, and their use has important clinical implications, such as improving diagnostic and prognostic stratification of hypertension and providing a more accurate assessment of the effect of treatment on BP.

Background: The prognostic value of quick sepsis-related organ failure assessment (qSOFA) outside intensive care units has been criticized. Therefore, we aimed to improve its ability in predicting 30-day all-cause mortality, and in ruling out the cases at high risk of death among patients with suspected or confirmed sepsis at emergency department (ED) admission. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of a prospective multicenter study. We built three predictive models combining qSOFA with the clinical variables and serum biomarkers that resulted in an independent association with 30-day mortality, in both 848 undifferentiated patients (Group 1) and in 545 patients definitively diagnosed with sepsis (Group 2). The models reaching the highest negative predictive value (NPV) with the minimum expenditure of biomarkers in Group 1 and in Group 2 were validated in two cohorts of patients initially held out due to missing data. Results: In terms of the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, all six models significantly exceeded qSOFA in predicting prognosis. An “extended” qSOFA (eqSOFA1) in Group 1 and an eqSOFA2 integrated with C-reactive protein and mid-regional proadrenomedullin (eqSOFA2+CRP+MR-proADM) in Group 2 reached the best NPV (0.94 and 0.93, respectively) and ease of use. eqSOFA1 and eqSOFA2+CRP+MR-proADM performed equally well in both the inception and validation cohorts. Conclusions: We have derived and validated two prognostic models that outweigh qSOFA in predicting mortality and in identifying the low risk of death among patients with suspected or confirmed sepsis at ED admission.