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The HEART score has been validated as a predictor of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in emergency department patients complaining of chest pain. Our objective was to determine the extent of physician variation in the HEART score of admitted patients stratified by years of experience. We performed a retrospective medical record review at an academic tertiary care emergency department to determine HEART score, outcome of hospitalization, and 30-day MACE. Electrocardiograms were graded by consensus between 3 physicians. We used analysis of variance to determine the difference in mean HEART scores between providers, Fisher's exact test to determine difference in MACE by duration of training, and logistic regression to determine predictors of low-risk admission (HEART score≤3). The average mean HEART score for 19 full-time physicians was 4.41 (SD 0.43). Individually, there was no difference in mean scores (P=.070), but physicians with 10-15 years of experience had significantly higher mean scores than those with 0-5 years of experience (mean HEART score 4.65 vs 3.93, P=.012). Those with 10-15 years of experience also had a significantly higher proportion of MACE in their admitted cohort (15.3%, P=.002). More experienced providers admitted higher-risk patients and were more likely to admit patients who would experience a MACE. More research is needed to determine whether adding the HEART score for clinical decision making can be used prospectively to increase sensitivity for admitting patients at high risk for MACE and to decrease admissions for chest pain in lower-risk patients by less experienced providers.

ObjectiveThe use of cost-saving artificial playing surfaces continues to grow in popularity; now outnumbering natural grass by a 3:1 ration in NCAA football. The relationship of artificial surfaces to concussion remains poorly defined. To determine if difference exist in rates of SRCs caused by helmet to surface during NCAA football events played on artificial turf surfaces as compared to natural grass.DesignDescriptive epidemiology study.Setting and ParticipantsDuring the 2004–2005 through 2013–2014 NCAA football seasons, all participating college football players who were diagnosed with concussions that occurred during practices and games for preseason, regular season and postseason periods.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS) Men’s Football Data Set for 2004–2014 seasons was analyzed to determine the incidence of concussions. Injury rates were calculated per 10,000 athlete exposures (AEs) and rate ratios (RR) were used to compare injury rates during different event contact-mechanisms compared on the two different playing surfaces. Analogous methods were used to compare concussion injury rates during games on turf versus natural grass stratified by specific mechanism of injury.Results3,009,2015 athlete exposures and 1,919 concussions on natural grass or artificial turf surfaces were reported from 2004–2014. Concussion rates were significantly higher during games as compared to practices (30.10 vs. 4.04 per 10,000 AEs respectively; P<0.001). When stratified by mechanism of injury, athletes participating in games on artificial turf experienced concussions resulting from contact with the playing surface at 2.12 times the rate compared to those playing on natural grass (RR=2.12; 95% CI 1.03 – 4.62).Conclusions and RelevanceArtificial turf is a risk factor for concussions caused by contact with the playing surface in NCAA football games more than natural grass and is now a proven concern to be addressed.

We sought to investigate the relationship between thoracic impedance (Zo) and pulmonary edema on chest radiography in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with signs and symptoms of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). This was a prospective, blinded convenience sample of patients with signs and symptoms of ADHF who underwent measurement of Zo with concomitant chest radiography. Attending physicians blinded to the Zo values interpreted the radiographs, categorizing the severity of pulmonary edema as normal (NL), cephalization (CZ), interstitial edema (IE), or alveolar edema (AE). Intergroup comparisons were analyzed with a 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with P < .05 considered statistically significant and reported using 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We enrolled patients (≥18 years) presenting to a tertiary care medical center ED with signs and symptoms consistent with ADHF. A total of 203 patients were enrolled, with 27 (14%) excluded because of coexisting pulmonary diseases. The mean Zo values were inversely related to the 4 varying degrees of radiographic pulmonary vascular congestion as follows: NL, 25.6 (95% CI, 22.9-28.3); CZ, 20.8 (95% CI, 18.1-23.5); IE, 18.0 (95% CI, 16.3-19.7); and with AE, 14.5 (95% CI, 12.8-16.2) (ANOVA, P < .04). A Zo less than 19.0 ohms had 90% sensitivity and 94% specificity (likelihood ratio [LR], − 0.1; LR + 15) for identifying radiographic findings consistent with pulmonary edema. Females had an increased mean Zo value compared to males ( P < .03). The Zo value obtained via thoracic bioimpedance monitoring accurately predicts the presence and severity of pulmonary edema found on initial chest radiograph in patients suspected of ADHF.

Introduction Neurocritical care focuses on the care of critically ill patients with an acute neurologic disorder and has grown significantly in the past few years. However, there is a lack of data that describe the scope of practice of neurointensivists and epidemiological data on the types of patients and treatments used in neurocritical care units worldwide. To address these issues, we designed a multicenter, international, point-prevalence, cross-sectional, prospective, observational, non-interventional study in the setting of neurocritical care (PRINCE Study). Methods In this manuscript, we analyzed data from the initial phase of the study that included registration, hospital, and intensive care unit (ICU) organizations. We present here descriptive statistics to summarize data from the registration case report form. We performed the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by the Dunn procedure to test for differences in practices among world regions. Results We analyzed information submitted by 257 participating sites from 47 countries. The majority of those sites, 119 (46.3%), were in North America, 44 (17.2%) in Europe, 34 (13.3%) in Asia, 9 (3.5%) in the Middle East, 34 (13.3%) in Latin America, and 14 (5.5%) in Oceania. Most ICUs are from academic institutions (73.4%) located in large urban centers (44% > 1 million inhabitants). We found significant differences in hospital and ICU organization, resource allocation, and use of patient management protocols. The highest nursing/patient ratio was in Oceania (100% 1:1). Dedicated Advanced Practiced Providers are mostly present in North America (73.7%) and are uncommon in Oceania (7.7%) and the Middle East (0%). The presence of dedicated respiratory therapist is common in North America (85%), Middle East (85%), and Latin America (84%) but less common in Europe (26%) and Oceania (7.7%). The presence of dedicated pharmacist is highest in North America (89%) and Oceania (85%) and least common in Latin America (38%). The majority of respondents reported having a dedicated neuro-ICU (67% overall; highest in North America: 82%; and lowest in Oceania: 14%). Conclusion The PRINCE Study results suggest that there is significant variability in the delivery of neurocritical care. The study also shows it is feasible to undertake international collaborations to gather global data about the practice of neurocritical care.