Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:In the emergency department (ED), certain anatomical and physiological airway characteristics may predispose patients to tracheal intubation complications and poor outcomes. We hypothesized that both anatomically difficult airways (ADAs) and physiologically difficult airways (PDAs) would have lower first-attempt success than airways with neither in a cohort of ED intubations. METHODS:We performed a retrospective, observational study using the National Emergency Airway Registry (NEAR) to examine the association between anticipated difficult airways (ADA, PDA, and combined ADA and PDA) vs those without difficult airway findings (neither ADA nor PDA) with first-attempt success. We included adult (age ≥14 years) ED intubations performed with sedation and paralysis from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 using either direct or video laryngoscopy. We excluded patients in cardiac arrest. The primary outcome was first-attempt success, while secondary outcomes included first-attempt success without adverse events, peri-intubation cardiac arrest, and the total number of airway attempts. Mixed-effects models were used to obtain adjusted estimates and confidence intervals (CIs) for each outcome. Fixed effects included the presence of a difficult airway type (independent variable) and covariates including laryngoscopy device type, intubator postgraduate year, trauma indication, and patient age as well as the site as a random effect. Multiplicative interaction between ADAs and PDAs was assessed using the likelihood ratio (LR) test. RESULTS:Of the 19,071 subjects intubated during the study period, 13,938 were included in the study. Compared to those without difficult airway findings (neither ADA nor PDA), the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for first-attempt success were 0.53 (95% CI, 0.40-0.68) for ADAs alone, 0.96 (0.68-1.36) for PDAs alone, and 0.44 (0.34-0.56) for both. The aORs for first-attempt success without adverse events were 0.72 (95% CI, 0.59-0.89) for ADAs alone, 0.79 (0.62-1.01) for PDAs alone, and 0.44 (0.37-0.54) for both. There was no evidence that the interaction between ADAs and PDAs for first-attempt success with or without adverse events was different from additive (ie, not synergistic/multiplicative or antagonistic). CONCLUSIONS:Compared to no difficult airway characteristics, ADAs were inversely associated with first-attempt success, while PDAs were not. Both ADAs and PDAs, as well as their interaction, were inversely associated with first-attempt success without adverse events.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the efficacy of a multimodal intervention in reducing CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) overutilization in the evaluation of suspected pulmonary embolism in the emergency department (ED). METHODS:Previous mixed-methods analysis of barriers to guideline-concordant CTPA ordering results was used to develop a provider-focused behavioral intervention consisting of a clinical decision support tool and an audit and feedback system at a multisite, tertiary academic network. The primary outcome (guideline concordance) and secondary outcomes (yield and CTPA and D-dimer order rates) were compared using a pre- and postintervention design. ED encounters for adult patients from July 5, 2017, to January 3, 2019, were included. Fisher's exact tests and statistical process control charts were used to compare the pre- and postintervention groups for each outcome. RESULTS:Of the 201,912 ED patient visits evaluated, 3,587 included CTPA. Guideline concordance increased significantly after the intervention, from 66.9% to 77.5% (P < .001). CTPA order rate and D-dimer order rate also increased significantly, from 17.1 to 18.4 per 1,000 patients (P = .035) and 30.6 to 37.3 per 1,000 patients (P < .001), respectively. Percent yield showed no significant change (12.3% pre- versus 10.8% postintervention; P = .173). Statistical process control analysis showed sustained special-cause variation in the postintervention period for guideline concordance and D-dimer order rates, temporary special-cause variation for CTPA order rates, and no special-cause variation for percent yield. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Our success in increasing guideline concordance demonstrates the efficacy of a mixed-methods, human-centered approach to behavior change. Given that neither of the secondary outcomes improved, our results may demonstrate potential limitations to the guidelines directing the ordering of CTPA studies and D-dimer ordering.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Prescriptions of semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist administered weekly for Type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity, are increasing. Adverse effects from semaglutide overdose are poorly described. We report adverse effects from three unintentional semaglutide overdoses upon initiation. CASE REPORTS/UNASSIGNED: DISCUSSION/UNASSIGNED:These unintentional semaglutide overdoses occurred due to deficits in patient and prescriber knowledge, and evasion of regulated access to pharmaceuticals. Nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms predominated. The potential for hypoglycemia following glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist overdose is unclear, though it did not occur in our patients. It is thought that glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists are unlikely to cause hypoglycemia because their effects are glucose-dependent and diminish as serum glucose concentrations approach euglycemia. There is, however, an increase in hypoglycemia when glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists are combined with sulfonylureas. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:This case series highlights the critical role of patient education and training upon initiation of semaglutide therapy to minimize administration errors and adverse effects from injection of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.

Background: Telemedicine-specific clinical pathways (CPWs), coupled with electronic health record (EHR) order panels, provide an opportunity to ensure evidence and guideline concordant care for conditions at risk for inconsistent diagnoses and management strategies. Standardized provider and patient-facing illness scripts may fill gaps in clinicians"™ communication skills secondary to a training deficit in virtual care delivery. We aimed to implement and assess the impact of a novel care bundle for sinusitis on antimicrobial use, patient satisfaction, clinician satisfaction, and usability in patients with sinusitis. Methods: A sinusitis care bundle (SCB) for virtual urgent care patients included a sinusitis CPW with communication scripts, sinusitis order panels (SOP), and a patient education smart-phrase (SPESP) within visit instructions. Antimicrobial use was assessed during a 15-month period prior to the start of SCB element implementations and 14-months following, using statistical process control charts. Patient satisfaction was measured using Likert-style surveys. Clinician satisfaction was assessed using a novel survey addressing the SCB-targeted domains (decision support, communication, efficiency, usability, and overall satisfaction). Results: There were 69,785 and 64,019 evaluable patients in the pre-care and post-care bundle periods, respectively. Despite a significant increase in patients receiving a sinusitis diagnosis in the post-care bundle period (3.2% pre- vs. 6.2% post-, p < 0.001), antimicrobial prescribing decreased by 3.9% (p < 0.001), with statistical process control evidence of special cause change. There was a 5.1% decrease (p < 0.001) in negative patient survey responses after implementation. Clinician survey revealed substantial agreement in the domains relating to improving communication with patients and/or families, with the highest satisfaction for the SPESP over the SOP. Conclusions: Implementation of a telemedicine care bundle for patients diagnosed with sinusitis can balance multiple elements of quality care. The combination of a clinical care pathway, standardized language, and order panels within the EHR has the potential to improve patient satisfaction and decrease antimicrobial prescribing.

INTRODUCTION/UNASSIGNED:Many hospitals are unable to determine toxic alcohol concentrations in a clinically meaningful time frame. Thus, clinicians use surrogate markers when evaluating potentially poisoned patients. INDEX CASE/UNASSIGNED:A patient presented after an intentional antifreeze (ethylene glycol) ingestion with an osmol gap of -10.6 that remained stable one hour later. Further investigation revealed that the serum osmolality was calculated and not measured. The true osmol gap was 16.4, which correlated to a measured ethylene glycol concentration of 808 mg/L (80.8 mg/dL, 13.0 mmol/L). SURVEY/UNASSIGNED:A telephone survey of hospital laboratories in our catchment area was performed to investigate the potential for similar events. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Thirty-eight (47 percent) hospitals responded. No laboratories were able to test for toxic alcohols. One hospital (2.6 percent) reported routinely calculating osmolality based on chemistries, while two hospitals (5.3 percent) reported scenarios in which this might occur. Thirty-five (92.1 percent) hospitals could directly measure osmolality. Two hospitals (5.3 percent) were reliant on outside laboratories for osmolality measurement. LIMITATIONS/UNASSIGNED:The 47 percent response rate and one geographic area are significant limitations. DISCUSSION/UNASSIGNED:Over 10 percent of hospitals that responded could have significant difficulty assessing patients with toxic alcohol ingestion. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Until the standard of rapidly obtaining toxic alcohol concentrations is broadly implemented, we recommend that policies and procedures be put in place to minimize errors associated with the determination of the osmol gap.

INTRODUCTION/UNASSIGNED:Chronic nitrous oxide use can lead to neurological findings that are clinically and radiographically identical to those found in patients with pernicious anemia, specifically subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord and peripheral neuropathy. CASE SUMMARY/UNASSIGNED:A 22-year-old man presented with lower extremity weakness and ataxia in the setting of inhaling 250 nitrous oxide cartridges two to three times weekly for two years. IMAGES/UNASSIGNED:Magnetic resonance imaging showed T2 hyperenhancement of the dorsal columns of the cervical spine from the first to the sixth vertebrae, which helped to establish a diagnosis of nitrous oxide-induced subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Chronic nitrous oxide use should be included in the differential diagnosis of any patient with otherwise unexplained neurological complaints that localize to the dorsal columns and has the changes on magnetic resonance imaging described here.

INTRODUCTION/UNASSIGNED:Changes in the commercialization of nonprescription drugs have made large quantities of paracetamol available to individuals, resulting in larger overdoses than previously observed. Although most patients with paracetamol overdose can be managed with acetylcysteine, patients with a massive overdose may become critically ill earlier and fail standard antidotal therapy. Several strategies are proposed for the management of these patients, including using increased doses of acetylcysteine, extracorporeal removal, and fomepizole. However, the benefits of these strategies remain largely theoretical, with sparse evidence for efficacy in humans. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:This cross-sectional study surveys international practice patterns of medical toxicology providers regarding the management of a hypothetical patient with a massive paracetamol overdose. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:A total of 342 responses from 31 different nations were obtained during the study period. Sixty-one percent of providers would have increased their acetylcysteine dosing when treating the hypothetical massive overdose. Thirty percent of respondents recommended an indefinite infusion of acetylcysteine at 12.5 mg/kg/hour after the bolus dose, whereas 20 percent recommended following the "Hendrickson" protocol, which advocates for a stepwise increase in acetylcysteine dosing to match high paracetamol concentrations at the 300 mg/L, 400 mg/L, and 600 mg/L lines on the Rumack-Matthew nomogram. Ten percent of respondents stated they would have given "double dose acetylcysteine" but did not specify what that entailed. Forty-seven percent of respondents indicated that they would have given fomepizole, and 28 percent of respondents recommended extracorporeal removal. DISCUSSION/UNASSIGNED:Our survey study assessed the approach to a hypothetical patient with a massive paracetamol overdose and demonstrated that, at minimum, most respondents would increase the dose of acetylcysteine. Additionally, almost half would also include fomepizole, and nearly one-third would include extracorporeal removal. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:There is considerable international variation for the treatment of both non-massive and massive paracetamol overdoses. Future research is needed to identify and standardize the most effective treatment for both non-massive and massive paracetamol overdoses.

INTRODUCTION:Assays for ethylene glycol (EG) with a rapid turn-around time are not routinely available. Clinicians must rely on historical features and readily available clinical tests, combined with clinical acumen, to guide the initial management of suspected EG poisoning. Hypocalcemia has been suggested as a clue supporting the diagnosis of EG poisoning in patients presenting with an unexplained high anion gap metabolic acidosis (HAGMA). A previous small study challenged this assumption. METHODS:This was a retrospective case series of one state's poison control system of confirmed EG-poisoned patients between September 2017 and April 2021. The definition of EG poisoning was based on suspected EG ingestion and a serum EG concentration > 5 mg/dL. Patients who were suspected to have EG toxicity but did not have a confirmed EG concentration or the EG concentration was less than 5 mg/dL were excluded. Routine laboratory studies were recorded for all patients. Comparisons between serum calcium on presentation to presenting blood pH, bicarbonate, anion gap, and creatinine were assessed for correlation. RESULTS:There was no correlation between the presenting calcium and either pH or creatinine. There was a weak positive correlation between the initial serum calcium and anion gap, a weak negative correlation between the initial serum calcium and bicarbonate. CONCLUSION:On hospital presentation, hypocalcemia was not associated with EG poisoning, even in patients with a HAGMA. A normal serum calcium on presentation does not exclude the diagnosis of EG poisoning.