Objective: The bedside on-site ultrasound examination is a very useful diagnostic test for medically ill elderly emergency patients. However, it is not known whether it is being sufficiently used in the real world scenario. We investigated this aspect in patients with chest pain in two emergency departments in the Seoul metropolitan area. Methods: Elderly patients with chest pain who visited the two emergency departments from January 2019 to December 2019 were recruited using the ‘cardiogenic pain’ code, which is the third step classification of the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale, and their medical records were reviewed to confirm whether an emergency physician-performed ultrasound prescription code was entered. Results: Of the 744 elderly patients with chest pain, 66 were given bedside on-site ultrasound examinations. The rate of examination was 8.8%. Among the emergency departments, the local emergency departments accounted for 33 out of 389 patients (8.5%), and the regional emergency department accounted for 33 out of 355 (9.3%). Conclusion These results raise the need to check the extent of bedside on-site ultrasound examinations that are conducted in the initial care of medically ill emergency elderly patients nationwide.

Objective: The bedside on-site ultrasound examination is a very useful diagnostic test for medically ill elderly emergency patients. However, it is not known whether it is being sufficiently used in the real world scenario. We investigated this aspect in patients with chest pain in two emergency departments in the Seoul metropolitan area. Methods: Elderly patients with chest pain who visited the two emergency departments from January 2019 to December 2019 were recruited using the ‘cardiogenic pain’ code, which is the third step classification of the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale, and their medical records were reviewed to confirm whether an emergency physician-performed ultrasound prescription code was entered. Results: Of the 744 elderly patients with chest pain, 66 were given bedside on-site ultrasound examinations. The rate of examination was 8.8%. Among the emergency departments, the local emergency departments accounted for 33 out of 389 patients (8.5%), and the regional emergency department accounted for 33 out of 355 (9.3%). Conclusion These results raise the need to check the extent of bedside on-site ultrasound examinations that are conducted in the initial care of medically ill emergency elderly patients nationwide.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe electrocardiographic (ECG) findings in spontaneous pneumothorax patients before and after closed thoracostomy. METHODS: This is a retrospective study which included patients with spontaneous pneumothorax who presented to an emergency department of a tertiary urban hospital from February 2005 to March 2015. The primary outcome was a difference in ECG findings between before and after closed thoracostomy. We specifically investigated the following ECG elements: PR, QRS, QTc, axis, ST segments, and R waves in each lead. The secondary outcomes were change in ST segment in any lead and change in axis after closed thoracostomy. RESULTS: There were two ECG elements which showed statistically significant difference after thoracostomy. With right pneumothorax volume of greater than 80%, QTc and the R waves in aVF and V5 significantly changed after thoracostomy. With left pneumothorax volume between 31% and 80%, the ST segment in V2 and the R wave in V1 significantly changed after thoracostomy. However, majority of ECG elements did not show statistically significant alteration after thoracostomy. CONCLUSION: We found only minor changes in ECG after closed thoracostomy in spontaneous pneumothorax patients.
Electrocardiography* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hospitals, Urban ; Humans ; Pneumothorax* ; Retrospective Studies ; Thoracostomy*