BACKGROUND: Suspension trauma syndrome is a life-threatening event that occurs when a person is “trapped” in a prolonged passive suspension. It is most commonly seen in people who engage in occupational or sport activities that require harness suspension. The aim of this study is to identify the predisposing factors, pathophysiology, and management of suspension trauma. METHODS: A review and analysis of the literature published in English and Spanish from 1972 to 2020 on suspension trauma were performed. Search sources were PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, MeSH, UpToDate, and Google Scholar. Articles referring to suspension trauma associated with other injury mechanisms (traumatic impact injuries, drowning, asphyxiation, or bleeding), case reports, and pediatric population were excluded. RESULTS: Forty-one articles were identified. Of these, 29 articles related to mechanism, pathophysiology, and management of individuals who suffered prolonged suspension trauma without associated traumatic injuries were included in the study. We encountered several controversies describing the putative pathophysiology, ranging from blood sequestration in the lower extremities versus accumulation of metabolic waste and hyperkalemia to dorsal hook-type harness as a trigger cause of positional asphyxia; to vascular compression of femoral vessels exerted by the harness causing decreased venous return. Pstients suspended in a full-body harness with dorsal hook showed more hemodynamic alterations in response to the compressive effect on the rib cage, causing a reduction in perfusion by presenting a decrease in pulse pressure. Management strategies varied across studies. CONCLUSIONS: Progress has been made in individualizing the population at risk and in the management of suspension trauma. We recommend the formation of consensus definitions, larger cohort or registry studies to be conducted, and experimental animal models to better understand the mechanisms in order to develop management and life support guidelines from a trauma and emergency medicine perspective.

BACKGROUND: There is controversy regarding whether saddle main pulmonary artery (MPA) embolism represents a high risk of deterioration in non-high-risk acute pulmonary embolism (PE) patients. This study aims to address this issue by conducting a propensity score matching (PSM) study. METHODS: A total of 727 non-high-risk acute PE patients were retrospectively evaluated. We evaluated the Bova score and risk stratification to examine the risk of deterioration. Deterioration defined as any adverse event within 30 days after admission. Computed tomographic pulmonary angiography was used to identify the embolism type. All patients were matched into four subgroups by PSM according to age, sex, Bova score, and risk stratification: (1) MPA and non-MPA embolism; (2) non-saddle MPA and non-MPA embolism; (3) saddle MPA and non-saddle MPA embolism; (4) saddle MPA and non-MPA embolism. Correlations were analyzed using Cox regression analysis, and deterioration risk was compared between subgroups using Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: Cox regression analysis revealed that MPA embolism was correlated with deterioration, regardless of whether saddle MPA embolism was included or excluded. Saddle MPA embolism was not correlated with deterioration, regardless of comparison with non-saddle MPA embolism or non-MPA embolism. Patients with MPA and non-saddle MPA embolism presented a high risk for deterioration (log-rank test=5.23 and 4.70, P=0.022 and 0.030, respetively), while patients with saddle MPA embolism were not at a high risk of deterioration (log-rank test=1.20 and 3.17, P=0.729 and 0.077, respetively). CONCLUSIONS: Saddle MPA embolism is not indicative of a high risk of deterioration in non-high-risk acute PE patients.

Thyroid emergency is a rare but potent ially life-threatening condition if not recognized early and managed properly. It is usually due to a severe exacerbation of a preexisting thyrotoxicosis, which later leads to decompensation in different organ systems. The treatment of thyroid emergency remains challenging even with the armamentarium of modern intensive care technologies, especially in patients with cardiac failure and major organ dysfunction.[1–3] Herein, the authors described a case of thyroid emergency with cardiac arrest (CA) supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Inguinal hernias affect 5% of children and are usually defined as a protrusion of intestine or omentum through abdominal wall or inguinal canal defects.[1] Inguinal hernias may contain structures other than bowel and unique cases have been documented since the early 1900's.[2–10] Ultrasound has been demonstrated to differentiate superficial swellings and has been used by radiologists to evaluate inguinal masses for decades.[1–5,11–13] Although the use of radiology-performed ultrasound for the diagnosis of congeni tal inguinal hernias containing ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes has been documented; the use of point-of-care ultrasound for the evaluation of the acute inguinal mass prior to reduction has not been demonstrated. Accurate identification by the emergency physician of the herniated structures may lead to earlier diagnosis, faster consultation, improve patient management, and superior patient outcomes.

In some communities, the using of firearms during the celebrations have become a traditional behaviour. Injuries with free falling bullets that named "tired bullet" are increasing in accordance with the increased uncontrolled using of firearms. In the literature, serious disabilities and even deaths have been reported as a result of this rare injuries. We present a patient injured due to tired bullet with foot weakness and headache.

Plant intoxication constitutes an issue of great interest in the literature, concerning both human and animal poisoning. Different herbs may produce multiple effects from human organ systems, depending on specific ingredients and metabolites that they contain. These effects may vary from gastroenteritis, hepatotoxicity, peripheral neuropathy, psychosis, rhabdomyolysis and blood count abnormalities to cardiotoxicity and multisystemic organ failure.[1,2] The ingestion of particular plants may induce an anticholinergic syndrome which is caused by their alkaloid metabolites (Table 1). This consists of typical clinical manifestations including altered mental status, hallucinations, mydriasis and tachycardia.[3] The class of plants that cause anticholinergic manifestations includes those that belong to the Solanaceae family, with Atropa Belladona and Datura Stramonium being the most common among them.

Marathon running is a strenuous activity that places stress on the gastrointestinal system.[1] In fact, 30% to 81% of runners report gastrointestinal complaints, which include bloating, abdominal cramps, rectal incontinence, and gastrointestinal bleeding.[1–3]

BACKGROUND: Transapical off-pump NeoChord procedure is a novel minimally invasive surgical repair of degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR). Here, we report the first four cases of NeoChord procedure in patients with mitral valve prolapse in Chinese mainland. METHODS: Four patients, aged 86, 84, 80 and 60 years, with severe MR due to posterior middle scallop prolapse (P2), underwent transapical off-pump artificial chordae implantation on April 9 and 10, 2019. The procedure was performed by left mini-thoracotomy under general anaesthesia and guided by 2D and 3D dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE). RESULTS: Mitral valve repair via NeoChord procedure was successfully performed with implantation of 3 artificial chordae in the first patient and 3, 2, and 3 artificial chordae in the following patients, respectively. Intraoperative TEE and pre-discharge transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) showed only mild to moderate MR of these four patients and no postoperative complications were noted. There were no changes of TTE finding between one-month follow-up and pre-discharge. CONCLUSION The successful NeoChord procedures in four Chinese indicate that the valve repair using the NeoChord system for Chinese population is feasible.

BACKGROUND: Recent findings on emergency department (ED) patient experience surveys and concerns for the low response rates challenge the quality and reliability of the survey reports. We assessed the consistency of an ED patient experience survey report and identified the effects of patient demographics on ED patient experiences. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional study at a university-based ED from July to December 2017. We obtained ED patient experience scores from an institutional version (IS) survey and the Press Ganey Associates-distributed survey (PGA). We compared top box scores from the two reports using frequency analysis and performed multivariable logistic regressions to identify associations between IS patient demographics and scores. RESULTS: We obtained 289 PGA and 234 IS responses. The IS reported significant, higher top box scores in doctor-specific patient questions compared to PGA (all four P-values < 0.01). Female, Christian and White patients were more likely to give top box scores (OR 3.07, OR 2.22 and OR 2.41, P-value < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION We found significant differences in ED patient experience scores between the IS and PGA surveys. We recommend that healthcare providers consider patient demographic variables when interpreting ED experience score reports. Multiple survey techniques and distribution methods may be adopted to best capture ED patient experiences.

BACKGROUND: Understanding bystander reactions to an emergency is an important component of effective training. Four stages of bystander intervention (BI) have been previously described: noticing the situation as a problem, interpreting when it is appropriate to intervene, recognizing personal responsibility to intervene, and knowing how to intervene. Using virtual reality (VR) to simulate emergencies such as sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can be used to study these stages. METHODS: In a secondary analysis of an observational cohort study, we analyzed bystander self-efficacy for stages of BI before and after simulated SCA. Each subject participated in a singleplayer, immersive, VR SCA scenario. Subjects interacted with simulated bystanders through voice commands (“call 911”, “get an AED”). Actions taken in scenario, like performing CPR, were documented. Scenario BI actions were compared based on dichotomized comfort/discomfort. RESULTS: From June 2016 to June 2017, 119 subjects participated. Average age was 37±14 years, 44% were female and 46% reported CPR training within 2 years. During the scenario, 98% “noticed the event” and “interpreted it as a problem”, 78% “took responsibility”, and 54% “possessed the necessary skills”. Self-efficacy increased from pre- to post-scenario: noticing the event increased from 80% to 96%; interpreting as a problem increased from 86% to 97%; taking responsibility increased from 56% to 93%; possessing necessary skills increased from 47% to 63% (P<0.001). CONCLUSION Self-efficacy to respond to an SCA event increased pre- to post-scenario. Bystanders who reported feeling comfortable “taking responsibility to intervene” during an emergency were more likely to take action during a simulated emergency.