Objective: A drowsy mentality is a common chief complaint at emergency departments (EDs), but it is difficult to evaluate the reason for drowsy mentality. Serum biomarkers are an alternative way to discover the reason for drowsy mentalities. This study examined the values of four biomarkers for a differential diagnosis of ED patients with drowsy mentality: Creactive protein (CRP), delta neutrophil index (DNI), lactic acid and ammonia. Methods: Adult patients who presented to the ED from April 2018 to March 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. Among the 369 patients with a drowsy mentality, 122 patients with acute trauma, dementia, epilepsy, seizure, alcohol abuse, syncope, psychological problems, and anaphylaxis were excluded. The four biomarkers of each patient were then measured. The clinical records were reviewed to analyze the usefulness of the four biomarkers as a differential diagnosis tool for ED patients. Results: Of the 247 included patients, 64 were diagnosed with a stroke, and 183 were not. CRP, DNI, lactic acid and ammonia were analyzed statistically, and the elevation of each biomarker level was related to a diagnosis of non-stroke disease. Conclusion Elevations of CRP, DNI, lactic acid and ammonia suggest non-stroke disease in patients with drowsy mentality in ED. There might be metabolic causes other than stroke in ED patients with a drowsy mentality when the CRP, DNI, lactic acid and ammonia levels are highly elevated. A future study will be needed to confirm this.

Objective: This study analyzed the urine cultures of emergency department patients diagnosed with acute uncomplicated cystitis and determined the antimicrobial resistance and appropriate treatment for our region. Methods: Results of urine analysis and urine culture of acute uncomplicated cystitis patients diagnosed in our emergency department between January 2019 and December 2020 were examined and analyzed. Results: In our study, 256 out of 340 urine culture samples (75.3%) were positive for cystitis. The most common microorganism was reported to be Escherichia coli (93.0%). The resistance rates of E. coli to the following antimicrobial agents were as follows: amikacin (0.0%), ampicillin (63.5%), amoxicillin/clavulanate (15.6%), aztreonam (7.1%), ceftazidime (3.4%), cefotaxime (16.4%), cefoxitin (5.5%), cefazolin (19.9%), ciprofloxacin (29.4%), cefepime (1.7%), ertapenem (0.0%), gentamicin (18.1%), piperacillin/tazobactam (2.1%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (36.1%), and tigecycline (0.4%). The prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing E. coli strains was 17.8%. Conclusion To determine the proper empirical antimicrobial treatment for acute uncomplicated cystitis, it is essential to examine the antimicrobial resistance. For our region, fosfomycin, nitrofurantoin, and 2nd and 3rd generation cephalosporin should be considered the first-line empirical treatment for acute uncomplicated cystitis.

Objective: RapidRhino is widely used in emergency departments (EDs) to treat epistaxis, and we have used RapidRhino plus epinephrine empirically. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of RapidRhino plus epinephrine compared to RapidRhino with saline. Methods: This prospective randomized study was performed on patients with epistaxis who visited our ED between October 2021 and January 2023. Patients were randomized to RapidRhino plus epinephrine or RapidRhino groups by drawing numbers. Subgroup analyses were performed on patients who received or did not receive anticoagulants or antiplatelets. Results: The overall success rates for RapidRhino with saline and RapidRhino with epinephrine were both high (92% and 94%, respectively), but the 10-minute success rates of RapidRhino with saline and RapidRhino with epinephrine were 57.4% and 78%.0%, respectively, which was a significant difference (P=0.001). In patients administered anticoagulants, initial success rate of RapidRhino with epinephrine was higher than that of RapidRhino with saline (83.3% and 62.9%, respectively, P=0.046), and these results were confirmed by adjusted logistic regression analyses-for all patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-4.58) and for patients treated with anticoagulants (aOR=6.31; 95% CI, 1.17-34.17). Conclusion RapidRhino with epinephrine may be more effective at controlling hemorrhage than RapidRhino. The combined administration of RapidRhino and epinephrine might reduce the time spent in emergency departments by epistaxis patients.

Objective: This study examined the predictive factors to decide the surgical treatment for clinically suspected pediatric acute appendicitis with equivocal imaging findings. Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively on children who visited local emergency medical centers and outpatients from January 2018 to February 2021. The electronic medical records were reviewed from 811 pediatric patients younger than 16 years of age with the chief complaint of abdominal pain and who underwent an imaging test for the clinical suspicion of appendicitis. Ninety-two patients who showed ambiguous findings on imaging tests but were still suspected of having appendicitis were analyzed. Recursive partitioning analysis and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify the variables associated with appendicitis. Results: Of the 92 enrolled patients, 23 patients were confirmed to have appendicitis, and 69 did not. Patients with the clinical suspicion who had an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count, polymorphonuclear leukocyte differential count (PMN), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), and leukocytosis were more likely to have appendicitis. The PMN (odds ratio=1.175; 95% confidence interval, 1.092-1.265) and ANC (odds ratio=1.00050; 95% confidence interval, 1.00025-1.00075) remained significant after multivariable logistic analysis. Conclusion Elevated PMN and ANC are clinical predictors of pediatric appendicitis when the imaging findings are nondiagnostic, and the clinical suspicion is continuous.