Objective: This study aims to systematically review the ethical and legal discussions regarding the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) for patient triage and resource allocation in emergency medicine, and to identify the current state of discussions, their limitations, and future research directions. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted following scoping review methodology. Relevant literature published after January 2020 was searched in the Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases. Based on a PCC (population, concept, and context) framework (emergency patients/medical staff; triage, resource allocation; and emergency medicine with AI application), a final selection of 27 articles was analyzed. Results: The selected literature raised various ethical and legal issues related to the introduction of AI triage systems and AI utilization in emergency medicine, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, automation dependency, accountability, and explainability. In response to these issues, human-centered design, implementation of explainable AI, establishment of regulatory frameworks, continuous verification and evaluation, and ensuring human-in-the-loop were discussed as major solutions. However, discussions on the risks of “persuasive AI” that could mislead users, ethical issues of generative AI, and social validation and patient and public involvement were found to be insufficient. Conclusion Ethical and legal discussions regarding AI in emergency medicine are evolving toward seeking concrete solutions at technical, institutional, and relational dimensions. However, in-depth research on ethical challenges, such as reflecting the specificity of rapidly developing AI and the values of emergency medicine, is urgently required.

Objective: Workplace-based assessment (WBA) plays a crucial role in assessing entrustable professional activities (EPAs) in the competency-based medical education era. This pilot study explored the perceptions of residents and assessors of two WBAs for three Korean Society of Emergency Medicine EPAs. Methods: Eight emergency medicine (EM) residents underwent WBAs, with mini-clinical evaluation exercises (mini-CEX) conducted by nine EM faculty members and multisource feedback (MSF) provided by two internal medicine faculty members and four emergency room nurses, for a total of 69 assessments. We conducted an anonymous online survey to gather feedback on experiences, perceptions, and recommendations for improving WBA, such as mini-CEX and MSF, with responses scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Results: Of the 23 initial participants, 15 (65.2%) responded, including 5 residents and 10 assessors. EM faculty viewed mini-CEX favorably, noting its strong integration of supervision and effectiveness in assessing resident performance. EM residents reported comfort issues during assessments, preferring immediate feedback and multiple assessors. MSF was generally perceived positively but showed discrepancies in the utilities of rating scales and feedback types, indicating potential areas for improvement. Conclusion Two WBAs for three Korean Society of Emergency Medicine EPAs were found to be feasible and acceptable in the context of Korean EM residency training. However, perceptions varied between assessors and residents, necessitating clear communication about WBA objectives and processes. Our findings are useful for shaping future EPA-based training programs, balancing traditional and WBA methods, and enhancing feedback quality.

Objective: Children are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses due to their unique physiological and behavioral characteristics. Understanding the epidemiology and clinical features of heat-related illnesses in children is crucial for guiding targeted preventive measures and management strategies. This descriptive study aims to investigate the characteristics of pediatric patients with heat-related illness who were transferred to emergency departments in Japan. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the Heatstroke Study, led by the Heatstroke and Hypothermia Surveillance Committee of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. This study included pediatric patients (<18 years) with heat-related illness transferred to emergency departments in the summer from 2017 to 2021. We summarized the circumstances of onset, clinical characteristics, and outcomes. Results: Of the 3,154 registered patients, 146 children were included. Of them, 60% were male, with a median age of 15 years (interquartile range, 13–16 years). The most cases occurred in August (47%), and most (80%) were associated with sports activities and with outdoor settings (70%). Cases with a body temperature above 40 °C were rare (3%). Most cases were admitted to hospitals (75% to the general ward and 16% to the intensive care unit), and patients admitted to intensive care unit had altered consciousness with increased serum creatinine. There were two cases of mortality, both of which were out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Conclusion Most pediatric cases with heat-related illness were middle or high school students, occurred in August, and were related to outdoor sports activity. Patients admitted to hospitals suffered altered consciousness, dehydration, and acute kidney injury.

Objective: Oral anticoagulant (OAC) use increases the risk of death in conditions like hemorrhagic stroke, trauma, and traumatic brain injury. Early identification of OAC use is critical for timely interventions to mitigate hemorrhage risk and improve survival. We aimed to identify emergency medical services (EMS) care characteristics associated with patients using an OAC. Methods: We analyzed prehospital data (2018–2020) from the ESO Data Collaborative, focusing on adult (≥18 years) 911 EMS calls. The administered OACs were warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban. We compared EMS call characteristics, patient demographics, response times, and interventions between OAC and non-OAC users. We used univariate logistic regression to identify independent predictors of OAC use. Results: Of 16,244,550 adult 911 EMS events, 906,575 involved OAC users (56 of 1,000 calls). Those using OAC were older (73.6 years vs. 56.9 years) and more often from nursing homes or long-term care facilities (17.0% vs. 9.2%) but less likely to have trauma (14.7% vs. 18.1%) or cardiac arrest (1.2% vs. 1.4%). The most common EMS primary clinical impressions for OAC users were chest pain (7.4%), altered mental status (7.3%), injury (6.5%), abdominal pain (4.3%), and brain injury (2.8%). Conclusion OAC users accounted for 1 in 18 adult EMS encounters. Specific patient and call characteristics were associated with OAC use. These findings should be incorporated into EMS training to facilitate recognition and appropriate management of OAC-related emergencies.

Objective: The study investigates experimental brain trauma in rabbits, assessing levels of ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and compares these biomarkers among trauma groups. Methods: Thirty rabbits were randomized to a control group (n=6) or to mild-, moderate-, and severe-trauma groups (n=8 each) created by dropping 200, 350, or 500 g weights, respectively, onto their skulls using a modified Marmarou impact acceleration model. CSF and venous blood samples were collected at 0, 12, and 24 hours after injury; UCH-1 L, GFAP, and IL-6 concentrations in CSF and serum were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and group differences were analyzed with a Friedman test followed by Dunn-Bonferroni correction. Results: Neither CSF nor serum concentration of GFAP, IL-6, or UCH-L1 differed from those of controls after mild trauma. Severe head trauma produced markedly higher GFAP and IL-6 concentrations in CSF compared with the control group (P<0.05), with both biomarkers peaking at 12 hours after injury. Serum UCH-L1 increased significantly in both moderate-trauma (peak at 12 hours) and severe-trauma groups (peak at 24 hours) compared with the control group (P<0.05), whereas no intergroup difference in CSF UCH-L1 levels was evident. Conclusion Serum UCH-L1 differentiated moderate and severe trauma from controls in a rabbit model, whereas CSF GFAP and IL-6 levels reflected severe injury. Validation in larger preclinical and clinical studies is warranted.

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often occurs alongside injuries to other body regions, worsening patient outcomes. This study evaluates the impact of concomitant injuries on clinical outcomes in patients with isolated versus non-isolated TBI. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance (EDIIS) for 180,058 TBI patients admitted to 23 tertiary hospitals from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022. Patients were categorized into isolated TBI group (iTBI; n=127,673) and non-isolated TBI group (niTBI; n=52,385) based on injury diagnostic codes. Clinical outcomes—24-hour and 30-day mortality, hospital admission, and interhospital transfer—were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders were performed. Results: The niTBI patients exhibited significantly higher 24-hour mortality (1.5% vs. 0.4%), 30-day mortality (2.6% vs. 1.0%), hospital admissions (24.5% vs. 8.4%), and interhospital transfers (3.6% vs. 1.1%) than iTBI patients (all P<0.001). Concomitant injuries increased the adjusted odds of 24-hour mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.456; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.286–1.648) and 30-day mortality (aOR, 1.111; 95% CI, 1.022–1.208). Thoracic injuries were the most significant predictor of adverse outcomes in niTBI patients, increasing the odds of 24-hour mortality by nearly sixfold (aOR, 5.958; 95% CI 5.057–7.019). Conclusions Concomitant injuries significantly worsen clinical outcomes in TBI patients, with thoracic injuries being the most critical predictor of mortality. These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive trauma assessments and targeted prevention strategies to improve survival rates and optimize resource allocation for patients with multiple injuries.

In a case of contrast media-induced anaphylactic shock managed with epinephrine, a 57-year-old male patient developed lactic acidosis without cardiogenic shock or global hypoperfusion, highlighting epinephrine’s potential to trigger lactic acidosis. Despite the previous management of similar reactions with antihistamines and corticosteroids, this case required intensive care unit admission and emergency intervention for alarmingly high lactate level. The rapid resolution of acidosis following epinephrine discontinuation underscores the need for careful monitoring and consideration of alternative vasopressor strategies in severe anaphylaxis, illustrating the complex relationship between epinephrine’s metabolic effects and anaphylaxis-induced tissue hypoperfusion.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a valuable tool in the prehospital management of critically ill patients, particularly patients with trauma, dyspnea, or shock. This review aims to evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic applications, limitations, and implementation challenges of POCUS in prehospital care. Key findings are that ultrasound, particularly the extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (eFAST) protocol, offers high specificity in identifying severe hemorrhage in trauma cases, although its sensitivity varies depending on the clinical context and operator experience. In dyspnea, pulmonary ultrasound significantly enhances diagnostic accuracy, aiding early detection of heart failure and other respiratory conditions. For shock, focused echocardiography facilitates rapid diagnosis and timely therapeutic decisions, improving patient outcomes. However, the effectiveness of POCUS is highly dependent on the operator’s expertise, and challenges such as time, space, and resource limitations in prehospital settings may impact its use. Furthermore, local studies in Latin America assessing the impact of prehospital ultrasound on morbidity and mortality reduction are lacking. Based on our review, we recommend standardized training programs, increased availability of portable ultrasound devices, and prospective studies on cost-benefit analysis to optimize POCUS implementation in prehospital systems, particularly in resource-limited regions. Prehospital ultrasound has the potential to revolutionize patient care by improving diagnostic precision and reducing time to definitive treatment, but its successful implementation requires strategic integration of technology, education, and research.