Copenhagen, Denmark: Increases in levels of particulate matter in the air, even within World Health Organization guidelines, correspond with an increase in the number of patients going to the hospital emergency department, according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress. [1] The study found links particularly between air pollution and cases of trauma, […]
Category: Emergency medicine
Seizures caused by children swallowing medications or illegal substances doubled over 15-year period
Copenhagen, Denmark: New data shows that the number of children suffering a seizure after swallowing medications or illegal substances has doubled between 2009 and 2023 in the US. The findings were presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress. The most common substances involved in these poisonings include over-the-counter antihistamines, prescription antidepressants and painkillers, and illegal […]
Half of all patients with sepsis die within two years
Copenhagen, Denmark: Half of all patients with sepsis admitted to an emergency medical department died within two years, according to Danish researchers investigating factors that could predict outcomes for these patients. Dr Finn E. Nielsen, a senior scientist in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, told the European Emergency Medicine Congress […]
Research explains why some cyclists don’t wear helmets and what might convince them to wear one
Copenhagen, Denmark: Wearing a helmet can prevent brain injury and deaths in cyclists, yet many do not wear a helmet. New research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress today (Tuesday) suggests that this is largely due to issues of convenience and comfort. [1] The study also suggests that more adult cyclists would wear helmets […]
Three key signs of major trauma could speed up treatment of severely injured children brought to emergency departments by carers not ambulances
Copenhagen, Denmark: Severely injured children who are brought to an emergency medical department by their parents or carers are often not seen as quickly as those who arrive at hospital via ambulance, according to findings presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress. [1] The study’s researchers identified three key trauma features that should prompt doctors […]
Climate change is a health emergency too
International experts warn of impact on emergency medical services worldwide Copenhagen, Denmark: International experts in emergency medicine have warned that climate change is likely to have a severe impact on emergency services around the world. Despite this, few countries have assessed the scale of the impact or have a plan to deal with it. In […]
Aid agencies are failing patients with breast cancer in war zones meaning more will develop advanced disease
Lisbon, Portugal: Patients with breast cancer in conflict zones around the world are being “massively under-served” by governments, UN aid agencies and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Professor Richard Sullivan told the Advanced Breast Cancer Seventh International Consensus Conference (ABC 7) in a video presentation from the Rafah crossing where he is working with the United […]
Identifying sepsis: only two out of four recommended screening tools are useful
Paramedics and emergency doctors almost never suspect sepsis Barcelona, Spain: Two out of the four internationally-recommended screening tools used by emergency medical services are inadequate for recognising sepsis, according to new research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress. Mrs Silke Piedmont, a health scientist at the Department of Emergency Medicine Campus Benjamin Franklin Charité […]
Patients visiting emergency departments because of alcohol abuse are more likely to make return visits and to die in the following decades
Barcelona, Spain: People who come to emergency departments with alcohol-related diseases or conditions are more likely to make return visits and to die in the following 20 years, than people who come to emergency departments for other reasons, according to new research. For many, this means they may die in their 40s or 50s. Professor […]
Ultrasound scans by doctors in emergency departments to diagnose deep vein thrombosis halve patients’ stay and may help to reduce over-crowding
Barcelona, Spain: If doctors in hospital emergency departments are trained to carry out ultrasound on patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT), they can nearly halve the time the patients spend in these departments. Dr Ossi Hannula, an emergency medicine specialist at the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland, who presented the findings […]