This is the first case of convulsions related to the use of SCRA described in Europe, and the first case of convulsions related to the use the SCRA AM-2201 confirmed by analysis of biological samples. It is important for emergency physicians, clinical toxicologists and clinical pharmacologists managing those presenting with acute toxicity related to the use of SCRA to analytically confirm the exact compound(s) involved, to enable accurate description of the acute toxicity associated with individual SCRA.
Ethylene glycol poisoning, while uncommon, is clinically significant due to the associated risk of severe morbidity or lethality and it continues to occur in many countries around the world. The clinical presentation of ethylene glycol toxicity, while classically described in three phases, varies widely and when combined with the range of differential diagnoses that must be considered makes diagnosis challenging. Early and accurate detection is important in these patients, however, as there is a need to start antidotal treatment early to prevent serious harm. In this article, we will review the literature and provide guidance regarding the diagnosis of ethylene glycol poisoning. While gas chromatography is the gold standard, the usefulness of this test is hampered by delays in access due to availability. Consequently, there are several surrogate markers that can give an indication of ethylene glycol exposure but these must be interpreted with caution and within the clinical context. An in-depth review of these tests, particularly the detection of a raised osmolar gap or an raised anion gap acidosis, will form the main focus of this article.
Objective
Empowering a senior nurse in a shared leadership role has been proposed as a more efficient set up for the cardiac arrest team in ED. In this model, a senior nurse leads the cardiac arrest algorithm which allows cognitive off‐loading of the lead emergency physician. The emergency physician is then more available to perform tasks such as echocardiography and exclude reversible causes. Simulation provides an opportunity for training and practice of this shared leadership model. We hypothesised that a structured simulation training programme that focused on implementing a nurse and doctor shared leadership model for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), would improve leadership and teamwork quality in the setting of cardiac arrest as measured by a Trauma Non‐technical Skills (T‐NOTECHS) teamwork scale.
Methods
Fifteen senior ED nurses participated in this pre‐interventional post‐observational study. Training consisted of a didactic course on team leadership and crisis resource management (CRM) followed by 4 × 10‐min resuscitation scenarios with a structured debrief focusing on team leadership skills and CRM. The primary outcome was measured on scenarios 1 and 4 using a modified T‐NOTECHS teamwork scale.
Results
A statistically significant increase in the T‐NOTECHS scale was detected for the measures of leadership (P = 0.0028), CRM (P = 0.0001), adherence to New Zealand Resuscitation Council ALS algorithm (P = 0.0088) and situational awareness (P = 0.0002).
Conclusion
The present study shows that a short simulation training programme improved nurse leadership and teamwork performance in the setting of a shared leadership model for CPR in the ED which could easily be replicated in other departments.
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