Introduction: Angioedema is a rare but potentially life-threatening adverse effect associated with the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Various therapies, including ecallantide, icatibant, complement-1 esterase inhibitors, and fresh frozen plasma, have been used for treatment with inconsistent results and significant adverse effects. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is used as an alternative for the treatment of hereditary angioedema and it may be an attractive option for the treatment of ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema (ACEi-AE) in the emergency department (ED). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of TXA administration on rates of intubation in patients presenting to the ED with suspected ACEi-AE.Methods: This was an institutional review board-approved, retrospective cohort study conducted at a singlesite ED. All patients who received TXA for ACEi-AE in the ED between January 1, 2019 and March 31, 2021 were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who required intubation for suspected ACEi-AE.Results: A total of 16 patients received TXA in the ED for suspected ACEi-AE during the study timeframe. Of these, two patients were intubated prior to administration of TXA. The remaining 14 patients did not require intubation following TXA administration. Conclusion: Administration of TXA was associated with a low rate of adverse effects and did not contribute to further morbidity when added to standard care in patients presenting to the ED with suspected ACEi-AE.

Background Monoclonal antibody (MCA) therapies have been utilized under emergency use authorization (EUA) for high-risk pediatric patients with mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the outpatient setting since late 2019. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of MCA therapy in pediatric patients in the pediatric emergency department (ED) at a large community hospital. Methods This was a retrospective case series of high-risk pediatric patients 12 to 17 years of age who received MCA therapy in the pediatric ED between December 8, 2020 and June 3, 2021. The primary outcome was to describe the patient characteristics, clinical presentation, and safety profile of the pediatric population that received MCA therapy. The secondary outcome was to describe the incidence of hospitalizations or ED visits up to 28 days following therapy. Results A total of 44 patients were included in the analysis. The median number of days of symptoms was 4 with 41% of patients having symptoms between 0 and 3 days at time of MCA administration. Only one patient experienced a mild adverse event that did not require epinephrine administration. Two patients returned to the ED for reevaluation during the study follow-up period. No patients required admission within 28 days post-therapy. Conclusions The administration of MCA therapy in high-risk pediatric patients in the pediatric ED was well-tolerated with subjective improvement noted in COVID-19 symptoms post-therapy. Further studies are necessary to determine the role MCA therapy may play in reducing morbidity from COVID-19 infection in high-risk pediatric patients.

Background Recombinant, monoclonal antibody therapies have been utilized under emergency use authorization (EUA) for the prevention of clinical decompensation in high-risk COVID-19 positive patients for up to 10 days from symptom onset. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the timing of the monoclonal antibody, bamlanivimab, on clinical outcomes in high-risk COVID-19 positive patients. Methods This was an IRB-approved, retrospective evaluation of adult patients who received bamlanivimab per EUA criteria in the emergency department (ED). Patients were dichotomized into two groups– 3 days of symptoms or less ( early ) versus 4 to 10 days ( late ). The primary outcome was hospitalization for COVID-related illness at 28 days (or treatment failure). Secondary outcomes were COVID-related ED visits at 28 days, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), and in-hospital mortality at 28 days. Results A total of 839 patients were included in the analysis. There was no difference observed in COVID-related hospitalization rates within 28 days between the early and late bamlanivimab administration groups (7.5% vs. 8.2%, p = 0.71). There was no difference in COVID-related ED visits within 28 days with 13% of patients returning to the ED. Conclusions In conclusion, there were no differences in the rates of hospitalization at 28 days when bamlanivimab was administered in the first 3 days of illness versus days 4 to 10. Future prospective studies are warranted to expand upon the characteristics of patients that may or may not benefit from monoclonal antibody therapy.