J. Stephen Bohan

Benefit of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Acute Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The common wisdom is that carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning causes cognitive sequelae and that hyperbaric oxygen therapy mitigates this effect. Previous

An Epidemic of C. difficile Disease

Clostridium difficile was first isolated and identified as a cause of diarrhea nearly 30 years ago. About 5 years ago, investigators in Quebec documented a remarkable increase in the incidence of C. difficile infection, with rates 4 times higher than historical rates in the overall population and 10 times higher in people older than 65. A recent review article presents updated information on this epidemic. …

Diagnosing Acute Coronary Syndromes: The Troponin Conundrum

The diagnostic criteria for myocardial infarction (MI) are obtained from the triad of clinical presentation, electrocardiogram (ECG) changes, and

“Bad Air” Days

A substantial body of evidence shows that air pollution is associated with adverse cardiovascular events, but the mechanism of this phenomenon is

Defibrillation for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest -- Shocking Results

Survival rates after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest average only 2% to 5%. Rapid defibrillation has been shown to improve outcomes, but prior studies

CPR: Compression-Only Wins the Long Race

While rescue breathing might be important in certain situations, emergency medical service (EMS) dispatchers have a difficult time quickly establishing

Stress Testing Has Low Yield in Young Adults with Chest Pain

To assess the yield of extended observation and testing of young patients with chest pain, researchers examined test results and adverse cardiac events

Emergency Care, Front and Center

The just-published 2012 edition of the Department of Health and Human Services annual report on the countrys state of health includes a “Special

A Single Dose of Hydromorphone Provides Superior Pain Relief

Studies show that acute pain is poorly managed in many emergency departments (EDs). Researchers at an urban ED randomized 350 patients (age range,

Chest Pain: What Happens After the Emergency Department?

Researchers examined patterns of follow-up care and outcomes in high-risk patients with chest pain who presented to Ontario emergency departments (EDs)