Annals of emergency medicine
Audio Summaries

Regional School-Based CPR Training With Low-Cost Manikin Delivered by School Nurses: The Home "Multiplier" Effect

May 9, 2026

The authors aimed to evaluate the feasibility and community impact of a nurse-led school CPR program utilizing low-cost manikins, as well as to measure the effectiveness of students teaching CPR to family members at home. The study found that 45.1% of trained students successfully taught CPR to an average of 2.41 family members each, with overall performance scores indicating adequate skills in basic life support but weaker performance in automated external defibrillator use. This suggests that the program effectively extended CPR training beyond the classroom into the community.

Mothership and Drip-and-Ship Strategies in Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

May 5, 2026

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the comparative effectiveness of mothership versus drip-and-ship strategies for patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vascular occlusion treated with mechanical thrombectomy. The findings suggest that the mothership approach may enhance the likelihood of achieving a favorable functional outcome (90-day mRS 0 to 2), but no significant differences were found in broader outcomes such as recanalization rates, hemorrhagic complications, or mortality.

Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

May 5, 2026

The authors aimed to compare the outcomes of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) versus continued conventional CPR in pediatric patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Their retrospective cohort study found that ECPR was associated with higher one-month survival rates and favorable neurologic outcomes compared to continued CPR, although the precision of these estimates was limited by wide confidence intervals. The findings suggest potential benefits of ECPR in this population, warranting further investigation through randomized trials.

Emergency Department Boarding for Older Adults: The Impact of Geography, Temporal Trends, and Dementia Status

May 5, 2026

The authors aimed to investigate trends in emergency department (ED) boarding for older adults, particularly those with Alzheimer's disease-related dementia, from 2015 to 2022, while examining geographic variation and rurality. Their findings reveal that ED boarding rates have worsened over time, with significant increases in both the percentage of patients experiencing prolonged boarding and the duration of boarding, particularly among older adults with dementia in metropolitan areas. This highlights the need for targeted interventions to address the growing challenges of ED boarding in vulnerable populations.

Feedback, Education, and Protocols to Safely Reduce Emergency Department Admissions for Chest Pain

May 4, 2026

The authors aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a program incorporating peer feedback, education, and clinical protocols in reducing avoidable emergency department admissions for chest pain. Their analysis revealed that while overall admission rates did not significantly improve, high-admitting clinicians in two intervention states experienced notable reductions in admissions, suggesting that peer feedback can be beneficial in specific contexts. The study indicates that if the feedback's impact were replicated in control EDs, approximately 4 out of every 100 chest pain admissions could have been avoided.

Emergency Department Observation and Computed Tomography Use in Children With Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Apr 16, 2026

The authors aimed to evaluate the relationship between observation status and the use of computed tomography (CT) in children with blunt abdominal trauma. Their findings indicate that observation significantly reduced CT utilization without increasing the risk of missed intra-abdominal injuries, particularly in cases where clinician suspicion of injury was moderate. Specifically, only 0.4% of observed patients required acute intervention for intra-abdominal injuries, compared to 2.5% of those not observed.

Improving Inferences Regarding Patient Events Using Emergency Medical Services Response-Based Data

Apr 1, 2026

The authors aim to determine whether data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System can effectively identify multiple EMS responses to a single patient encounter. By analyzing EMS responses to assaults in New York City, they found that matching on 911 call time, patient demographics, and location can accurately screen for duplicate responses, enhancing the reliability of patient-level event inferences. Their findings suggest that this approach can improve the understanding of EMS data in research contexts.

Urgent Care and Emergency Department Visitors: A Latent Class Analysis

Mar 24, 2026

The authors aimed to identify distinct patterns of health care utilization among adults, particularly the interaction between emergency department (ED) and urgent care visits. Using latent class analysis on data from the National Health Interview Survey, they identified four classes of health care users, revealing that urgent care can either complement ED use or be utilized independently by those with fewer barriers to care. The findings highlight the need for targeted health system strategies to improve access and delivery of care based on these utilization patterns.

Sex Differences in Clinical Outcomes and Resource Utilization Among Emergency Department Patients With Unexplained Syncope or Presyncope: A Prospective, Observational, Cohort Study

Mar 20, 2026

The study aimed to investigate sex differences in baseline characteristics, physician risk estimation, admission rates, and clinical outcomes among emergency department patients aged 40 and older with unexplained syncope or presyncope. The findings revealed that men had higher rates of baseline cardiac disease, were more frequently admitted, and experienced a greater incidence of serious adverse events within 30 days; however, these differences were attributed to variations in baseline clinical factors rather than inherent sex differences. Ultimately, after adjusting for these factors, no significant disparities in admission rates or clinical outcomes remained between men and women.

Early Clinical Deterioration Among Emergency Department Boarders: A Retrospective Analysis

Mar 20, 2026

The authors aimed to define the incidence and identify factors associated with early clinical deterioration among patients boarding in the emergency department (ED). Their retrospective analysis of over 173,000 encounters revealed that 3.6% of patients experienced deterioration, with longer boarding times significantly increasing the risk. Key predictors included care at academic safety-net hospitals, overnight admissions, and elevated lactate levels, highlighting the patient safety risks associated with prolonged ED boarding.