GEMCAST

Jeff Kline talks about PEs in older adults. What's different and what's the same for older vs younger patients? Find out here! See gempodcast.com/2016/06/02/pulmonary-emboli-in-older-adults/ for a full description, links, and to leave comments! Not a day goes by that an Emergency Physician doesn’t at least consider PE in a patient who presents with chest pain, dyspnea, or syncope. We have become familiar with using risk stratification tools like the Wells Score and the PERC criteria. But what do you do in older adults? All of them will automatically NOT be PERC negative because of their age. In this episode, with PE guru Jeff Kline, we discuss the presentation of PE in older adults, including the demographics, diagnosis, and how treatment may differ from younger adults in small, sub-massive, and massive PEs. Selected References: 1. Zondag W, Vingerhoets LM, Durian MF, et al. Hestia criteria can safely select patients with pulmonary embolism for outpatient treatment irrespective of right ventricular function. J Thromb Haemost. 2013;11(4):686-692. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23336721 2. Beam DM, Kahler ZP, Kline JA. Immediate discharge and home treatment with rivaroxaban of low-risk venous thromboembolism diagnosed in two U.S. emergency departments: A one-year preplanned analysis. Acad Emerg Med. 2015;22(7):788-795. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26113241 3. Kahler ZP, Kline JA. Standardizing the D-dimer assay: Proposing the D-dimer international managed ratio. Clin Chem. 2015;61(5):776-778. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25816812 4. Kahler ZP, Beam DM, Kline JA. Cost of treating venous thromboembolism with heparin and warfarin versus home treatment with rivaroxaban. Acad Emerg Med. 2015;22(7):796-802. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26111453 5. Zhang Y, Zhou Q, Zou Y, et al. Risk factors for pulmonary embolism in patients preliminarily diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia: A prospective cohort study. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26370200 6. Sharp AL, Vinson DR, Alamshaw F, Handler J, Gould MK. An age-adjusted D-dimer threshold for emergency department patients with suspected pulmonary embolus: Accuracy and clinical implications. Ann Emerg Med. 2016;67(2):249-257. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26320520 7. Kirschner JM, Kline JA. Is it time to raise the bar? age-adjusted D-dimer cutoff levels to exclude pulmonary embolism. Ann Emerg Med. 2014;64(1):86-87. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24951413 8. Kline JA, Kabrhel C. Emergency evaluation for pulmonary embolism, part 2: Diagnostic approach. J Emerg Med. 2015;49(1):104-117. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25800524 9. Kline JA, Courtney DM, Kabrhel C, et al. Prospective multicenter evaluation of the pulmonary embolism rule-out criteria. J Thromb Haemost. 2008;6(5):772-780. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18318689 Image credit: http://anthrocolors.deviantart.com/art/Lungs-for-fresh-air-edited-298950224 This podcast uses sounds from freesound.org by Jobro and HerbertBoland

Tim Platts-Mills shares his pearls about pain management for older adults in the ED. See here to leave a comment: https://gempodcast.com/2016/05/02/pearls-and-pitfalls-of-pain-management-in-older-adults/ Pain is the number one reason why people seek care in the Emergency Department (ED). One major goal of acute care is diagnosing the cause of the pain, but another is helping relieve the suffering associated with pain. In older adults, some of the risks of pain management with opioids are amplified, such as the risk of sedation and falls. With NSAIDs, there is a higher risk of acute renal insufficiency and electrolyte abnormalities, as well as cardiovascular risks with longer treatment. How should we approach acute pain management in the ED, and on discharge in older patients? In this podcast episode, Tim Platts-Mills, an expert and researcher on pain in older adults talks us through some ideas for non-opiates, opiates, and other adjuncts. We discuss some of the risks of over-treatment and under-treatment, and introduce the idea of the allostatic load created by chronic pain. Selected References 1. Hwang U, Platts-Mills TF. Acute pain management in older adults in the emergency department. Clin Geriatr Med. 2013;29(1):151-164. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23177605 2. Platts-Mills TF, Esserman DA, Brown DL, Bortsov AV, Sloane PD, McLean SA. Older US emergency department patients are less likely to receive pain medication than younger patients: Results from a national survey. Ann Emerg Med. 2012;60(2):199-206. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22032803 3. Hwang U, Richardson LD, Harris B, Morrison RS. The quality of emergency department pain care for older adult patients. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010;58(11):2122-2128. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21054293 4. Terrell KM, Hui SL, Castelluccio P, Kroenke K, McGrath RB, Miller DK. Analgesic prescribing for patients who are discharged from an emergency department. Pain Med. 2010;11(7):1072-1077. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20642733 5. Gilron I, Bailey JM, Tu D, Holden RR, Weaver DF, Houlden RL. Morphine, gabapentin, or their combination for neuropathic pain. N Engl J Med. 2005;352(13):1324-1334. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15800228 6. Siddall PJ, Cousins MJ. Persistent pain as a disease entity: Implications for clinical management. Anesth Analg. 2004;99(2):510-20, table of contents. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15271732 7. Jakobsson U, Klevsgard R, Westergren A, Hallberg IR. Old people in pain: A comparative study. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2003;26(1):625-636. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12850645 8. Elliott AM, Smith BH, Penny KI, Smith WC, Chambers WA. The epidemiology of chronic pain in the community. Lancet. 1999;354(9186):1248-1252. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10520633 9. Bernabei R, Gambassi G, Lapane K, et al. Management of pain in elderly patients with cancer. SAGE study group. systematic assessment of geriatric drug use via epidemiology. JAMA. 1998;279(23):1877-1882. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9634258 This podcast uses sounds from freesound.org by Jobro and HerbertBoland Image credit: https://pixabay.com/en/heart-3d-stone-white-pain-old-1463424/

Bryan Hayes and David Juurlink explain why several common meds we use in the ED can cause dangerous complications for older patients. See http://gempodcast.com/2016/03/30/dangerous-med-combos-in-older-adults/ to leave a comment. Look twice at the med list before you prescribe these! Two distinguished guests join me this month, David Juurlink (@DavidJuurlink) and Bryan Hayes (@PharmERToxyGuy) to discuss medication interactions. There are many medications that we commonly prescribe in the ED that can have potentially deadly side effects when combined with other meds that a patient is already on. It is important to always check the patient’s medication list prior to writing a new script. We present two examples of clinical cases in which commonly used medications could prove dangerous in combination with other medications: cellulitis, and a community-acquired pneumonia. We discuss potential side effects from medication interactions (with a little pathophysiology thrown in), and some alternative medications that may be safer. References: 1. Baillargeon J, Holmes HM, Lin YL, Raji MA, Sharma G, Kuo YF. Concurrent use of warfarin and antibiotics and the risk of bleeding in older adults. Am J Med. 2012;125(2):183-189. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22269622 2. Ho JM, Juurlink DN. Considerations when prescribing trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. CMAJ. 2011;183(16):1851-1858. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21989472 3. Fralick M, Macdonald EM, Gomes T, et al. Co-trimoxazole and sudden death in patients receiving inhibitors of renin-angiotensin system: Population based study. BMJ. 2014;349:g6196. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25359996 4. Juurlink DN, Mamdani M, Kopp A, Laupacis A, Redelmeier DA. Drug-drug interactions among elderly patients hospitalized for drug toxicity. JAMA. 2003;289(13):1652-1658. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12672733 5. Juurlink DN. The cardiovascular safety of azithromycin. CMAJ. 2014;186(15):1127-1128. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25096666 6. Wright AJ, Gomes T, Mamdani MM, Horn JR, Juurlink DN. The risk of hypotension following co-prescription of macrolide antibiotics and calcium-channel blockers. CMAJ. 2011;183(3):303-307. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21242274 Sound credits: This podcast uses sounds from freesound.org by Jobro and HerbertBoland

Katren Tyler and Dane Stevenson talk about their protocolized pathway to make sure patients with hip fractures get the best care possible. See http://gempodcast.com/2016/03/01/hip-fracture-management-pathways-in-older-adults/#more-130 for the full shownotes and to leave a comment! Hip fractures are a common injury among older adults and have a staggering one-year mortality of 20-30%. In this episode we discuss a multi-disciplinary pathway to improve the acute care of patients with hip fractures. It can help standardize care, improve pain control, decrease pain-related delirium, reduce the time from the ED to the operating room, and decrease the hospital length of stay. Also, if you have never heard of the fascia iliaca compartment block for pain management in patients with hip fractures, this could be practice-changing for you! References and Resources: Femoral Nerve Block podcast from the ultrasound podcast: http://www.ultrasoundpodcast.com/2012/03/episode-24-femoral-nerve/ Fascia Iliaca block Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6X0IiYolIk Femoral Nerve Block video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ht_N8j2KL8 This is a description of guidelines from the UK on recommendations for hip fracture management. Tinetti ME, Inouye SK, Gill TM, et al. Shared risk factors for falls, incontinence, and functional dependence. Unifying the approach to geriatric syndromes. JAMA 1995;273(3):1348–1353. PMID 7715059 Godoy Monzon, D., et al. (2007). “Single fascia iliaca compartment block for post-hip fracture pain relief.” Journal of Emergency Medicine 32(3): 257-262. PMID 17394987 Gottschalk, A., et al. (2015). “The Impact of Incident Postoperative Delirium on Survival of Elderly Patients After Surgery for Hip Fracture Repair.” Anesthesia and Analgesia. PMID 25590791 Hogh, A., et al. (2008). “Fascia iliaca compartment block performed by junior registrars as a supplement to pre-operative analgesia for patients with hip fracture.” Strategies Trauma Limb Reconstr 3(2): 65-70. PMID 18762870 Kates, S. L., et al. (2015). “Financial Implications of Hospital Readmission After Hip Fracture.” Geriatr Orthop Surg Rehabil 6(3): 140-146. PMID 26328226 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26328226 Lees, D., et al. (2014). “Fascia iliaca compartment block for hip fractures: experience of integrating a new protocol across two hospital sites.” European Journal of Emergency Medicine. PMID 24949565 Marcantonio, E. R., et al. (2000). “Delirium is independently associated with poor functional recovery after hip fracture.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 48(6): 618-624. PMID 10855596 Mouzopoulos, G., et al. (2009). “Fascia iliaca block prophylaxis for hip fracture patients at risk for delirium: a randomized placebo-controlled study.” Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 10(3): 127-133. PMID: 19690943 Mundi, S., et al. (2014). “Similar mortality rates in hip fracture patients over the past 31 years.” Acta Orthopaedica 85(1): 54-59. PMID 24397744 Stoneham, M., et al. (2014). “Emergency surgery: the big three–abdominal aortic aneurysm, laparotomy and hip fracture.” Anaesthesia 69 Suppl 1: 70-80. PMID 24303863 Sound credits: This podcast uses sounds from freesound.org by Jobro and HerbertBoland Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mac_filko/5132451119

May Yen, toxicologist, talks about Digoxin and CCB toxicity in older adults. For the full description and to leave comments, please go to: http://gempodcast.com/2016/02/11/geriatric-toxicology-part-3-digoxin-and-ccbs/ Connect on twitter: @gempodcast Digoxin and Calcium Channel Blockers are both medications that can cause unstable bradycardias. Patients who overdose on them can present extremely ill-appearing, and require rapid intervention and stabilization. In this final geri-tox episode, Dr. May Yen talks about identifying and managing patients, particularly older adults, with these overdoses. Who needs digibind? How much insulin is used in high-dose insulin euglycemic therapy? What are some last ditch efforts for severe calcium channel blocker overdoses? We also drop some board review pearls. For example, those halos classically associated with cardiac glycosides such as digoxin seem to be much more prevalent on board exams than in real life. Image credit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Van_Go…_Art_Project.jpg Sound credits: sounds from freesound.org by Jobro and HerbertBoland

May Yen describes the signs, symptoms, and treatment of acetaminophen overdoses in older adults. For the Show Notes, see the gemcast website: http://gempodcast.com/2016/01/11/geriatric-toxicology-part-2-acetaminophen/ Connect on twitter: @gempodcast Acetaminophen overdoses can be deadly if they are not rapidly identified and treated. While the treatment is relatively simple, there are still subtleties and ambiguities. How do you identify who needs treatment? Which patients should be transferred to a facility that has liver transplantation capabilities? What are “line-crossers”? In this episode, May Yen talks us through some of the finer points of identifying and managing acute and chronic acetaminophen overdoses, particularly as it relates to older adults. Image Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamol#/media/File:Tylenol_rapid_release_pills.jpg Sound credits: sounds from freesound.org by Jobro and HerbertBoland

May Yen talks us through acute and chronic salicylate toxicity in older adults, the symptoms, and management. For the Show Notes, see the gemcast website: http://gempodcast.com/2015/12/15/geriatric-toxicology-1-salicylates/ Connect on twitter: @gempodcast Toxicologic emergencies can present differently in older adults compared with younger patients. The physiologic changes of aging make older patients more prone to accidental overdoses because of a narrowed therapeutic window. In this podcast, toxicology-trained Emergency Physician, Dr. May Yen, talks about why older adults are at risk for therapeutic misadventures. We then discuss the management of acute and chronic salicylate toxicity. Patients with severe salicylate overdoses can be some of the sickest and most difficult to manage patients in the ED. This will be part one of a series on geriatric toxicology. Stay tuned for 3 more cases in future episodes! Image credit: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicilati Sound credits: sounds from freesound.org by Jobro and HerbertBoland

For the Show Notes, see the gemcast website: http://gempodcast.com/2015/11/11/high-risk-medications-and-adverse-drug-events/ Adverse drug events (ADEs) are a major problem among older adults who present to the Emergency Department. ADEs come in 5 types. 1 in 6 hospitalizations among older adults involves an ADE, and half of the hospitalizations for ADEs are deemed preventable. What medications should be used with caution or avoided in older adults? What are safer alternatives? In this podcast we discuss the types of ADEs, which patients are at greatest risk, the highest risk medications, alternatives to the high-risk medications, and ways to prevent ADEs. Leah Hatfield, an ED pharmacist, shares her wisdom. References: 1. By the American Geriatrics Society 2015 Beers Criteria Update Expert Panel. American geriatrics society 2015 updated beers criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015. 2. Hanlon JT, Semla TP, Schmader KE. Alternative medications for medications in the use of high-risk medications in the elderly and potentially harmful drug-disease interactions in the elderly quality measures. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015. 3. Alhawassi TM, Krass I, Bajorek BV, Pont LG. A systematic review of the prevalence and risk factors for adverse drug reactions in the elderly in the acute care setting. Clin Interv Aging. 2014;9:2079-2086. 4. Pretorius RW, Gataric G, Swedlund SK, Miller JR. Reducing the risk of adverse drug events in older adults. Am Fam Physician. 2013;87(5):331-336. 5. Passarelli MC, Jacob-Filho W, Figueras A. Adverse drug reactions in an elderly hospitalised population: Inappropriate prescription is a leading cause. Drugs Aging. 2005;22(9):767-777. 6. Saedder EA, Lisby M, Nielsen LP, Bonnerup DK, Brock B. Number of drugs most frequently found to be independent risk factors for serious adverse reactions: A systematic literature review. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2015;80(4):808-817. Image credit: https://pixabay.com/en/pill-capsule-medicine-medical-1884775/ Sound credits: sounds from freesound.org by Jobro and HerbertBoland

Judith Tintinalli discusses her thoughts about caring for an older patient with a severe ICH as part of a multidisciplinary team. For the show notes and blog site, see: http://gempodcast.com/2015/11/11/15/ What does Dr. Tintinalli do when she has a dying patient and a family who needs help to make decisions and understand the options? – She gets involved. She calls the PCP. She gets palliative care on the line. She advocates for the patient to help make sure their wishes are understood and honored. There comes a time when you go from prolonging life to prolonging death. Knowing when that point is can be hard. Listen to hear her thoughts in this post from 10/2015. There are many models for how palliative care can work in an ED. We can provide it ourselves to a certain extent, and in some cases, can consult palliative care services to help with end-of-life decisions. But we should do something to make sure we consider the patient’s wishes before performing aggressive measures that could leave the patient with a quality of life that would not be meaningful for them. References: 1. Rosenberg M, Rosenberg L. Integrated model of palliative care in the emergency department. West J Emerg Med. 2013;14(6):633-636. PMID: 24381685 2. Rosenberg M, Lamba S, Misra S. Palliative medicine and geriatric emergency care: Challenges, opportunities, and basic principles. Clin Geriatr Med. 2013;29(1):1-29 PMID: 23177598 3. Grudzen CR, Richardson LD, Hopper SS, Ortiz JM, Whang C, Morrison RS. Does palliative care have a future in the emergency department? discussions with attending emergency physicians. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2012;43(1):1-9. PMID: 21802899 4. Grudzen CR, Richardson LD, Morrison M, Cho E, Morrison RS. Palliative care needs of seriously ill, older adults presenting to the emergency department. Acad Emerg Med. 2010;17(11):1253-1257. PMID: 21175525 5. Quest TE, Marco CA, Derse AR. Hospice and palliative medicine: New subspecialty, new opportunities. Ann Emerg Med. 2009;54(1):94-102. PMID: 19185393 6. Penrod JD, Deb P, Dellenbaugh C, et al. Hospital-based palliative care consultation: Effects on hospital cost. J Palliat Med. 2010;13(8):973-979. PMID: 20642361 7. Penrod JD, Deb P, Luhrs C, et al. Cost and utilization outcomes of patients receiving hospital-based palliative care consultation. J Palliat Med. 2006;9(4):855-860. PMID: 16910799 8. Beemath A, Zalenski RJ. Palliative emergency medicine: Resuscitating comfort care? Ann Emerg Med. 2009;54(1):103-105. PMID: 19346031 9. Ciemins EL, Blum L, Nunley M, Lasher A, Newman JM. The economic and clinical impact of an inpatient palliative care consultation service: A multifaceted approach. J Palliat Med. 2007;10(6):1347-1355. PMID: 18095814 10. Barbera L, Taylor C, Dudgeon D. Why do patients with cancer visit the emergency department near the end of life? CMAJ. 2010;182(6):563-568. PMID: 20231340 This podcast uses sounds from freesound.org by Jobro and HerbertBoland. Image from: http://news.unchealthcare.org/som-vital-signs/2013/nov-7/2013-berryhill-lecture-video-available

Kevin Biese, an expert in geriatric emergency medicine and author on delirium, shares invaluable insights on managing delirium in older adults. He discusses the critical signs and symptoms that often go unnoticed, the importance of accurate diagnosis, and practical tips for prevention. Biese explains how to differentiate delirium from dementia, and highlights challenges in treating agitated patients. With case studies and advanced management strategies, he provides a comprehensive look at improving care for older adults in emergency settings.