AIMS Surgery in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) can be elective (upon completion of antibiotic treatment) or urgent (before antibiotic treatment has ended) when the clinical course is unfavourable. However, urgent surgery for left-sided endocarditis is associated with high mortality. The aims of this study were to describe the profile of patients with left-sided endocarditis who under...

BACKGROUND Although primary care should be the cornerstone of medical practice, inappropriate use of urgent care for non-urgent patients is a growing problem that has significant economic and healthcare consequences. The characteristics of patients who choose the urgent care setting, as well as the reasoning behind their decisions, is not well established. The purpose of this study was to deter...

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to test our hypothesis that a raise in the emergency fee implemented on March 1, 2013 has increased the proportion of patients with emergent symptoms by discouraging non-urgent emergency department visits. METHODS We conducted an analysis of 728 736 patients registered in the National Emergency Department Information System who visited level 1 and level 2 emergency...

BACKGROUND Emergency department crowding is a growing international problem. One possible reason for crowding might be the rising number of "walk-in" patients presenting with "non-urgent" health complaints. METHODS In a retrospective cohort study in adult medical patients presenting to the emergency unit of the University Hospital Zurich, we determined the frequency of "non-urgent" encounters...

In the United States, interest has recently been renewed in the more urgent initiation of peritoneal dialysis (PD) to avoid temporary vascular access catheters in appropriate patients presenting late in the course of their kidney disease. Urgent-start PD programs have been established across the country, requiring new infrastructure and processes of care. Less is known about early technique suc...

OBJECTIVES Lung transplantation (LTx) is the only effective treatment for end-stage lung disease. In rapidly deteriorating patients awaiting transplant, supportive strategies for lung function allow only a short period of support and lung transplantation remains the definitive therapy. An urgent transplant programme may reduce the waiting time, allowing lung transplantation in these patients. ...

BACKGROUND Urgent catheter ablation is often required for various tachyarrhythmias; however, its efficacy and safety in elderly patients have not been fully elucidated. METHODS This study included consecutive octogenarians who underwent urgent radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for various serious tachyarrhythmias (urgent group, n=28) that were life-threatening, hemodynamically deleterio...