In a population-based study using hospital discharge diagnosis codes, patients with sleep apnea who underwent knee arthroplasty or open abdominal procedures were more likely to require invasive mechanical ventilation and to be diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia or ARDS than were matched patients without sleep apnea. Knee-replacement patients, but not those undergoing laparotomy, also were more likely to be diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.
The practice of emergency medicine has evolved significantly since the first 24/7 emergency departments (EDs) opened in the 1950s and 1960s. In the past few decades, EDs have experienced an onslaught of increased patient volumes, increased demand for critical care services, increasing ED lengths of stay (LOS), and increased patient boarding.
The number of adult ED visits for eye-related complaints is largely limited to data on eye injuries.