Emergency Medicine: Diagnostic Insights

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Diagnosis and Prognosis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 968

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, Talavera de la Reina, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Interests: prehospital; emergency medicine; risk scores; biomarkers; emergency medical services
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Emergency Department, Hospital Universitario Rio Hortega, Valladolid, Spain
Interests: biomarkers; early warning scores; emergency medicine; risk scores; sepsis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive exploration of the latest advancements and challenges in diagnostic techniques within the field of emergency medicine. It will highlight the critical role of rapid and accurate diagnosis in ensuring prompt and effective patient care in emergency settings. This Special Issue will feature in-depth articles on innovative diagnostic tools and technologies, including imaging modalities, biomarkers, and AI-driven algorithms, which are transforming the diagnostic landscape of emergency medicine. Furthermore, we will present case studies and expert opinions on diagnostic strategies tailored to specific emergency conditions, providing valuable insights for healthcare professionals striving to improve patient outcomes in emergency care.

Dr. Ancor Sanz-Garcia
Dr. Raúl López-Izquierdo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • diagnostic tools
  • point-of-care testing
  • prehospital
  • emergency medicine
  • rapid and accurate diagnosis
  • imaging modalities
  • biomarkers
  • AI-driven algorithms

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 982 KiB  
Article
Prehospital Performance of Five Early Warning Scores to Predict Long-Term Mortality in Patients with Suspected Respiratory Infections
by Enrique Castro-Portillo, Raúl López-Izquierdo, Irene Bermúdez Castellanos, Miguel Á. Castro Villamor, Ancor Sanz-García and Francisco Martín-Rodríguez
Diagnostics 2025, 15(12), 1565; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15121565 - 19 Jun 2025
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Abstract
Background: Respiratory infections (RIs) are a common cause of care by Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (PEMS). Early Warning Scores (EWS) are tools used by PEMS to assess patients with acute pathology. However, there is little evidence of their application in RIs. The primary [...] Read more.
Background: Respiratory infections (RIs) are a common cause of care by Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (PEMS). Early Warning Scores (EWS) are tools used by PEMS to assess patients with acute pathology. However, there is little evidence of their application in RIs. The primary aim of this study was to assess the ability of five EWS to predict one-year mortality (M1Y) and two-year (M2Y) mortality in patients with suspected RI assisted by PEMS. The secondary objective was to perform a survival analysis. Methods: An observational and prospective study was conducted in adult patients with RIs transferred by EMS to their referral hospital. The variables necessary for the calculation of EWS [National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2), Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score, Quick COVID-19 Severity Index (qCSI), CURB-65 Score for Pneumonia Severity (CURB-65) and BAP-65 Score for Acute Exacerbation of COPD (BAP-65) score] were collected. The prognostic ability of the EWS was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Patients were followed up and a survival study was performed. Results: A total of 819 patients met the inclusion criteria. M1Y was 55.9% and M2Y was 63.5%. BAP-65 showed the best predictive ability at both 1 and 2 years, with AUC of 0.716 and 0.711, respectively. 48.8% of deaths took place during the first month. Conclusions: BAP-65 was the score with the best ability to predict both M1Y and M2Y after the index event in patients with RIs. All other EWS analyzed showed poor performance except in patients with low comorbidity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emergency Medicine: Diagnostic Insights)
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9 pages, 378 KiB  
Article
Age-Adjusted Cut-Off Values for Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Ubiquitin Carboxy-Terminal Hydrolase L1 Improve the Diagnostic Accuracy of the Abbott Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Assay
by Ivana Lapić, Dunja Rogić, Matea Bingula, Lea Miklić and Ivan Gornik
Diagnostics 2025, 15(9), 1093; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15091093 - 25 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Objectives: To establish age-adjusted cut-off values for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) and assess their impact on the diagnostic performance of the mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) assay. Methods: The study included 175 adult mTBI [...] Read more.
Objectives: To establish age-adjusted cut-off values for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) and assess their impact on the diagnostic performance of the mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) assay. Methods: The study included 175 adult mTBI patients presenting at the emergency department (ED) within 12 h from head trauma in whom head CT scan was performed. GFAP and UCH-L1 were measured using chemiluminescence immunoassays on an Abbott analyzer (Abbott Laboratories, USA). Results: Using manufacturer’s defined cut-offs (GFAP < 35 ng/L, UCH-L1 < 400 ng/L), the mTBI assay exhibited diagnostic sensitivity (Se) of 93.1%, specificity (Sp) of 28.8%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 95.5% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 20.6%. In the subgroup of patients aged under 50, Se and NPV were below 100% (i.e., 75.0% and 92.3%), due to two false negative mTBI results. Age-adjusted cut-offs were defined for three patient groups, ≤49 years, 50–69 years and ≥70 years, and were set to 22.4, 37.0 and 62.3 ng/L for GFAP, and 349.3, 351.6 and 369.0 ng/L for UCH-L1. Using these cut-offs, in all patient groups Se and NPV were 100%, while increased Sp was obtained in patients older than 50 years. Conclusions: Diagnostic Se and NPV can be improved by the use of age-adjusted cut-offs. In this way, the triage protocol for mTBI and head CT scan can be refined, further contributing to the optimization of the diagnostic management of mTBI patients at the ED. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emergency Medicine: Diagnostic Insights)
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