Emergency Medicine: Archives

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

New Rule for C-Spine Imaging in Children Younger Than 3 Years

• October 23, 2009
• John A. Marx, MD, FAAEM

Approximately two thirds of patients could have forgone imaging if the rule had been applied.

• Reviewing:
• Pieretti-Vanmarcke R et al., J Trauma 2009 Sep; 67:543

CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINE WATCH

Updated Guidelines for the Care of Children in EDs

• October 23, 2009
• Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

This joint policy statement provides a highly useful roadmap for standardizing emergency care of children in community EDs.

• Reviewing:
• American Academy of Pediatrics et al., Pediatrics 2009 Oct; 124:1233

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Getting Stroke Patients to the Hospital Sooner

• October 23, 2009
• J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, FACP, FACEP

Surprisingly, only women responded to an intervention aimed at recognizing stroke symptoms and calling emergency medical services.

• Reviewing:
• Müller-Nordhorn J et al., Arch Intern Med 2009 Sep 14; 169:1484

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Can Emergency Physicians Perform Dysphagia Screening in Acute Stroke Patients?Free

• October 16, 2009
• Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

A simple, easy screening test had a sensitivity of 96% when performed by EPs.

• Reviewing:
• Turner-Lawrence DE et al., Ann Emerg Med 2009 Sep; 54:344

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Are D-Dimer Results Used to Guide Imaging in Suspected VTE?

• October 16, 2009
• Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

Clinical practice was not consistent with guidelines at this study institution.

• Reviewing:
• Teismann NA et al., Ann Emerg Med 2009 Sep; 54:442

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Smokeless Tobacco Increases Risk for Fatal MI and Fatal Stroke

• October 16, 2009
• Kristi L. Koenig, MD, FACEP

A meta-analysis shows a modest increase in risk for both conditions.

• Reviewing:
• Boffetta P and Straif K., BMJ 2009 Aug 18; 339:b3060

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Tamsulosin for Treatment of ED Patients with Renal Colic?Free

• October 9, 2009
• Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

Tamsulosin provided no benefit over conventional outpatient analgesic therapy in adult ED patients with small, distal renal ureteral stones.

• Reviewing:
• Ferre RM et al., Ann Emerg Med 2009 Sep; 54:432

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Adenosine for Regular Wide-Complex Tachycardia

• October 9, 2009
• Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Adenosine is safe and effective for differentiating wide-complex supraventricular tachycardia from ventricular tachycardia.

• Reviewing:
• Marill KA et al., Crit Care Med 2009 Sep; 37:2512

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Antibiotic Guideline Compliance and Outcomes for CAP

• October 9, 2009
• J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, FACP, FACEP

Two large studies support guideline-based care.

• Reviewing:
• McCabe C et al., Arch Intern Med 2009 Sep 14; 169:1525 Arnold FW et al., Arch Intern Med 2009 Sep 14; 169:1515 Sharpe BA., Arch Intern Med 2009 Sep 14; 169:1462

SUMMARY AND COMMENT

Is ED Boarding Associated with Undesirable Events?

• October 9, 2009
• Richard D. Zane, MD, FAAEM

Nearly 30% of ED boarders at a single tertiary care hospital experienced undesirable events.

• Reviewing:
• Liu SW et al., Ann Emerg Med 2009 Sep; 54:381