Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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A shortcut review was carried out to establish whether intraosseous administration of adenosine was an effective and safe way to terminate supraventricular tachycardia in the paediatric population. Five papers were yielded with the below described search strategies, of which two were directly relevant to the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of the papers are tabulated. It was concluded that there is contradicting evidence for the efficacy of intraosseous adenosine, and further studies are needed to answer this question.
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Increasing demand on the UK emergency services is creating interest in reviewing the structure and content of ambulance services. Only 10% of emergency calls have been seen to be life-threatening and, thus, paramedics, as many patients' first contact with the health service, have the potential to use their skills to reduce the demand on Emergency Departments. This systematic literature review aimed to identify evidence of paramedics trained with extra skills and the impact of this on patient care and interrelating services such as General Practices or Emergency Departments. ⋯ This review identifies many viable extra skills for paramedics but the evidence is not strong enough to guide policy. The findings should be used to guide future research, particularly into paramedic care for elderly people.
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Increasing demand on the UK emergency services is creating interest in reviewing the structure and content of ambulance services. Only 10% of emergency calls have been seen to be life-threatening and, thus, paramedics, as many patients' first contact with the health service, have the potential to use their skills to reduce the demand on Emergency Departments. This systematic literature review aimed to identify evidence of paramedics trained with extra skills and the impact of this on patient care and interrelating services such as General Practices or Emergency Departments. ⋯ This review identifies many viable extra skills for paramedics but the evidence is not strong enough to guide policy. The findings should be used to guide future research, particularly into paramedic care for elderly people.
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A shortcut review was carried out to establish whether ultrasonography was a reliable and accurate imaging modality to detect rotator cuff tears in adult patients. Four papers were found to be relevant to the clinical question following the below-described search strategies. ⋯ It is concluded that ultrasound has a diagnostic accuracy high enough to detect full-thickness rotator cuff tears. It is, however, less accurate in detecting partial-thickness ruptures.
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Review Meta Analysis
Systemic antibiotics after incision and drainage of simple abscesses: a meta-analysis.
Over the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of cutaneous abscesses. While there is general agreement that abscesses should be treated with incision and drainage, it is unclear whether systemic antibiotics should be routinely prescribed. ⋯ When given in addition to incision and drainage, systemic antibiotics do not significantly improve the percentage of patients with complete resolution of their abscesses.