Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Review Meta Analysis
11 Topical nsaids for analgesia in traumatic corneal abrasions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Traumatic corneal abrasions are common ocular presenTations in the ED. There is no consensus regarding the most appropriate analgesia for this condition. Topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been suggested as pain-relief to minimise systemic adverse events associated with oral analgesia. ⋯ The findings of the included studies do not provide strong evidence to support the use.
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Advances in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy have resulted in increasing numbers of adult LVAD recipients in the community. However, device failure, stroke, bleeding, LVAD thrombosis and systemic infection can be life-threatening emergencies. ⋯ In order to improve patient safety, a consortium of UK healthcare professionals with expertise in LVADs developed universally applicable prehospital emergency algorithms. Guidance was framed as closely as possible on the standard ABCDE approach to the assessment of critically ill patients.
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Multicenter Study
Risk factors and outcomes associated with post-traumatic headache after mild traumatic brain injury.
To determine the prevalence and potential risk factors of acute and chronic post-traumatic headache (PTH) in patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a prospective longitudinal observational multicentre study. Acute PTH (aPTH) is defined by new or worsening of pre-existing headache occurring within 7 days after trauma, whereas chronic PTH (cPTH) is defined as persisting aPTH >3 months after trauma. An additional goal was to study the impact of aPTH and cPTH in terms of return to work (RTW), anxiety and depression. ⋯ PTH is an important health problem with a significant impact on long-term outcome of TBI patients. Several risk factors were identified, which can aid in early identification of subjects at risk for PTH.
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Review
BET 2: Sharing decisions for patients with suspected cardiac chest pain in the emergency department.
A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether shared decision making used alongside a decision aid can lead to greater patient satisfaction, lower healthcare resource use and non-inferior clinical outcomes in patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes. Four studies were directly relevant to the question. ⋯ The clinical bottom line is that the use of shared decision-making tools in the ED for management of patients with low-risk chest pain appears to be beneficial to the patient and the physician. Use of these shared decision-making tools appears to increase patient knowledge and satisfaction, while decreasing decision conflict and resource use, without causing additional negative outcomes for the patient.
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There is no consensus on the management of low back pain in the ED and evidence suggests that these patients are likely to receive unwarranted imaging and inappropriate opioid prescription.The purpose of this study is to review the available literature pertaining to the clinical management of acute low back pain in the ED. ⋯ More high quality trials are needed to determine an evidence-based management protocol for the treatment of acute low back pain in the ED.