Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Temporary lower limb immobilisation following injury is a risk factor for symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE). Pharmacological thromboprophylaxis can mitigate this risk but it is unclear which patients benefit from this intervention. The Aberdeen VTE risk tool was developed to tailor thromboprophylaxis decisions in these patients and this evaluation aimed to describe its performance in clinical practice. Secondarily, diagnostic metrics were compared with other risk assessment methods (RAMs). ⋯ Routine use of the Aberdeen VTE tool in our population resulted in an incidence of symptomatic VTE of less than 1%. Ordinal RAMs, such as the TRiP(cast) score, may more accurately reflect VTE risk and permit more individually tailored thromboprophylaxis decisions but prospective comparison is needed.
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Meta Analysis
Clinical predictors of fracture in patients with shoulder dislocation: systematic review of diagnostic test accuracy studies.
Prereduction radiographs are conventionally used to exclude fracture before attempts to reduce a dislocated shoulder in the ED. However, this step increases cost, exposes patients to ionising radiation and may delay closed reduction. Some studies have suggested that prereduction imaging may be omitted for a subgroup of patients with shoulder dislocations. ⋯ Clinical prediction rules may have a role in supporting shared decision making after shoulder dislocation, particularly in the prehospital and remote environments when delay to imaging is anticipated.