Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can potentially be used in the triage of patients with elbow injuries. However, the diagnostic accuracy of POCUS performed by non-radiologists for the exclusion of elbow fractures is yet unknown. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic potential of POCUS of the posterior fatpad performed by non-radiologists in the workup of adult patients presenting with elbow injuries. ⋯ POCUS of the posterior fatpad is a promising adjunct to physical examination to determine the need for further diagnostic studies in the triage of patients with elbow injuries. Sensitivity after a limited training is high, but not perfect, and can likely further be improved with additional training.
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Rapid identification of individuals with acute respiratory infections is crucial for preventing nosocomial infections. For rapid diagnosis, especially in EDs, lateral flow devices (LFDs) are a convenient, inexpensive option with a rapid turnaround. Several 'multiplex' LFDs (M-LFDs) now exist, testing for multiple pathogens from a single swab sample. We evaluated the real-world performance of M-LFD versus PCR testing in detecting influenza A, B and SARS-CoV-2) in the ED setting. ⋯ The real-world performance of SureScreen M-LFD was consistent with laboratory evaluation and achieved a high sensitivity for individuals with high viral concentration, most likely to be infectious. Given the representative UK population sample, results could be generalised for use in other settings.