Annals of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Do CK-MB results affect chest pain decision making in the emergency department?
To analyze the effect of creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) results on decision making in the evaluation of emergency department patients with chest pain. ⋯ The rapid availability of serial CK-MB results appears to affect decision making in one third of ED patients with chest pain and nondiagnostic ECGs. CK-MB levels appear to complement clinical evaluation of the ED chest pain patient in a manner analogous to the ECG.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Acetaminophen overdose: a 48-hour intravenous N-acetylcysteine treatment protocol.
To determine the safety and efficacy of a 48-hour IV N-acetylcysteine (IV NAC) treatment protocol for acute acetaminophen overdose. ⋯ This 48-hour IV NAC protocol is safe and effective antidotal therapy for acetaminophen overdose. Based on available data, it is equal to 72-hour oral and 20-hour IV treatment protocols when started early and superior to the 20-hour IV regimen when treatment is delayed. Further study will be required to determine its relative efficacy in the high-risk patient treated very late.