European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Meta Analysis
Lidocaine patch for treatment of acute localized pain in the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Lidocaine patches are commonly prescribed for acute localized pain. Most of the existing evidence is, however, derived from postoperative or chronic pain. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of lidocaine patch compared to placebo patch or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for acute localized pain. ⋯ The risk of adverse events was similar between the groups (risk ratio: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.48-1.67; moderate-quality evidence). In the two trials comparing lidocaine patches with NSAIDs, there was no statistically significant difference in pain relief between the treatments. Low to moderate-quality evidence from small trials supports the efficacy and safety of lidocaine patch for the treatment of acute localized pain.
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Gender bias in healthcare can significantly influence clinical decision-making, potentially leading to disparities in treatment outcomes. This study addresses the impact of patient gender on the decision-making process for establishing a ceiling of care in emergency medicine, particularly the decision to limit tracheal intubation. ⋯ This study suggests a significant gender-based disparity in emergency care decision-making, with women patients being less likely to receive recommendations for intubation. However, these results should be interpreted with caution due to potential limitations in the representativity of respondents and the uncertain applicability of survey responses to real-life clinical practice.