Can J Emerg Med
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ABSTRACTSmall bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common cause of acute abdominal pain presenting to the emergency department (ED). Although the literature is limited, point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) has been found to have superior diagnostic accuracy for SBO compared to plain radiography; however, it is rarely used in North America for this. ⋯ The application of POCUS for SBO is easily learned and applied in the ED. POCUS for SBO may obviate the need for plain radiography and expedite patient care.
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ABSTRACTObjective:Despite growing adoption, the impact of prehospital initiation of therapeutic hypothermia on outcomes of cardiac arrest patients is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine if prehospital administration of cold intravenous fluids improved the time-to-target temperature. ⋯ Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with prehospital cooling before arrival at our urban hospital did not have faster time-to-target temperature or improvement in outcomes compared to patients cooled immediately on emergency department arrival. Further research is needed to determine if any benefits exist from prehospital cooling prior to its widespread adoption.
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ABSTRACTObjectives:Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians receive little opportunity to practice and perform chest tube insertion. We sought to develop and validate a scoring tool to assess chest tube insertion competency and identify areas where training is required for PEM physicians. ⋯ The TACTIC demonstrates good interrater reliability, content validity, and construct validity in assessing a PEM practitioner's skill inserting chest tubes in a simulated setting.
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ABSTRACTObjective:The objective of this study was to measure the current knowledge of Canadian emergency physicians and emergency medicine residents regarding computed tomography (CT) radiation dosing and its associated risks. ⋯ Canadian emergency medicine physicians and emergency medicine residents demonstrated identifiable gaps in knowledge surrounding CT radiation dose and risk.
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Clinical questionFollowing transient ischemic attack or acute minor stroke, does the combination of clopidogrel and aspirin reduce the risk of stroke greater than aspirin alone?Article chosenWang Y, Wang Y, Zhao X, et al. Clopidogrel with aspirin in acute minor stroke or transient ischemic attack. ⋯ ObjectiveThe primary outcome measured in this study was ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke at 90 days of follow-up in groups assigned to treatment with a combination of aspirin and clopidogrel or aspirin alone following transient ischemic attack or acute minor stroke. The secondary outcomes were new clinical vascular events, including vascular death.