Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
-
A short cut review was carried out to establish whether a normal serum amylase value rules out the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Altogether 191 papers were found using the reported search, of which four presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. A clinical bottom line is stated.
-
A short cut review was carried out to establish whether the tongue blade test is useful in the clinical assessment of patients with mandibular trauma. Altogether 269 papers were found using the reported search, of which two presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. A clinical bottom line is stated.
-
Review Comparative Study
CT pulmonary angiogram compared with ventilation-perfusion scan for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in patients with cardiorespiratory disease.
A short cut review was carried out to establish whether VQ scanning has better utility than CT in investigating possible pulmonary embolus in patients with chronic respiratory disease. A total of 239 papers were found using the reported search, of which one presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of this best paper are tabulated. A clinical bottom line is stated.
-
Review
Ultrasonic guidance and the complications of central line placement in the emergency department.
A short cut review was carried out to establish whether ultrasonic guidance reduces the complication rate during central line placement in the emergency department. Altogether 349 papers were found using the reported search, of which two presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. A clinical bottom line is stated.
-
Diagnosing ingested dental prostheses can be difficult and delays in treatment may result in serious complications. Patients often present with a vague history and very few reliable clinical signs. In addition, the fact that dental plates are often radiolucent may lead to the diagnosis being overlooked with disastrous consequences. A case of successful diagnosis and treatment is presented, and the importance of a high index of clinical suspicion to avoid the morbidity and mortality associated with missed impacted dentures is discussed.