Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Comparative Study
Comparison of two clinical scoring systems in risk stratification of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome patients in predicting 30-day outcomes.
Non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTEACS) confer a broad range of risk of adverse outcomes following presentation to an emergency department. This study compares the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk scoring system with the used but untested, Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales Cardiac Network (CMNW) NSTEACS risk stratification system in predicting the adverse outcomes of re-admission to hospital with either a NSTEACS or death at 30 days post presentation. ⋯ The CMNW score categorised more patients as higher risk, who suffered death at 30 days than the TIMI score.
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Comparative Study
Lung ultrasound is an accurate diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of pneumonia in the emergency department.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of bedside lung ultrasound and chest radiography (CXR) in patients with suspected pneumonia compared with CT scan and final diagnosis at discharge. Design A prospective clinical study. ⋯ Bedside chest ultrasound is a reliable tool for the diagnosis of pneumonia in the ED, probably being superior to CXR in this setting. It is likely that its wider use will allow a faster diagnosis, conducive to a more appropriate and timely therapy.