Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether the pulmonary embolism rule-out criteria (PERC) can safely exclude the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) in the emergency department (ED). One recent systematic review was directly relevant to the question and incorporated all the other relevant evidence identified. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are shown in table 3. The clinical bottom line is that PERC may be safely applied to patients aged 18-49 years presenting to the ED with chest pain and/or dyspnoea providing that the pre-test probability of PE is 7% or less (equivalent to a Wells score of <2).
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A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether ultrasound or plain radiography is a more sensitive diagnostic modality for slipped capital femoral epiphysis. Three studies were directly relevant to the question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are shown in table 2. The clinical bottom line is that ultrasonography is more sensitive then radiography for diagnosing slipped capital femoral epiphysis based on the results of small studies.
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Head injuries across all age groups represent an extremely common emergency department (ED) presentation. The main focus of initial assessment and management rightly concentrates on the need to exclude significant pathology, that may or may not require neurosurgical intervention. Relatively little focus, however, is given to the potential for development of post-concussion syndrome (PCS), a constellation of symptoms of varying severity, which may bear little correlation to the nature or magnitude of the precipitating insult. This review aims to clarify the aetiology and terminology surrounding PCS and to examine the mechanisms for diagnosing and treating.