Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Over-the-head two-thumb encircling technique as an alternative to the two-finger technique in the in-hospital infant cardiac arrest setting: a randomised crossover simulation study.
To determine if the over-the-head two-thumb encircling technique (OTTT) provides better quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) than the conventional two-finger technique (TFT) when performed by a lone rescuer in an in-hospital infant cardiac arrest setting. ⋯ OTTT performed by a lone rescuer in an in-hospital infant cardiac arrest setting resulted in greater compression depth, with no increase in hands-off time, compared with TFT. OTTT may therefore be a suitable alternative to TFT in the in-hospital infant cardiac arrest setting.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomised trial of the fascia iliaca block versus the '3-in-1' block for femoral neck fractures in the emergency department.
Femoral neck fractures are a common and painful injury. Femoral nerve blocks, and a variant of this technique termed the '3-in-1' block, are often used in this patient group, but their effect is variable. The fascia iliaca compartment block (FIB) has been proposed as an alternative, but the relative effectiveness of the two techniques in the early stages of care is unknown. We therefore compared the FIB versus the 3-in-1 block in a randomised trial conducted in two UK emergency departments. ⋯ FIB is equivalent to the 3-in-1 block for immediate pain relief in adult neck of femur fractures.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Benztropine for the relief of acute non-traumatic neck pain (wry neck): a randomised trial.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of intra-muscular benztropine on pain and range of motion in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute, non-traumatic neck pain (wry neck). ⋯ Benztropine was ineffective for reducing pain or improving range of motion of the cervical spine in patients suffering from acute, non-traumatic neck pain, but frequently caused anticholinergic side effects. However, as the CI for the primary outcome included the minimum difference considered clinically significant, an important effect of benztropine cannot be ruled out.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Three-month outcome of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome using point-of-care cardiac troponin-T testing compared with laboratory-based cardiac troponin-T testing: a randomised trial.
The aim of this randomised trial was to determine clinical outcomes in patients suspected of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who had cardiac troponin-T measured by point-of-care (POC) compared with laboratory-based cardiac troponin-T testing. A secondary aim was to describe the correlation between the two troponin assays. ⋯ Among patients suspected of an ACS, we found no evidence for a difference in adverse outcome when POC troponin was used in comparison with laboratory troponin. Due to the small sample size, an absolute difference of up to 6% in adverse outcome is possible.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Does a single dose of intravenous dexamethasone reduce Symptoms in Emergency department patients with low Back pain and RAdiculopathy (SEBRA)? A double-blind randomised controlled trial.
To assess the effect of a single dose of intravenous dexamethasone in addition to routine treatment on visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores at 24 h in emergency department (ED) patients with low back pain with radiculopathy (LBPR). ⋯ In patients with LBPR, a single dose of intravenous dexamethasone in addition to routine management improved VAS pain scores at 24 h, but this effect was not statistically significant at 6 weeks. Dexamethasone may reduce EDLOS and can be considered as a safe adjunct to standard treatment.