Articles: sensitivity-specificity.
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Brain midline shift (MLS) is a life-threatening condition that requires urgent diagnosis and treatment. We aimed to validate bedside assessment of MLS with Transcranial Sonography (TCS) in neurosurgical ICU patients by comparing it to CT. ⋯ This study suggests that TCS could detect MLS with reasonable accuracy in neurosurgical ICU patients and that it could serve as a bedside tool to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment for patients with a significant intracranial mass effect.
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To determine Internal Medicine residency program compliance with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 80% pass-rate standard and the correlation between residency program size and performance on the American Board of Internal Medicine Certifying Examination. ⋯ Although a majority of Internal Medicine residency programs complied with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education pass-rate standards, a quarter of the programs failed to meet this requirement. Program size is positively but weakly associated with American Board of Internal Medicine Certifying Examination performance, suggesting other unidentified variables significantly contribute to program performance.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2014
Procalcitonin to Predict Bacterial Coinfection in Infants With Acute Bronchiolitis: A Preliminary Analysis.
The aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary analysis of serum procalcitonin (PCT) to predict bacterial coinfection in infants with acute bronchiolitis. ⋯ An elevated PCT may assist clinicians in determining presence of bacterial coinfection at admission in infants with acute bronchiolitis. Implementation of a PCT cutoff of 1.5 ng/mL at admission may prevent unnecessary antibiotic use with associated cost savings. Serial PCT levels may increase sensitivity. Further validation is warranted.
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The purpose of the study was to verify the efficacy of using internal jugular vein (IJV) size and distensibility as a reliable index of fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients with sepsis. ⋯ IJV distensibility is an accurate, easily acquired non-invasive parameter of fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated septic patients with performance similar to PPV. The combined use of IJV distensibility with left-sided indexes of fluid responsiveness improves their predictive value.
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Ulus Travma Acil Cer · Jan 2014
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of acute appendicitis.
Accurately diagnosing appendicitis can be difficult. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the ability of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict acute appendicitis pre-operatively and to differentiate between simple and complicated appendicitis. ⋯ We suggest that preoperative NLR is a useful parameter to aid in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and differentiate between simple and complicated appendicitis, and can be used as an adjunct to the clinical examination.