Trending Articles
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Non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as lockdowns, have had a large effect on reducing coronavirus transmission through European countries.
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Anti-contagion policies such as lockdowns averted roughly 530 million coronavirus infections across China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, France and the US.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of mental rotation skills training on ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia task performance by novice operators: a rater-blinded, randomised, controlled study.
Mental three-dimensional rotation training is associated with improved ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia technical skills.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effects of extended-release metoprolol succinate in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery (POISE trial): a randomised controlled trial.
POISE showed that for every 1000 patients receiving metoprolol, 15 were prevented from suffering a myocardial infract, 3 from requiring cardiac revascularization along with 7 new cases of atrial fibrillation, but at a cost of causing an excess 8 deaths, 5 strokes, 53 hypotensive events and 42 episodes of bradycardia.
The harm associated with perioperative beta-blockade, at least in the form of non-titrated extended-release metoprolol, is greater than the demonstrated benefit. For every two cases of myocardial infract avoided there is one excess death.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2020
Meta AnalysisPersonal protective equipment for preventing highly infectious diseases due to exposure to contaminated body fluids in healthcare staff.
This is the second update to Verbeek et al.'s 2016 Cochrane Review of personal protective equipment (PPE) for preventing infections in healthcare workers (HCW). The prior update was in July 2019.
What's worth knowing?
Overall most studies of PPE efficacy are of low quality and offer a low certainty of conclusions. Caveat emptor...
- Powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) with coverall may be more protective than N95 masks and gown (RR 0.27), but create unique donning challenges.
- Long-gowns may be better than a coverall, but are also more difficult to doff. Gowns are better than aprons. Better sealing, fitting, and one-piece removal at gown-glove interfaces and closer fit around the neck may reduce exposure.
- Double-gloving may reduce exposure.
- Better training, computer simulation, video lectures, following CDC protocols, and spoken instruction may improve donning and doffing compliance.