Cardiology

How do T-MACS, HEART, TIMI and EDACS compare with a troponin-only strategy for suspected cardiac chest pain? This review examines a multicentre study using one high-sensitivity troponin I assay, balancing diagnostic sensitivity and rule-out efficiency against missing data and limits to generalisability.

Simon Carley reports from the European Resuscitation Council meeting in Slovenia in 2019. Alongside reflections on early recognition, CPR and defibrillation, the post includes a conference podcast and discussion of the continuing debate over temperature management after cardiac arrest.

Simon Carley selects papers from 2018–2019 for his RCEM conference talk, explaining why they might influence emergency medicine practice. Topics include paediatric seizures, cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism in pregnancy, with links to fuller appraisals of the studies.

How do diagnostic decisions shape emergency care and hospital admission? This St Emlyn’s Live video and podcast introduces the future of diagnostics, placing the importance of making a diagnosis at the centre of the discussion.

Must stable patients with recent-onset atrial fibrillation undergo immediate cardioversion? This 2019 appraisal compares early cardioversion with a rate-control and delayed approach, examining a non-inferiority trial’s outcomes, spontaneous conversion and the questions it leaves about complications and practical care.

The March 2019 podcast round-up looks back across the St Emlyn’s blog. Its linked reading ranges from adult congenital heart disease and selected trauma papers to responsible overseas volunteering, the interpretation of p-values and reports from the SMACC conference.