#FOAMed

A May 2020 perspective on COVID-19, global health and emergency medicine. International examples explore inequality, disrupted services and humanitarian pressures, while lessons from Ebola responses show how learning can flow into the NHS as well as outward, with community engagement and reciprocal support at its centre.

Can an undetectable high-sensitivity troponin, a non-ischaemic ECG and clinical assessment speed safe discharge for chest pain? This 2020 LoDED trial appraisal examines its inconclusive primary comparison, variation in usual care and the limits of the safety data, keeping clinical judgement central.

The recording and reading list from the 12 May 2020 COVID-19 journal club, with Lauren Westafer and Ellie Hothershall. The panel considers public health interventions, anticoagulation research, vaccine development, antibody testing, healthcare worker screening and the acceptability of contact-tracing apps.

Ten early COVID-19 papers reviewed in May 2020, covering respiratory support, ST elevation, testing, coagulation and transmission precautions. The team weighs small studies and emerging hypotheses, including chloroquine safety concerns, to show what was known and what remained uncertain.

Justin Morgenstern joins the 5 May 2020 COVID-19 journal club for a discussion of viral shedding and transmission. The webinar and edited podcast also consider protective precautions, remdesivir, convalescent plasma, renin–angiotensin system drugs and early UK hospital cohort data.

Dan Horner reviews the 2020 NICE guidance on diagnosing and managing venous thromboembolism. The article discusses PERC, age-adjusted D-dimer, outpatient pulmonary embolism care and anticoagulant choices, including cancer-associated VTE, with attention to patient selection, bleeding risk and questions outside the guideline's scope.