What matters more in a fluid trial: haemodynamic targets or outcomes that matter to patients? This 2012 appraisal of CRYSTMAS examines hydroxyethyl starch versus saline in severe sepsis, questioning the analysis population, clinical relevance of the primary outcome and interpretation of mortality findings.
Journal ClubEvidence-Based Medicine
How quickly does oral dexamethasone improve mild to moderate croup? This 2012 journal club examines a small randomised trial, questioning the clinical importance of early score changes, patient selection and statistical methods, with further teaching on blinding and intention-to-treat analysis.
Journal ClubEvidence-Based Medicine
If medical publishing changes, do we still need journal clubs? This short introduction argues that critical appraisal matters just as much for blogs and other online evidence, and points readers towards practical advice for making an emergency medicine journal club useful.
Could the ADAPT protocol identify chest-pain patients suitable for earlier discharge? This 2012 appraisal examines its combination of risk scoring and serial troponin testing, then questions symptom timing, external validation, assay choice and how many patients might actually avoid further investigation.
Journal ClubEvidence-Based Medicine
How should the early risks of stroke thrombolysis be weighed against later functional outcomes? This 2012 journal club debates IST-3, contrasting early mortality and bleeding with six-month survival and independence, and examining how the trial's results are presented and interpreted.
Journal ClubEvidence-Based Medicine
Why can a correct answer still lose marks in a critical-appraisal exam? In this 2012 guide to the former FCEM format, Simon Carley discusses reading the question, practising with papers, explaining statistics clearly and constructing an abstract whose objectives, results and conclusions fit together.
Practical perspectives on trauma care and team leadership.
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