Latest posts

A 2015 review of acute otitis media in children, exploring diagnosis, pain relief and the balance of benefits and harms from antibiotics. The article discusses immediate, delayed and no-antibiotic approaches, communication with families and the importance of recognising unwell children, complications and additional risk factors.

Which balance of plasma, platelets and red cells should be used in major traumatic haemorrhage? This 2015 appraisal of the PROPPR trial examines mortality, haemostasis and deaths from bleeding, considering study power and the practical challenges of interpreting the results for transfusion protocols.

Karim Brohi discusses vascular injury in a short podcast recorded at the 2014 London Trauma Conference. The accompanying introduction highlights recognising the ischaemic injured limb, questioning assumptions about hard and soft signs, and the role of interventional radiology in major trauma care.

Could an automated blood test make the original MACS chest pain rule practical to use? This 2015 research update explains validation with a new heart-type fatty acid binding protein assay, how the rule was recalibrated and why testing its effects in clinical practice was the next step.

Iain Beardsell talks with Mark Wilson about GoodSAM at the London Trauma Conference. Published in 2015, this podcast post builds on the app’s original aim of alerting nearby trained responders to emergencies, with links to its introduction and related prehospital teaching.

Why is ‘I don’t know’ so hard to say? Drawing on Think Like a Freak, this reflection explores intellectual humility, curiosity, reframing problems and seeking useful feedback, asking how ideas from outside medicine can help emergency clinicians recognise their limits and approach difficult decisions differently.