Does cooling during cardiac arrest improve outcomes, or simply lower temperature? This 2014 appraisal examines a small randomised trial of intra-arrest hypothermia, questioning patient selection, statistical power and surrogate outcomes, while separating the cooling headlines around London’s ‘cool car’ from its broader package of advanced resuscitation care.
Emergency Department Management
Why does accurate emergency department coding matter beyond hospital income? This 2014 podcast introduction explains the English payment system used at the time and how incomplete records can distort accounts of the care patients receive, encouraging clinicians to record investigations, treatment and discharge information carefully.
Rick Body examines NICE’s 2014 recommendations on high-sensitivity troponin testing for early exclusion of NSTEMI. The article and podcast explain the guidance’s limited assay-specific scope, the distinction between excluding infarction and deciding on discharge, and the practical challenge of fitting repeat testing into emergency department workflows.
A 2014 review of button battery ingestion and insertion in children, with an accompanying podcast. Natalie May explains why these small objects deserve particular attention, discussing unwitnessed events, radiographic clues, complications that may appear after removal and the importance of clear advice to parents.
Emergency Department Management
During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, emergency physician Sarah Payne puts practical questions to an infectious diseases and virology clinician. Their discussion explores UK preparedness, simulation, travel history, protective equipment and staff exposure, recording the concerns and guidance of that outbreak rather than current operational advice.
A critical response to NICE’s 2014 acute heart failure guidance, questioning whether varied presentations can be treated as one condition. The author examines the evidence behind diuretics, nitrates and non-invasive ventilation, and argues for clearer definitions and research that better reflects the sickest emergency department patients.
Practical perspectives on trauma care and team leadership.
Explore the series →