How strong was the evidence behind major transfusion protocols in trauma? This 2013 journal club examines a systematic review and meta-analysis, exploring before-and-after study bias, variation between protocols and why a statistically inconclusive pooled result may leave an important clinical question unresolved.
JC: Major Transfusion Protocols – evidence or lack of? St.Emlyn’s Read More
A 2013 reflection on resuscitating patients with suspected recreational drug-induced hyperthermia when the history is incomplete. It explores diagnostic uncertainty, cooling, complications and difficult airway decisions, emphasising the limits of the evidence and the role of specialist poisons advice.
JC: Recreational drug induced hyperthermia. St.Emlyn’s Read More
Can one CT scan reliably investigate coronary artery disease, pulmonary embolism and aortic dissection in patients with chest pain? This 2013 review of triple rule-out CT examines diagnostic accuracy, patient selection and reference standards, asking whether the evidence establishes a meaningful benefit for emergency patients.
JC: Triple Rule Out CT – are the rays worth it? St.Emlyn’s Read More
How safe is propofol sedation when delivered by emergency physicians? This 2013 journal club reviews a single-centre audit of 1,008 cases, distinguishing transient adverse events from lasting harm and considering how training, supervision and patient selection affect the relevance of its findings elsewhere.
JC: ED physicians are not Propofol Assassins – St.Emlyn’s Read More
Does prehospital fluid resuscitation improve survival after trauma? This 2013 journal club challenges the interpretation of an observational study, examining the difference between its headline, unadjusted mortality figures and adjusted analysis, alongside selection bias and uncertainty from a small sample.
JC: PROMMT Pre-hospital fluids for trauma – do they improve survival? Read More
Could nebulised hypertonic saline prevent admission for infants with bronchiolitis? This 2013 journal club examines a Cochrane review, separating findings in hospitalised children from the smaller emergency and outpatient studies, and highlighting the uncertainty around admission avoidance.
JC: Hypertonic Saline for Bronchiolitis. St.Emlyn’s Read More
Do we judge evidence for a new device differently from evidence for a new drug? Following a 2013 debate about video laryngoscopy, this reflection examines enthusiasm, prior beliefs and patient outcomes, arguing for consistent standards when assessing clinical technologies.
JC: If the Video Laryngoscope was stroke thrombolysis……. St.Emlyn’s Read More
A 2013 journal club examines a randomised trial comparing GlideScope video laryngoscopy with direct laryngoscopy in trauma patients. It considers survival, uncertainty around a small head-injury subgroup and whether results from a specialist trauma centre apply across emergency medicine.
JC: Video Layngoscopy – Did Video kill the Laryngoscope star? Read More
