A December 2020 appraisal of PRIEST’s evaluation of risk scores in emergency department patients with suspected COVID-19. It examines the balance between sensitivity and specificity, differences between predicting death and organ support, and why the population in which a score is tested matters.
Risk stratification in the ED for COVID19 patients: The PRIEST study. St Emlyn’s Read More
Before the fuller tocilizumab trial reports, Dan Horner examined the conflicting evidence available in December 2020. This appraisal considers biological plausibility, early REMAP-CAP announcements, adverse effects and the difficulty of discussing an experimental treatment when media coverage runs ahead of the data.
Tocilizumaybe? Immune modulation in COVID-19 Read More
A November 2020 appraisal of the PLACID convalescent plasma trial in moderately unwell hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in India. It explores the lack of demonstrated clinical benefit, variation in usual care and antibody levels, and why larger trials were still needed.
JC: Convalescent plasma in COVID 19 patients. Read More
A November 2020 introduction to the first CODA Zero online sessions. The post highlights global perspectives on sepsis and COVID-19, alongside a discussion of gender equality that moves from recognising problems to ideas for action within the healthcare community.
CODA Zero episodes now open access. Read More
Drawing on Simon Mardel’s outbreak experience, this November 2020 article examines infection control during the second COVID-19 wave. It considers crowding, fatigue, workplace hierarchy and the systems needed to help staff protect patients and colleagues, rather than relying on individual vigilance alone.
Why infection control failures might kill your patients and colleagues. St Emlyn’s Read More
Dan Horner revisits the evidence on venous thromboembolism in COVID-19 as it stood in October 2020. The review examines how screening and case selection affect reported clot rates, the distinction between different thrombotic findings, and uncertainty around risk prediction and higher-dose anticoagulation.
VTE and COVID-19: Would you like to know more? Read More
A September 2020 appraisal of the ISARIC 4C mortality score for hospitalised patients with COVID-19. It explains model development and internal validation, then examines methodological concerns, access to required tests and the limits of applying a UK inpatient score in other settings.
JC: ISARIC. Possibly The Best COVID-19 Risk Prediction Tool To Date Read More
A September 2020 appraisal of REMAP-CAP’s hydrocortisone results in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Dan Horner and Simon Carley explain adaptive trials, Bayesian analysis and organ support outcomes, weighing the findings against early stopping, treatment crossover and the wider corticosteroid evidence.
The ‘Roid’ to Recovery? REMAP-CAP @ St Emlyn’s Read More
