How can emergency departments reduce delays for patients who need transfer for primary PCI? This 2015 account of Manchester’s DIDO-30 project examines early ECG recording, recognition and escalation, with practical ideas for improving pathways through staff feedback, shared responsibility and rehearsing the whole process.
Good times part 1: DIDO-30 for STEMI Read More
Can a trauma team leader’s early judgement predict which patients will need massive transfusion? Simon Carley examines a 2015 study comparing clinical gestalt with scoring systems, questioning the outcome definition, selection of patients and the limits of relying on a single early assessment.
Guess or Gestalt in Major Trauma at St.Emlyn’s Read More
What changes when the simulated patient is a person rather than a mannequin? After playing a patient at SWEETs 2015, Natalie May reflects on explanations, emotional needs and patient feedback, alongside the educational benefits of clinician actors and the responsibility to protect their comfort and safety.
The SWEETest Sim – Real People, High Fidelity at #SWEETs15 Read More
What can trauma teams learn from elite rowing? In this interview from the 2014 London Trauma Conference, Tom Evens discusses high performance as a process and culture, connecting mental rehearsal, simulation, coaching and learning from successes and failures with preparation for work in the resuscitation room.
Trauma: An Elite Sport? Tom Evens at the London Trauma Conference 2014 Read More
A guide to the changes introduced in the 2015 APLS trauma update, with an accompanying podcast. Simon Carley discusses haemorrhage control, cervical spine management, vascular access, imaging and pain relief, alongside implications for instructors and areas where contemporary guidance differed.
New kids on the block. 2015 APLS trauma updates. Read More
Iain Beardsell and Simon Carley discuss opioid overdose in this 2015 podcast and written review. They examine recognition beyond stereotyped presentations, resuscitation, the challenges of naloxone reversal and ongoing monitoring, while also considering co-ingestion, complications and patients’ wider mental health and social needs.
Opiate Overdose in the Emergency Department Read More
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.
Save Yourself Earache – Antibiotics and Otitis Media in the ED Read More
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.
The MACS rule: a new user-friendly version Read More
