Natalie May shares notes from day two of the 2021 Paediatric Emergencies Colloquium. The sessions cover paediatric pain management and sedation, acute respiratory distress syndrome and toxicology, combining conference learning with her own clinical reflections.
How reliably do symptoms and examination findings identify cauda equina compression? This 2021 appraisal reviews a retrospective MRI cohort, questioning the diagnostic value of digital rectal examination while explaining why individual findings and a single-centre study cannot safely settle the diagnosis.
Re-evaluating risk factors for Cauda Equina Read More
Paediatric dental trauma, metabolic emergencies and vaping feature in Natalie May’s notes from day one of the 2021 Paediatric Emergencies Colloquium. She draws out practical learning points from the virtual meeting and reflects on their relevance to emergency care.
Does extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal make lower-volume ventilation safer or more effective? This 2021 review of the REST trial examines 90-day mortality, adverse events and the uncertainty left by early stopping in patients with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure.
JC: The REST trial. St Emlyn’s Read More
A 2021 appraisal of early CT coronary angiography for patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome. It examines a UK randomised trial’s patient outcomes, use of invasive angiography and limitations, asking whether routine CTCA is justified in this selected population.
JC: CTCA for cardiac chest pain in the ED. St Emlyn’s Read More
Simon Carley’s selection of ten trauma papers for the 2021 Trauma Care UK conference spans haemorrhage control, airway intervention and traumatic brain injury. The review considers what the findings add to practice and where trial design or uncertainty limits their interpretation.
Top 10 Trauma Papers for Trauma UK conference. 2020-2021. St Emyln’s Read More
Does fluid choice affect outcomes in intensive care? This 2021 appraisal of BaSICS compares Plasma-Lyte with 0.9% saline, examining 90-day mortality, infusion rates and subgroup findings while cautioning against generalising to every balanced solution or patient setting.
JC: The BASICS trial. 0.9% saline vs balanced solution. Does it matter? Read More
An August 2021 appraisal of the RECOVERY-RS preprint comparing CPAP, high-flow nasal oxygen and conventional oxygen for COVID-19 respiratory failure. It separates the findings on intubation from those on mortality and examines early stopping, crossover and possible treatment-decision bias.
JC: Non-invasive ventilation for COVID 19 patients. The Recovery RS trial. St Emlyn’s Read More
