New Aortic Disease Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management
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This summary of clinical guideline updates for the diagnosis and management of aortic diseases includes recommendation changes surrounding the importance of multidisciplinary care teams and referral to centers with higher case volumes when feasible for potentially better outcomes, transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) at time of transthoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA), and updated aneurysm size recommendations for repair, to name a few. Keep reading for more details!
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Diagnosis and Management of Aortic Diseases. JAMA. 2023 Dec 21;331(4):352-353. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.23668.
How do We Avoid the Aortic Landmines?
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In this large multicenter observational cohort study, 0.3% of patients presenting with potential acute aortic syndrome (AAS) symptoms ended up having AAS. Clinician gestalt outperformed the available clinical decision rules (CDRs).
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Diagnosis of Acute Aortic Syndrome in the Emergency Department (DAShED) study: an observational cohort study of people attending the emergency department with symptoms consistent with acute aortic syndrome. Emerg Med J. 2024;41(3):136-144. Published 2024 Feb 20.
Golden Years, Hidden Dangers – Blunt Head Trauma in the Elderly
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This study demonstrated that patients 65 years and older with blunt head trauma are at high risk of significant traumatic brain injuries and poor outcomes even with low-risk mechanisms of injury such as ground level falls and no other high-risk criteria besides advanced age. These findings suggest routine head CT imaging may be helpful for elderly patients with head trauma as clinical assessment may not identify patients with significant pathology.
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Blunt Head Injury in the Elderly: Analysis of the NEXUS II Injury Cohort. Ann Emerg Med. 2024 Feb 9:S0196-0644(24)00003-9. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2024.01.003. Online ahead of print.
What is the Yield of Abdominal X-ray in Suspected Intussusception?
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In this retrospective trial of pediatric patients with suspected intussusception, abdominal radiographs occasionally identify alternate clinical diagnoses.
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Yield of abdominal radiographs in children with suspected intussusception; rate of pneumoperitoneum and other abdominal pathology. Am J Emerg Med. Published online December 22, 2023.
Watch Metal Objects Fly in MRI
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While this humorous BMJ article has some excellent tongue-in-cheek acronyms, it also demonstrates some real dangers of bringing ferromagnetic objects into the MRI environment. Don't miss the online video of these objects hurtling toward the magnet! See below.
Grandma MIGHT Have Hit Her Head…CT or Not?
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Overall rates of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in patients >65 years of age with either definite or uncertain head trauma were found to be 11.4% and 1.7%, respectively, leading these authors to recommend head CT imaging on all geriatric patients presenting with possible head trauma.
How Accurate Is an US + Fast MRI Pediatric Appendicitis Protocol?
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After a non-diagnostic screening ultrasound for appendicitis, a rapid-MRI has high clinical accuracy in establishing the appropriate diagnosis (appendicitis or not) in a pediatric patient population.
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Properties of ultrasound-rapid MRI clinical diagnostic pathway in suspected pediatric appendicitis. Am J Emerg Med. 2023 Sep;71:217-224. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2023.06.026. Epub 2023 Jun 16.
Should We Do Brain Imaging on Suspected Infective Endocarditis Patients?
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Among patients with infective endocarditis (IE), 39% of neurologically "asymptomatic" patients had a cerebral embolic event (CEE) on neuroimaging, and a new surgical indication was established in 19% of these cases. CEEs were seen in 73% of neurologically symptomatic patients. But there were some issues with this study...
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Role of Cerebral Imaging on Diagnosis and Management in Patients With Suspected Infective Endocarditis. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Aug 14;77(3):371-379. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciad192.
New ACEP Clinical Policy on Mild TBI
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ACEP has issued an updated Clinical Policy to provide evidence-based guidelines for management of adult patients presenting to the ED with mild traumatic brain injury based on systematic review of available literature.
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Clinical Policy: Critical Issues in Management of Adult Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Ann Emerg Med. 2023 May; 81(5): e63-e105. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.01.014.
How Accurate is Physician Gestalt in Estimating Abdomen/Pelvis Injury In Blunt Trauma?
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In this prospective observational study of patients undergoing CT imaging of the abdomen/pelvis for blunt trauma, gestalt among Emergency Medicine residents/attendings and General Surgery residents was moderately accurate but not sufficiently sensitive to rule out clinically significant injuries when the acceptable miss rate was set at 2%.
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Accuracy of physician gestalt in prediction of significant abdominal and pelvic injury in adult blunt trauma patients [published online ahead of print, 2023 Jun 26]. Acad Emerg Med. 2023;10.1111/acem.14768. doi:10.1111/acem.14768.