Diagnostic Help For Dizziness? The TriAGe+ Score
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This retrospective validation study at a single site in Hong Kong found the TriAGe+ score for vertigo or dizziness would have performed reasonably well for risk-stratifying patients who presented to their ED for dizziness or vertigo when evaluating for acute stroke or TIA.
Source
The TriAGe + score for vertigo or dizziness: A validation study in a university hospital emergency department in Hong Kong. Am J Emerg Med. 2024 Mar;77:39-45. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2023.10.055. Epub 2023 Nov 10. PMID: 38096638.
Pediatric Sinusitis – Plain Amoxicillin or Amoxicillin-Clavulanate?
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For pediatric patients with acute sinusitis, amoxicillin-clavulanate does not offer treatment benefit over amoxicillin alone and is more likely to be associated with gastrointestinal (GI) side effects and yeast infections than amoxicillin.
Source
Treatment Failure and Adverse Events After Amoxicillin-Clavulanate vs Amoxicillin for Pediatric Acute Sinusitis. JAMA. 2023 Sep 19;330(11):1064-1073. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.15503.
POCUS for the PTA
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While it doesn’t have great specificity, the sensitivity of ultrasound makes it a viable first step in making the diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess.
Source
Test characteristics of ultrasound for the diagnosis of peritonsillar abscess: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Acad Emerg Med. 2023 Aug;30(8):859-869. doi: 10.1111/acem.14660. Epub 2023 Jan 30.
What Children, If Any, Benefit from Antibiotics for Sinusitis?
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Children with persistent or worsening rhinosinusitis experienced a modest improvement in symptoms when given amoxicillin-clavulanate vs. placebo.
Source
Identifying Children Likely to Benefit From Antibiotics for Acute Sinusitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2023;330(4):349-358. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.10854
Guidelines for Reasonable and Appropriate Care in the Emergency Department 3 (GRACE-3) – Acute Dizziness and Vertigo in the Emergency Department
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The GRACE-3 group (SAEM) provides us with a guideline based on their review we covered previously with the evidence for evaluating and managing adult patients presenting to emergency departments for acute dizziness. Emergency clinicians need additional training in physical exam techniques related to acute dizziness in order to perform them effectively, which should be a specialty-wide goal for the future.
Source
Guidelines for reasonable and appropriate care in the emergency department 3 (GRACE-3): Acute dizziness and vertigo in the emergency department. Acad Emerg Med. 2023 May;30(5):442-486. doi: 10.1111/acem.14728.
I’m Still STANDING – Can this New Algorithm Distinguish Peripheral vs Central Vertigo?
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After a training session, both interns and senior emergency providers (EPs) could accurately distinguish between central and peripheral vertigo using the 4-step STANDING algorithm.
Source
Effectiveness and reliability of the 4-step STANDING algorithm performed by emergency interns and seniors for predicting central causes of vertigo. Acad Emerg Med. 2023 Jan 11. doi: 10.1111/acem.14659. Online ahead of print.
Exam Accuracy for Vertigo – HINTS for New SAEM Guidelines
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A general neurological exam has low sensitivity but high specificity for stroke in acute dizziness or vertigo. No modality is more sensitive than a HINTS exam by a trained provider.
Source
Diagnostic accuracy of the physical exam in emergency department patients with acute vertigo or dizziness: Systematic review and meta-analysis for GRACE-3. Acad Emerg Med. 2022 Dec 1. doi: 10.1111/acem.14630. Online ahead of print.
What’s the Best Treatment for Peripheral Vertigo?
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Vestibular suppressant medications in peripheral vertigo were not associated with symptom resolution, decrease in repeat ED visits, patient satisfaction, or increased quality of life. The authors suggest that positional maneuvers, such as the Epley maneuver, should be the primary treatment for BPPV.
Source
Vestibular suppressants for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Acad Emerg Med. 2022 Oct 21. doi: 10.1111/acem.14608. Online ahead of print.
Do Otic Quinolones Increase Risk of Achilles Tendon Rupture?
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Otic quinolones (OQ) were associated with an increased risk of Achilles tendon rupture and all-type tendon rupture, but this was rare. Even with this risk, sometimes an OQ is still the right choice.
Source
Quinolone Ear Drops and Achilles Tendon Rupture. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Sep 6;ciac709. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac709. Online ahead of print.
TXA for Epistaxis Just Can’t Make up its Mind
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This single center, double blinded, randomized control trial of 240 patients demonstrated several positive outcomes with addition of tranexamic acid (TXA) to standard therapy.
Source
Intranasal Topical Application of Tranexamic Acid in Atraumatic Anterior Epistaxis: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2022 Jun 22;S0196-0644(22)00247-5. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2022.04.010. Online ahead of print.