Blog
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Sep 26 2017
Fluoroquinolones Cause Pseudotumor?
Fluoroquinolone antibiotics were associated with idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
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Sep 25 2017
Video on How to Tell Stroke vs. Mimic on Exam
The "upgoing thumb sign" can be used as part of a comprehensive neurological evaluation to help distinguish stroke mimic from actual stroke. It won't replace MRI, but it can be part of the neurological exam, just like we use the Babinski sign. One editorial from 1993 suggested calling it the Hachinski-Babinski, after the discover. Here's how to do it.
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Sep 23 2017
Wells Score Plus D-dimer for PE Rule-out
Patients in an ED setting with a low pretest probability based on the Wells score, and a negative D-dimer were safely ruled out for pulmonary embolism without further diagnostic imaging.
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Sep 22 2017
Does Delaying Appendectomy Cause Complications?
If a pediatric surgeon needs to delay appendectomy, you can reassure families this is a safe practice and will not increase the risk for adverse outcomes, like perforation.
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Sep 21 2017
Avoiding Adverse Events in Pediatric Sedation
This large multi-center prospective study of pediatric sedation found adverse events occurred in 12%, most mild desaturation or vomiting. Severe adverse events occurred in 1%. Ketamine given alone was the safest drug. Propofol alone, ketamine + fentanyl, or ketamine + propofol were associated with greater risk for severe adverse events.
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Sep 20 2017
Does This Child Have Pneumonia?
No clinical criteria were powerful diagnostic discriminators of the presence or absence of pneumonia in children, though some were fair. When in doubt, a CXR is probably warranted, with the exceptions of obvious bronchiolitis or asthma. Low SpO2 (</= 95 to 96%) or increased work of breathing were the best predictors of radiographic pneumonia in children; auscultatory findings and tachypnea were poor. You don't need a CXR if no cough, no fever, no tachypnea, and normal SpO2.
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Sep 19 2017
Avoid the ‘Roids – Steroids for Lower Respiratory Infection
Oral steroids were of no benefit for non-asthmatic patients with bronchitis.
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Sep 18 2017
Does Peds Damage Control Transfusion Help?
A high plasma to PRBC transfusion ratio (>/= 1:2) was not beneficial in pediatric massive trauma transfusion. But this study was different than adult studies of damage control resuscitation in that these children did not receive platelets
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Sep 16 2017
The ProCESS of Dismantling Early Goal-Directed Therapy
There was no mortality advantage to early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) over protocol-based care (using lactate clearance), or usual sepsis care.
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Sep 15 2017
Increased Mortality With Prehospital Intubation
Numerous observational studies have suggested that prehospital intubation (PHI) (in this case of trauma patients) was associated with greater mortality than when it was done in the ED, and this systematic review indicated the same thing.