Posts filed under EBM

Complications of Central Venous Catheters

We review the recent randomized-controlled trial by Parienti et al in the New England Journal of Medicine which sought to determine the complication rate of central venous catheters (CVC) at the 3 primary sites of insertion. 

Journal Club: Coronary CT Angiography Versus Traditional Care

Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) has shown promise in three major randomized controlled trials evaluating its safety in risk-stratifying low- to intermediate-risk patients. Additionally, CCTA-based screening was shown to increase rate of discharge directly from the ED, and decreased length of stay. The study discussed in this Journal Club Review contributes to the growing body of evidence regarding use of  CCTA and its role in screening patients with lower risk chest pain. 

Journal Club: Ketamine Versus Morphine for Pain Control

Ketamine has recently gained popularity amongst emergency physicians, and discussions about its efficacy and safety continue to shape practice in emergency medicine. Specifically in this post we will look at a recent article regarding sub-dissociative Ketamine for acute pain management in the emergency department.

Posted on February 16, 2016 and filed under Pain Management, EBM.

The Utility of D-Dimer in Non-Traumatic Aortic Dissection

Acute aortic dissection is a potentially catastrophic cardiovascular disease, and is a somewhat rare but exceedingly important diagnosis to make. A low-risk, cost-efficient diagnostic test with the ability to reliably exclude this disease would be useful. Is the D-dimer that test?