Can levels of neuron-specific enolase be used in the diagnostic workup of possible cauda equina syndrome?

A shortcut review of the literature was carried out to examine whether the measurement of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) can be used as a marker to exclude spinal cord, cauda equina or other significant spinal nerve root compression. 132 papers were found of which 4 included data on patients relevant to the clinical question, these are discussed in the paper. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of the best papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that to date there is no evidence to suggest that measurement of NSE would be beneficial in clinical practice to rule out compression.

Sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block for symptomatic relief of acute migraine.

A shortcut review of the literature was conducted to examine whether administering a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block provides symptomatic relief in adult patients with acute migraine. 381 papers were found of which 4 included data on patients relevant to the specific clinical question, these are discussed in the paper. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of the best papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that to date there is not enough evidence that a SPG block is likely to provide sustained symptomatic relief of acute migraine in the emergency setting. Further work is needed to establish if it can provide benefit for this patient group.

Crowned Dens Syndrome-Pseudogout of the Neck.

This is a case report of a patient who presented with neck pain and intermittent pyrexia as a manifestation of pseudogout of the neck.

BET 1: High-flow nasal oxygen therapy in bronchiolitis.

A shortcut review was carried out to establish whether high-flow nasal oxygen was better than standard oxygen therapy in infants with signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis at reducing the need for escalation of therapy. Three papers presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. It is concluded that high-flow nasal oxygen has a role in the management of bronchiolitis and may reduce the need for escalation of therapy with patients with bronchiolitis under the age of 1 year.

Retrospective validation of the pulmonary embolism rule-out criteria rule in 'PE unlikely' patients with suspected pulmonary embolism.

INTRODUCTION: Patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) can be risk stratified and those who are deemed to be at low risk for PE usually undergo D-dimer testing. A negative D-dimer in this low-risk group rules out PE with a high degree of certainty because of its high sensitivity. The D-dimer is, however, a poorly specific test and positive results often lead to unnecessary radiological imaging (notably computed tomography pulmonary angiography). The Pulmonary Embolism Rule-Out Criteria (PERC) rule has been suggested as an alternative to D-dimer testing in these patients. This study looked at whether the PERC rule could safely replace the use of D-dimer in patients suspected of PE, but deemed 'PE unlikely' by the dichotomized Wells score in a UK ED setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective review of 986 patients with suspected PE who had a blood sample for D-dimer level taken. In patients deemed 'PE unlikely' (using the dichotomized Wells score), the diagnostic performance of the PERC rule was compared with a standard D-dimer level in the detection of PE at index presentation and up to 3 months afterwards. RESULTS: Of the 986 patients, 940 patients were deemed 'PE unlikely' using the dichotomized Wells score. Three patients with confirmed PE would have been missed by the PERC rule compared with only one missed by the D-dimer test. In these patients, the sensitivity of the PERC rule for detecting PE was 91.4% [95% confidence interval (CI): 76.9-98.2%], with a negative likelihood ratio of 0.25 (95% CI: 0.08-0.73). However, the negative predictive value of the PERC rule was 99.1% (95% CI: 97.3-99.8%). In comparison, the sensitivity for the standard D-dimer test was 97.1% (95% CI: 85.1-99.9%), with a negative likelihood ratio of 0.04 (95% CI: 0.01-0.27). The negative predictive value for the standard D-dimer test was 99.8% (95% CI: 99.2-100%). CONCLUSION: The PERC rule has a high negative predictive value for excluding PE in patients presenting with suspected PE to the ED. However, the PERC rule may still miss around 8% of confirmed PE in patients who are deemed 'PE unlikely' by a dichotomized Wells score. Caution is advised in using the PERC rule as a substitute for the standard D-dimer test in all these patients.

Can an age-adjusted D-dimer level be adopted in managing venous thromboembolism in the emergency department? A retrospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Patients suspected of having venous thromboembolism (VTE), with a low pretest probability, undergo D-dimer testing. A negative D-dimer, in a low-risk patient rules out VTE with a high degree of certainty because of its high sensitivity. It is, however, a poorly specific test, and the absolute value increases with age. The aim of this study was to establish whether an age-adjusted D-dimer could be safely used instead of a standard cut-off level in low-risk patients over the age of 50 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective review of 1649 patients with suspected VTE whose D-dimer levels were analysed. In low-risk patients (defined as 'VTE unlikely' using the dichotomized Wells' scores), the outcomes in terms of confirmed VTE diagnosis, hospital admission and investigations using an age-adjusted D-dimer level (measured in D-dimer units) of 5× the age for patients over 50 years of age and 250 ng/ml for patients younger than 50 years of age, was compared with the cut-off standard level (230 ng/ml in all patients). RESULTS: Of the total group of patients in the VTE unlikely group, the proportion of patients with a negative D-dimer when using the standard cut-off was 64.9% (859/1324). A further 130 patients had a negative D-dimer when the age-adjusted cut-off was used, increasing the proportion of all patients in whom VTE could be excluded without imaging to 74.7% (989/1324).For those patients of 75 years or older, the proportion of patients in whom VTE could be excluded without imaging increased from only 91/242 (37.6%) when using the standard D-dimer cut-off to 154/242 (63.6%) when the age-adjusted cut-off was used.These changes occurred without any additional false-negative findings. CONCLUSION: For patients over the age of 50 years suspected of having VTE with a low pretest probability, increasing the D-dimer cut-off level to 5× the age increases the proportion of patients in whom VTE can safely be excluded without radiological imaging.

Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. BET 2: Should we use an age adjusted D-dimer threshold in managing low risk patients with suspected pulmonary embolism?

A shortcut review was carried out to establish whether a higher age related threshold can be used when using d-dimer as a rule out test for pulmonary embolism. 29 papers were found of which 13 presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that in older patients suspected of having a Pulmonary Embolus (PE), with a low pretest possibility, an age-adjusted D-dimer increases specificity with minimal change in the sensitivity, thereby increasing the number of patients who can be safely discharged without further investigations.

Best evidence topic reports. BET 2: Are patients who have used chewing gum at an increased risk of aspiration during sedation?

A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether patients who have chewed gum are at increased risk of aspiration during sedation. Twenty-nine papers were found, of which six presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that patients who have chewed gum in the past 6 h may theoretically be at increased risk of aspiration. This should be considered when making a balanced decision about the use of procedural sedation.