Effect of blood pressure and total cholesterol measurement on risk prediction using the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE).

BACKGROUND: To compare the reproducibility in total cholesterol (TC), systolic blood pressure (BP), and the resulting Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) obtained by an in-office cardio-preventive screening program (SP) and a subsequent program performed in a clinical trial examination center (EP). METHODS: A total of 307 individuals (60.3% female, mean age = 52.8 years) participated. According to TC and BP measurements at the SP and EP, three variables were created: the SCORESP = single BP reading at the SP, the SCOREEP/BP-first = first BP reading at the EP, and the SCOREEP/BP-mean = mean second/third BP reading at the EP. Differences in TC and BP were analyzed. Associations between age, sex and mean differences between the SCORESP and the SCOREEP/BP-first (M1) and the SCOREEP/BP-mean (M2) were analyzed using multivariable linear and quantile regression. RESULTS: TC and BP values from the SP were significantly higher than those from the EP. Among individuals with a decreased SCORE value at the EP (compared to the SP), younger age was associated with a higher improvement in risk estimation compared with older age. Female sex was associated with higher risk improvement in the SCORE between the SP and the EP compared with male sex. Associations between both demographics and M1 (M2) achieved statistical significance at the 75.0th (50th) percentile. CONCLUSIONS: The reproducibility of results in cardiovascular risk prediction seems to be influenced by the accuracy of BP measurement. It seems that younger individuals and females are more likely to benefit from accuracy compared with older individuals and males.

Teaching distinguishing semiological features improves diagnostic accuracy of seizure-like events by emergency physicians.

BACKGROUND: Misdiagnosis of seizure-like events (SLE) in emergency situations is common. Here, we evaluate whether a single, video-based lesson highlighting distinguishing semiological features can improve the diagnostic accuracy of emergency physicians for epileptic seizures (ES), psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and syncopes (SY). METHODS: 40 emergency physicians (24 anesthetists, nine surgeons and seven internal medicine specialists by primary specialty) participated in a prospective trial on the diagnostic accuracy of SLE. They assessed video-displayed SLE at two time points: before and after a lecture on distinguishing semiological features. In the lecture, semiological features were demonstrated using patient videos, some were acted by the instructor in addition. The increase in correct diagnoses and recognition of distinguishing semiological features were analyzed. RESULTS: Before the lesson, 45% of 200 SLE-ratings were correct: 15% of SY (n = 40), 30% of PNES (n = 40), 59% of ES (n = 120, focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FBTCS) 87.5% (n = 40), focal impaired aware seizures (FIAS) 45% (n = 80)). Semiology teaching increased both the rate of correct diagnoses of SLE to overall 79% (p < 0.001) (ES 91% (p < 0.001), FBCTS 98% (n.s.), FIAS 88% (p < 0.001), PNES 88% (p < 0.001), SY 35% (p < 0.001)), and the number of recognized distinguishing semiological features. We identified several semiological features with high entity specific positive predictive values (> 0.8). CONCLUSIONS: A single 45-min video-based lesson highlighting distinguishing semiological features improves the diagnostic accuracy of ES, PNES and SY by emergency physicians. We expect that including this aspect into the curriculum of emergency physicians will lead to better individual patient treatment in pre-hospital medicine and more appropriate subsequent use of clinical resources.