Updates

Dental abscesses

by

Some additional information about dental abscesses has been added to the Odontogenic pain page, with particular reference to the important role of drainage and lack of utility of antibiotics with or without drainage.

Icatibant in ACE induced angioedema

by

Some additional  information about the efficacy of icatibant in patients with ACE induced angioedema has been added to the Angioedema page. Bas, M, Greve, J, Stelter, K, et al. A randomized trial of icatibant in ACE-inhibitor-induced angioedema. N Engl J Med 2015;372(5):418-25. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25629740.

Medical expulsive therapy for calculi 5-10mm diameter

by

The section on medical expulsive therapy on the Renal calculi page has been revised to include the potential benefit of MET in stones 5-10mm in diameter. Furyk, JS, Chu, K, Banks, C, et al. Distal Ureteric Stones and Tamsulosin: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Multicenter Trial. Annals of Emergency Medicine http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2015.06.001.

Vasopressors through peripheral IV lines

by

The Central venous access page has been updated with information about the relative safety of the use of vasopressors through peripheral IV lines. Brewer, JM, Puskarich, Michael　A, Jones, Alan　E. Can Vasopressors Safely Be Administered Through Peripheral Intravenous Catheters Compared With Central Venous Catheters? Annals of Emergency Medicine http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2015.05.026.

US guidance for subclavian CVC insertion

by

The Central venous access technique page has been revised to now recommend the use of dynamic US for subclavian CVC insertion. Kim, JL, Koyfman, A. Does Ultrasonographic Guidance Reduce Failure Rates and Adverse Events for Subclavian Vein Catheterization Compared With the Landmark Technique? Annals of Emergency Medicine http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2015.07.001.

Edoxaban and other NOAC updates

by

Some additional information about Edoxaban has been added to the Other anticoagulants page (although it is not licensed in Australia and does not appear to have any advantage over rivaroxaban or apixaban), as well as a variety of small changes to information about the other NOACs. A good recent open access review article on the subject … Read more

Steroids for severe CAP

by

The Management of CAP page has been updated with information about the beneficial role of steroids in hospitalised patients with severe CAP. Siemieniuk, RAC, Meade, MO, Alonso-Coello, P, et al. Corticosteroid Therapy for Patients Hospitalized With Community-Acquired Pneumonia. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine 2015.

Physical examination for thoracolumbar fractures

by

Some details of the test characteristics of physical examination for the detection of thoracolumbar fractures have been added to the Assessment of the trauma patient page. Inaba, K, Nosanov, L, Menaker, J, et al. Prospective derivation of a clinical decision rule for thoracolumbar spine evaluation after blunt trauma: An American Association for the Surgery of … Read more

Assessment of vision in young children

by

The Assessment of vision page has been updated with some additional information about the assessment of vision in young children following a recent BMJ article on the subject. Blaikie, AJ, Dutton, GN. How to assess eyes and vision in infants and preschool children. BMJ 2015;350:h1716.