By Scott Aberegg, M.D., M.P.H. This post is going to be an in-depth “journal club” style analysis of the PROPER trial. In this week’s JAMA, Freund et al report the results of the PROPER randomized controlled trial of the PERC (pulmonary embolism rule -out criteria) rule for safely excluding pulmonary embolism (PE) in the emergency department (ED) [… read more]
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and sodium bicarbonate are commonly provided to patients undergoing angiographic procedures with intravenous contrast. Small randomized trials had suggested NAC or bicarbonate or both could prevent kidney injury from so-called contrast nephropathy. That practice has no benefit, based on results of a large randomized trial showing neither NAC nor bicarb improved outcomes after [… read more]
Authors: Samuel Copeland, MD; Ebtesam Islam, MD, PhD Pulmonary nodules are small, generally spherical abnormalities, commonly noted incidentally on chest radiography or computed tomography1. Ground glass opacifications (GGO) are a subset of pulmonary nodules or masses with non-uniformity and less density than solid nodules. GGO are usually described as either pure ground glass or part solid [… read more]
In pulmonary embolism (PE), right ventricular (RV) strain on transthoracic echocardiography increases the likelihood of shock and mortality. One study showed among patients with PE and normal blood pressure, 10% of those with RV strain on echocardiogram developed shock, and 5% died in hospital. Those without RV strain maintained their blood pressure and survived (but important [… read more]
Iodinated IV contrast has long been considered a significant contributor to acute kidney injury in hospitalized patients. But so-called contrast induced nephropathy is hard to accurately identify in real clinical circumstances. Acute kidney injury (AKI) can happen from a variety of causes, or their combination, during acute illness. And no randomized trial has established the risk [… read more]
Updated 2017 Fleischner Society guidelines advise a less intensive approach to the management of most small pulmonary nodules incidentally discovered on CT scans. The Fleischner Society now recommends that solid nodules 6 mm or less in diameter in low-risk adults >35 years old generally need no further follow-up. In higher-risk patients, a follow-up CT scan should [… read more]
Where to place a central venous catheter is a decision driven mainly by individual experience and preference. The limited evidence available has not established any site as superior; the subclavian position has been reported as being less infection-prone, but more likely to cause pneumothorax, compared to other sites. A large French randomized trial adds significantly to the evidence base. [… read more]
A new term has been coined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ventilator-associated events (VAEs)¹. In 2011, the CDC convened a working group composed of members of several stakeholder organizations to address the limitations of the definition of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) definition². The organizations represented in the Working Group include: the Critical Care [… read more]
By Jon-Emile S. Kenny [@heart_lung] “New York is cold, but I like where I’m living … There’s music on Clinton Street all through the evening.” -Leonard Cohen It’s the end of December; we collectively reflect on the year that was and try to find our footing for the next. In the short winter days of 2016, it [… read more]
Inferior vena cava filters (IVCF) are placed to prevent deep venous thromboses (DVT) from traveling to the heart and lungs, causing pulmonary embolism (PE). IVC filters’ rationale makes sense, but despite their wide use, the benefits and risks of IVCF remain unclear. With about 50,000 IVC filters placed annually in the U.S., that’s a lot of unclarity. [… read more]
Jon-Emile S. Kenny [@heart_lung] A 58 year old man with ethanol-related cirrhosis is admitted to the floor with anuria and a rising creatinine. Over the day, serial ultrasounds of his interior vena cava [IVC] consistently reveal that it is diminutive and collapsing. He receives many liters of crystalloid without much change in his urine output. [… read more]
Contrasted CT-angiography of the chest, often called a “PE protocol CT,” has dramatically improved the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. When used in conjunction with validated clinical decision tools like modified Wells criteria, CT-angiography is highly sensitive (good at detecting PE when it’s there and ruling it out when it’s not) and specific (generating few false-positive [… read more]
The American College of Radiology has started implementing its new system for risk-stratifying the findings on low dose chest CTs performed for lung cancer screening. The ACR’s new system is called Lung-RADS™, and it emulates the ACR’s familiar Bi-RADS’s 0-4 scoring system for mammography: Lung-RADS 0: Incomplete, meaning previous chest CTs are still being located [… read more]
Medicare will pay for annual low-dose chest CT for lung cancer screening, for former and current heavy smokers between the ages of 55 and 77. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the decision last week. CMS had previously signaled they would set the upper age limit at 74, the same as in the National Lung Screening Trial [… read more]
Put a CT scanner in every U.S. emergency department, add the non-specific signs and symptoms of pulmonary embolism, stir in its potential lethality and morbidity, and line up a few thousand lawyers on the sidelines ready to capitalize on any missed diagnoses, and it’s no wonder that the use of CT-angiograms to rule out pulmonary embolism has risen 11-fold [… read more]
image: EM Ultrasonography ICU Physiology in 1,000 Words: “Inspiratory collapse of the inferior vena cava: What is it telling us?” Jon-Emile S. Kenny M.D. With the dissemination of small, portable, ultrasound devices [or SPUDs], it seems that it is every house-officer’s dream to own the ability and wherewithal to place an ultrasound probe on a [… read more]
May 10th and 11th (pre-congress courses on may 9th), Montreal. Great speakers, great topics, great city, great weather (well…hopefully no snow!). Do you know how to use ultrasound to help you diagnose or manage coma, bowel obstruction, CHF, dyspnea, swollen joints and renal failure, among other things? No matter how good you are at the [… read more]
For the 7th edition of our Annual Symposium, we’ve assembled a great cast of characters to bring your bedside ultrasound game to a whole new level! Whether you’re a novice or have some experience in bedside ultrasound, we’re sure you’ll find our program very interesting, as the perspective we have chosen to take is patient-based, [… read more]
Choosing Wisely is an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) with the stated goal of “promoting conversations between physicians and patients by helping patients choose care that is supported by evidence, not duplicative, free from harm, and truly necessary.” Sounds good, huh? Politically, ABIM’s Choosing Wisely demonstrates to policymakers responsible self-governance by us [… read more]
It’s official: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced its formal recommendation for yearly low-dose chest CT screening for lung cancer in high-risk individuals on December 30, 2013. The final grade B recommendation (“Suggestion: offer or provide this service”) was virtually unchanged from the draft recommendations the USPSTF made in July 2013. It advises [… read more]
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