Symptoms May Say Sinusitis, But Scans Disagree Key point: Infection and even inflammation were not reliably present in the scans of patients with classic sinusitis symptoms. Citation: Ferguson BJ, Narita M, Yu VL, et al. Prospective observational study of chronic rhinosinusitis: Environment triggers and antibiotic implications. Clin Infect Dis. 2010; 54(1): 62-68. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cid/cir747) Chronic sinusitis can be difficult to diagnose precisely and sometimes even more difficult to treat. Increasingly, experts are suggesting that antibiotics may …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: February, 2012
Each month, Dr. Nahum Kovalski reviews a handful of abstracts from, or relevant to, urgent care practices and practitioners. For the full reports, go to the source cited under each title. Gloves Are No Substitute for Proper Hand Hygiene Key point: Healthcare workers frequently neglect hand hygiene when they use gloves. Citation: Fuller C, Savage J, Besser S, et al. “The dirty hand in the latex glove”: a study of hand hygiene compliance when gloves …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: January, 2012
USPSTF to Advise Against Routine Prostate Cancer Screening Key point: The US Preventative Services Task Force has concluded that healthy men should not undergo routine prostate-specific antigen testing. Citation: Harris G. US panel says no to prostate screening for healthy men. New York Times website. Available at: www.ny-times.com/2011/10/07/health/07prostate.html. Accessed December 6, 2011. The recommendation was based on an analysis of five trials and applies to men of all ages. The Times quotes the task force’s …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: December, 2011
NAHUM KOVALSKI, BSc, MDCM Effect of Adrenaline on Survival in Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest Key point: Adrenaline improves chance of return of spontaneous circulation but not survival to discharge. Citation: Jacobs IG, Finn JC, Jelinek GA, et al. Effect of adrenaline on survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Resuscitation. 2011;82(9):1138-1143. Adrenaline has been used to treat patients with cardiac arrest for more than half a century but has not been evaluated in …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: November, 2011
Chinese Herbs Are as Efficient as Oseltamivir for Shortening Flu Symptoms Key point: Traditional Chinese herbal therapy resolves fever in influenza as quickly as oseltamivir. Citation: Wang C, Cao B, Liu Q-Q, et al. Oseltamivir compared with the Chinese traditional therapy maxingshigan-yinqiaosan in the treatment of H1N1 influenza: a randomized trial. Ann Int Med. 2011;155(4):217-225. Researchers studied some 400 adults and adolescents in 11 Chinese hospitals who had uncomplicated 2009 H1N1 influenza A. Patients, who …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: October, 2011
A New Approach to Managing Young Non-Toxic-Appearing Febrile Children Keypoint: Researchers suggest an emphasis on more limited evaluation, now that vaccines have greatly reduced the likelihood of serious bacterial infections. Citation: Jhaveri R, Byington CL, Klein JO, Shapiro ED. Management of the non-toxic-appearing acute lyfebrile child: a 21stcentury approach. J Pediatr. 2011;59(2):159:181. Since the 1970s, considerable attention has been paid to the management of febrile children aged £3 years without an obvious focus of infection. …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: September, 2011
Antibiotics Are Not Equal to Appendectomy for Appendicitis Keypoint: The incidence of peritonitis at 30 days was higher in the antibiotic group than in the surgery group; 68% of patients treated with antibiotics did not require appendectomy Citation: Vons C, Barry C, Pautrat K, etal. Amoxicillinplus clavulanic acid versus appendicectomy for treatment of acute uncomplicated appendicitis: an open-label, non-inferiority, ran- domised controlled trial. Lancet. 2011;377(9777): 1573-1579. Four recent randomized trials suggest that antibiotics alone can …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: July/August, 2011
Heparin-Binding Protein: A New Biomarker for Bacterial Meningitis Key point: A cerebrospinal fluid HBP level >20 ng/mL was 100% sensitive and 99.2% specific for bacterial meningitis in adults. Citation: Linder A, Akesson P, Studahl M, et al. Heparin- binding protein: a diagnostic marker of acute bacterial meningitis. Crit Care Med. 2011;39(4):812-817. To assess whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of heparin- binding protein (HBP) can predict bacterial meningitis, re- searchers analyzed CSF samples in a prospective …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: June, 2011
When Should Diagnostic Imaging Be Used for Patients With Low-back Pain? Key point: With low-back pain, the risks associated with X-rays and MRIs often outweigh the benefits. Citation: Daily POEM: imaging for low-back pain: rarely indicated, often harmful. Available at: www.essentialevidience- plus.com. These guidelines are based on a systematic review and meta- analysis of research investigating the usefulness of various im- aging studies in patients with low-back pain. Based on a meta- analysis of six …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care: May, 2011
Complications of Sinusitis in Children Key point: Intracranial complications of pediatric sinusitis were more severe than intraorbital complications. Citation: Goytia VK, Giannoni CM, Edwards MS. Intraorbital and intracranial extension of sinusitis: Comparative morbidity. J Pediatr. 2011;158(3):486-491. Serious complications of sinusitis occur more often in children than in adults. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are necessary to minimize morbidity and the risk for permanent sequelae or death. In arecent study, investigators reviewed records from a large chil- …
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