The 30th edition of our series of eminence-based eminence is here…
However, this one was compiled differently to the others — I challenged over 5,000 Twitter followers to tweet me the best or most useful EM/CC journal article they had read in the past year. Then I went away and read them, and these were the ones worthy of a place in the R&R pantheon (a number of other suggestions had already been included in previous R&Rs — every man and his dog wanted to vote for the Levitan and Weingart preoxygenation paper for instance!).
Thanks to all who took part!
A free resource that harnesses the power of social media to allow some of the best and brightest emergency medicine and critical care clinicians from all over the world tell us what they think is worth reading from the published literature.
This edition contains 10 recommended reads. Find out more about the R&R in the FASTLANE project here and check out the team of contributors from all around the world.
This edition’s R&R Hall of Famer
- Smith R. Peer review: a flawed process at the heart of science and journals. J R Soc Med. 2006 Apr;99(4):178-82. Review. PubMed PMID: 16574968; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1420798.
Peer review – two words that confer a blessing on any published article and elevate it to a status worthy of academic merit. Yet it is a deeply flawed process. Former BMJ editor Richard Smith, who has blogged on the subject many times with great wisdom, tells us what is wrong with it and how it might be improved. Essential reading for anyone who believes (or is sick of hearing that) FOAM is flawed because it ‘lacks peer review’.
Recommended by Chris Nickson
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This edition’s R&R recommendations
- Fuller BM, Mohr NM, Drewry AM, Carpenter CR. Lower tidal volume at initiation of mechanical ventilation may reduce progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome: a systematic review. Crit Care. 2013 Jan 18;17(1):R11. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 23331507.
Not an RCT, so definitive conclusions cannot be made, but this systemiatic review supports what many of us believe: any critically ill patient is at risk of lung injury when mechanically ventilated, so low tidal volumes should be used.
Recommended by Chris Nickson via @TheTechDoc
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- Henderson WR, Griesdale DE, Walley KR, Sheel AW. Clinical review: Guyton – the role of mean circulatory filling pressure and right atrial pressure in controlling cardiac output. Crit Care. 2010;14(6):243. doi: 10.1186/cc9247. Epub 2010 Dec 1. PubMed PMID: 21144008; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3220048.
Arthur Guyton’s concepts of the determinative role of right heart filling in cardiac output are explained in this paper. Although controversial, the authors cite new human studies to support Guyton’s work.
Recommended by Chris Nickson via @iceman_ex
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- Marik PE. Surviving sepsis: going beyond the guidelines. Ann Intensive Care. 2011 Jun 7;1(1):17. doi: 10.1186/2110-5820-1-17. PubMed PMID: 21906348; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3224476.
Marik’s paper goes beyond previous iterations of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines and are worth reading alongside the newest ones.
Recommended by Chris Nickson via @iceman_ex
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- Marik PE, Baram M, Vahid B. Does central venous pressure predict fluid responsiveness? A systematic review of the literature and the tale of seven mares. Chest. 2008 Jul;134(1):172-8. doi: 10.1378/chest.07-2331. Review. PubMed PMID: 18628220.
Unless you’re one of seven standing acutely haemorrhaging awake mares, CVP ain’t useful for monitoring fluid responsiveness.
Recommended by Chris Nickson via @CriticalCareNow
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- Serinken M, Eken C, Turkcuer I, Elicabuk H, Uyanik E, Schultz CH. Intravenous paracetamol versus morphine for renal colic in the emergency department: a randomised double-blind controlled trial. Emerg Med J. 2012 Nov;29(11):902-5. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2011-200165. Epub 2011 Dec 20. PubMed PMID: 22186009.
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Intravenous paracetamol works for renal colic – but should we use it? |
Recommended by Chris Nickson via @emlitofnote
Learn more: EMLON
- Teismann NA, Knight RS, Rehrer M, Shah S, Nagdev A, Stone M. The Ultrasound-guided “Peripheral IJ”: Internal Jugular Vein Catheterization using a Standard Intravenous Catheter. J Emerg Med. 2013 Jan;44(1):150-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.02.044. Epub 2012 May 11. PubMed PMID: 22579025.
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We can put a peripheral IV in the internal jugular – but should we? |
Recommended by Chris Nickson via @emlitofnote
Learn more: EMLON
- Than M, Cullen L, Aldous S, Parsonage WA, Reid CM, Greenslade J, Flaws D, Hammett CJ, Beam DM, Ardagh MW, Troughton R, Brown AF, George P, Florkowski CM, Kline JA, Peacock WF, Maisel AS, Lim SH, Lamanna A, Richards AM. 2-Hour accelerated diagnostic protocol to assess patients with chest pain symptoms using contemporary troponins as the only biomarker: the ADAPT trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012 Jun 5;59(23):2091-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2012.02.035. Epub 2012 May 9. PubMed PMID: 22578923.
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An important step closer to the holy grail of emergency medicine – how to deal with low-risk chest pain? |
Recommended by Chris Nickson via @himynameisvince
- Hanley JA, Lippman-Hand A. If nothing goes wrong, is everything all right? Interpreting zero numerators. JAMA. 1983 Apr 1;249(13):1743-5. PubMed PMID: 6827763.
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If ‘no events’ occur in a study, does this mean there is zero risk of them happening? Hell no! This paper explains why, as well as how to think about a ‘zero numerator’ and what to do with it. |
Recommended by Chris Nickson via @kangaroobeach
- Smith R. Peer review: a flawed process at the heart of science and journals. J R Soc Med. 2006 Apr;99(4):178-82. Review. PubMed PMID: 16574968; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1420798.
Peer review – two words that confer a blessing on any published article and elevate it to a status worthy of academic merit. Yet it is a deeply flawed process. Former BMJ editor Richard Smith, who has blogged on the subject many times with great wisdom, tells us what is wrong with it and how it might be improved. Essential reading for anyone who believes (or is sick of hearing that) FOAM is flawed because it ‘lacks peer review’.
Recommended by Chris Nickson
Free Fulltext
- Morrison JJ, Dubose JJ, Rasmussen TE, Midwinter MJ. Military Application of Tranexamic Acid in Trauma Emergency Resuscitation (MATTERs) Study. Arch Surg. 2012 Feb;147(2):113-9. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.2011.287. Epub 2011 Oct 17. PubMed PMID: 22006852.
Although a retrospective study, with all the warts that that entails, the MATTERs study adds weight to CRASH-2 led push for tranexamic acid administration for trauma patients at risk of significant bleeding. In MATTERs, the patients sustained military trauma in Afgahnistan, and were more likely to survive if given tranexamic acid even though this group was more seriously injured. The drug is cheap, safe and should be given.
Recommended by Chris Nickson via @docvpb
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The R&R iconoclastic sneak peek icon key
The list of contributors The R&R ARCHIVE R&R Hall of fame
You simply MUST READ this!R&R Hot stuff!
Everyone ‘s going to be talking about thisR&R Landmark paper
A paper that made a differenceR&R Game Changer?
Might change your clinical practiceR&R Eureka!
Revolutionary idea or conceptR&R WTF!
Weird, transcendent or funtabulous!R&R Boffintastic
High quality researchR&R Trash
Must read, because it is so wrong!R&R Mona Lisa
Brilliant writing or explanation
That’s it for now…
That should keep you busy for a week at least… Leave a comment below if you have any queries, suggestions, or comments about this week’s R&R in the FASTLANE or if you want to tell us what you think is worth reading.
About Chris Nickson
