Ultra-low-dose CT versus chest X-ray for patients suspected of pulmonary disease at the emergency department: a multicentre randomised clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Chest CT displays chest pathology better than chest X-ray (CXR). We evaluated the effects on health outcomes of replacing CXR by ultra-low-dose chest-CT (ULDCT) in the diagnostic work-up of patients suspected of non-traumatic pulmonary disease at the emergency department. METHODS: Pragmatic, multicentre, non-inferiority randomised clinical trial in patients suspected of non-traumatic pulmonary disease at the emergency department. Between 31 January 2017 and 31 May 2018, every month, participating centres were randomly allocated to using ULDCT or CXR. Primary outcome was functional health at 28 days, measured by the Short Form (SF)-12 physical component summary scale score (PCS score), non-inferiority margin was set at 1 point. Secondary outcomes included hospital admission, hospital length of stay (LOS) and patients in follow-up because of incidental findings. RESULTS: 2418 consecutive patients (ULDCT: 1208 and CXR: 1210) were included. Mean SF-12 PCS score at 28 days was 37.0 for ULDCT and 35.9 for CXR (difference 1.1; 95% lower CI: 0.003). After ULDCT, 638/1208 (52.7%) patients were admitted (median LOS of 4.8 days; IQR 2.1-8.8) compared with 659/1210 (54.5%) patients after CXR (median LOS 4.6 days; IQR 2.1-8.8). More ULDCT patients were in follow-up because of incidental findings: 26 (2.2%) versus 4 (0.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Short-term functional health was comparable between ULDCT and CXR, as were hospital admissions and LOS, but more incidental findings were found in the ULDCT group. Our trial does not support routine use of ULDCT in the work-up of patients suspected of non-traumatic pulmonary disease at the emergency department. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NTR6163.

A Late Complication in a Surgically Corrected ALCAPA Patient.

Late complications in surgically corrected ALCAPA patients are rare. We describe an interesting case of a patient with a thrombosed giant right coronary artery aneurysm which was discovered on a chest X-ray. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Antithrombotic strategy after bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement in patients in sinus rhythm: evaluation of guideline implementation.

OBJECTIVES: After elective aortic valve replacement, patients are at risk of developing valve thrombosis and systemic arterial thromboembolism. Current guidelines recommend antithrombotic therapy with aspirin or vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) during the first 3 months after the procedure, but have level 2 or 3 evidence. As a consequence, the most appropriate antithrombotic therapy is still a matter of debate. This retrospective study analysed all thromboembolic and bleeding complications in patients with either antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy 1 year after bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement. METHODS: A total of 402 patients undergoing bioprosthetic aortic valve implantation at the VU University Medical Centre and subsequently treated at three regional hospitals were included. The individual duration of either VKAs (acenocoumarol) or aspirin was determined and related to thrombotic and bleeding events. Patients were followed and censored at 1 year postoperatively for survival, cerebral ischaemia, myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial embolism, and minor and major haemorrhages. RESULTS: A total of 24 thromboembolic complications and 31 bleeding episodes occurred. Multivariable analyses revealed that acenocoumarol caused more bleeding episodes (risk ratio [RR]: 8.41, 95% CI: 3.58-19.79) and a similar amount of thromboembolic events (RR: 1.2, 95% CI: 0.47-3.02) compared with aspirin. Prior use of acenocoumarol was found to be a risk factor for thromboembolic events (RR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.31-7.19). Gender, dyslipidaemia, prior percutaneous coronary intervention, prior use of acenocoumarol and concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting were found to be predictors for bleeding events. CONCLUSIONS: In patients 1 year following bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement, acenocoumarol therapy was associated with a significant increased risk of bleeding events and no reduction in thromboembolic events compared with antiplatelet therapy. These findings support the recommendations of aspirin over VKAs as postoperative thromboprophylaxis.