BET 1: The role of remdesivir in COVID-19 infection.

A short-cut review of the available medical literature was carried out to establish whether remdesivir was an effective treatment for patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection. After abstract review, five papers were found to answer this clinical question using the detailed search strategy. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. It is concluded that despite some recent promising studies, further well-designed and larger trials are needed to answer this specific question.

BET 1: The role of topical phenylephrine in non-traumatic epistaxis.

A short cut review of the literature was carried out to establish whether topical phenylephrine was an effective treatment for non-traumatic epistaxis. A single paper looked at this modality comparing it to another topical treatment. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses are tabulated. It is concluded that further more robust studies are needed to answer this question.

BET 2: Predicting the need for endotracheal intubation in poisoned patients.

A short cut review of the literature was carried out to establish whether any risk factors would predict the need for endotracheal intubation in undifferentiated adult patients presenting with poisoning/overdose with unknown substance. Five papers presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. It is concluded that further robust studies of large cohorts are needed to answer this difficult question.

Social-media-enabled learning in emergency medicine: a case study of the growth, engagement and impact of a free open access medical education blog.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians are increasingly using social media for professional development and education. In 2012, we developed the St.Emlyn's blog, an open access resource dedicated to providing free education in the field of emergency medicine. OBJECTIVE: To describe the development and growth of this international emergency medicine blog. METHOD: We present a narrative description of the development of St.Emlyn's blog. Data on scope, impact and engagement were extracted from WordPress, Twitter and Google Analytics. RESULTS: The St.Emlyn's blog demonstrates a sustained growth in size and user engagement. Since inception in 2012, the site has been viewed over 1.25 million times with a linear year-on-year growth. We have published over 500 blog posts, each of which attracts a mean of 2466 views (range 382-69 671). The site has been viewed in nearly every country in the world, although the majority (>75%) of visitors come from the USA, UK and Australia. SUMMARY: This case study of an emergency medicine blog quantifies the reach and engagement of social-media-enabled learning in emergency medicine.

A prospective, observational cohort study of patients presenting to an emergency department with acute shoulder trauma: the Manchester emergency shoulder (MESH) project.

BACKGROUND: Fracture and dislocation of the shoulder are usually identifiable through the use of plain radiographs in an emergency department. However, other significant soft tissue injuries can be missed at initial presentation. This study used contrast enhanced magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA) to determine the pattern of underlying soft tissue injuries in patients with traumatic shoulder injury, loss of active range of motion, and normal plain radiography. METHODS: A prospective, observational cohort study. Twenty-six patients with acute shoulder trauma and no identifiable radiograph abnormality were screened for inclusion. Those unable to actively abduction their affected arm to 90° at initial presentation and at two week's clinical review were consented for MRA. RESULTS: Twenty patients (Mean age 44 years, 4 females) proceeded to MRA. One patient had no abnormality, three patients showed minimal pathology. Four patients had an isolated bony/labral injury. Eight patients had injuries isolated to the rotator cuff. Four patients had a combination of bony and rotator cuff injury. Four patients were referred to a specialist shoulder surgeon following MRA and underwent surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Significant soft tissue pathology was common in our cohort of patients with acute shoulder trauma, despite the reassurance of normal plain radiography. These patients were unable to actively abduct to 90° both at initial presentation and at two week's post injury review. A more aggressive management and diagnostic strategy may identify those in need of early operative intervention and provide robust rehabilitation programmes.

BET 1: Lidocaine with propofol to reduce pain on injection.

A short review was carried out to see if mixing lidocaine with propofol is a safe and effective method in reducing the commonly reported pain at the injection site. Four relevant papers were found using the described search strategy. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. Although a promising idea, a paucity of good quality evidence suggests further needed research.

BET 2: Do fluoroquinolones increase the incidence of tendinopathy?

A shortcut review of the literature was carried out to establish whether the use of fluoroquinolones was associated with an increased risk of tendinopathy in adult patients. 10 trials were found to be directly relevant to the three-part question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that there is an association between the use of fluoroquinolones and a broad range of tendinopathies.

Towards evidence-based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. BET 1: is propofol safe in patients with egg anaphylaxis?

A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether there was evidence to suggest that propofol should be avoided in patients with known egg allergy. Ninety-two papers were found in Medline using the reported searches, of which two presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are are shown in table 1. It is concluded that while the use of propofol in patients with simple egg allergy is likely to be safe, previous egg anaphylaxis is a contraindication.