Single-Dose Oral Dexamethasone in the Emergency Management of Children with Exacerbations of Mild-to-Moderate Asthma Citation: Altamimi S, Robertson G, Jastaniah W, et al. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2006;22(12):786-793. URL:   http://www.pec-online.com/pt/re/pec/home.htm Key point: Singe-dose dexamethasone is equivalent to five days of oral prednisone for kids with mild/moderate asthma. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of a sin- gle dose of oral dexamethasone (dex) versus five days of twice-daily prednisolone (pred) in the management …
Read MoreOn Antibiotic-Seeking, Predicting Prognosis in Rhinosinusitis and Mortality in Head Injuries, and When to Use Antibiotics in Conjunctivitis
Are Sore Throat Patients Who Hope for Antibiotics Actually Asking for Pain Relief? Citation: van Driel ML, De Sutter A, Deveugele M, et al. Ann Fam Med. 2006;4:484-485. URL: http://www.annfammed.org/cgi/content/full/4/6/494 Key point: The desire for pain relief is a strong predictor of the hope to receive a prescription for antibiotics. Antibiotics are still over prescribed for self-limiting upper respiratory tract infections such as acute sore throat; physicians point to patients’ desire for antibiotics as a …
Read MoreOn Stone Passage, Wait-and-See Prescriptions, Foreign Bodies, and Wireless Prescribing
Medical Therapy to Facilitate Urinary Stone Passage: A Meta-analysis Citation: Hollingsworth JM, Rogers MA, Kaufman SR, etal. Lancet. 2006;368:1171-1179. URL: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606694749/abstract Key point: Medical therapy is an option for facilitation of urinary-stone passage. Medical therapies to ease urinary-stone passage have been reported, but are not generally used. If effective, such therapies would increase the options for treatment of urinary stones. The authors searched MEDLINE, Pre-MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE, as well as scientific meeting abstracts, up …
Read MoreOn Injured Skaters, Diverticulitis, Fluticasone vs. Oral Prednisolone, and NT-proBNP
Differences in the Risk Associated with Head Injury for Pediatric Ice Skaters, Roller Skaters, and In-Line Skaters Citation: Knox CL, Comstock RD, McGeehan, et al. Pediatrics. 2006;118:549-554. URL: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/-abstract/118/2/549?etoc Key point: Ice skating carries a greater risk of head and facial injuries than roller or in-line skating. The goals were to describe the epidemiologic features of pediatric skating-related injuries sustained from 1993 to 2003 and to compare ice skating-related injuries with roller skating- and in-line …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care October 2006
Each month, Dr. Nahum Kovalski will review a handful ofabstracts from, or relevant to, urgent care practices and practitioners. For the full reports, go to the source cited under each title. Dexamethasone Has Advantage Over Prednisolone in Children with Croup Citation: Sparrow A, Geelhoed G. Arch Dis Child. 2006;91:580-583. Children with croup who are treated with prednisolone are more likely than those treated with dexamethasone to return for additional medical care, researchers in Australia reported …
Read MoreOn Croup, Wet Sutures, Fast Tracking the ED, Acetaminophen and ALT, and Stone Formation
NAHUM KOVALSKI, BSc, MDCM
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