An expert panel convened by the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs and the Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry conducted a systematic review and formulated clinical ...recommendations for the urgent management of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with or without symptomatic apical periodontitis, pulp necrosis and symptomatic apical periodontitis, or pulp necrosis and localized acute apical abscess using antibiotics, either alone or as adjuncts to definitive, conservative dental treatment (DCDT) in immunocompetent adults.
The authors conducted a search of the literature in MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature to retrieve evidence on benefits and harms associated with antibiotic use. The authors used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach to assess the certainty in the evidence and the Evidence-to-Decision framework.
The panel formulated 5 clinical recommendations and 2 good practice statements, each specific to the target conditions, for settings in which DCDT is and is not immediately available. With likely negligible benefits and potentially large harms, the panel recommended against using antibiotics in most clinical scenarios, irrespective of DCDT availability. They recommended antibiotics in patients with systemic involvement (for example, malaise or fever) due to the dental conditions or when the risk of experiencing progression to systemic involvement is high.
Evidence suggests that antibiotics for the target conditions may provide negligible benefits and probably contribute to large harms. The expert panel suggests that antibiotics for target conditions be used only when systemic involvement is present and that immediate DCDT should be prioritized in all cases.
This clinical policy from the American College of Emergency Physicians is the revision of a 2005 clinical policy evaluating critical questions related to procedural sedation in the emergency ...department.1 A writing subcommittee reviewed the literature to derive evidence-based recommendations to help clinicians answer the following critical questions: (1) In patients undergoing procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department,does preprocedural fasting demonstrate a reduction in the risk of emesis or aspiration? (2) In patients undergoing procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department, does the routine use of capnography reduce the incidence of adverse respiratory events? (3) In patients undergoing procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department, what is the minimum number of personnel necessary to manage complications? (4) Inpatients undergoing procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department, can ketamine, propofol, etomidate, dexmedetomidine, alfentanil and remifentanil be safely administered? A literature search was performed, the evidence was graded, and recommendations were given based on the strength of the available data in the medical literature.
Introduction: Salicylate toxicity is a common cause of morbidity and hospitalization. Animal and human studies suggest that salicylates cause a dose-dependent inhibition of the activation of factors ...2, 7, 9, and 10. However, limited reports of coagulopathy or major bleeding from salicylate toxicity exist.
Methods: This is a retrospective study examining subjects from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2011 in whom at least one serum salicylate concentration was measured above 30 mg/dL. Cases were patients with elevated salicylate concentration and coagulopathy (INR > 1.5). Major bleeding cases were those with elevated salicylate concentration who developed hemorrhagic death; or bleeding from an intracranial, intraspinal, intraocular, retroperitoneal, pericardial, intramuscular site; or hemoglobin decrease of >2 g/dL, or transfusion of at least 2 units of packed RBCs during hospitalization.
Results: Twelve percent of all cases of elevated salicylate concentration developed coagulopathy, 6% developed major bleeding, and 3% died. In a multivariate model, duration of elevated salicylate concentration and renal impairment were associated with coagulopathy and no variable was associated with major bleeding. Patients were more likely to develop major bleeding if they had coagulopathy, but not all cases of major bleeding had coagulopathy.
Discussion: Coagulopathy and major bleeding during salicylate toxicity has been underrecognized. Renal impairment and duration of salicylate elevation contribute to the risk of coagulopathy, but no factors predict major bleeding. Patients with coagulopathy have a high risk of bleeding but some bleeding occurs without coagulopathy, suggesting that other factors, such as platelet dysfunction, may play a role.
Conclusion: Coagulopathy and major bleeding develop in a clinically relevant percentage of cases of salicylate toxicity.
Study objective In cases of high-concentration peroxide ingestion reported to US poison centers, we describe medical outcomes, examine the role of hyperbaric oxygen, and review the use of endoscopy. ...Methods The study was a retrospective analysis of a structured database, the National Poison Data System. The chart for each poison center case of a high-concentration (>10%) peroxide ingestion was obtained and abstracted in a standardized fashion; 1,054 cases were initially considered and 294 cases met inclusion criteria. The primary outcome of possible embolic event was defined as seizure, altered mental status, respiratory distress, hypoxia, hemodynamic instability, ECG changes, radiographic evidence of cerebrovascular accident, focal neurologic deficit on examination, pulmonary embolism, cardiac emboli, elevated troponin level, physician bedside diagnosis, or rapid improvement after hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Both descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. Results In the 10-year study period, 41 of 294 patients (13.9%; 95% confidence interval 10.2% to 18.4%) with symptoms after high-concentration peroxide ingestion demonstrated evidence of embolic events, and 20 of 294 (6.8%; 95% confidence interval 4.2% to 10.3%) either died or exhibited continued disability when the poison center chart was closed. Improved outcomes were demonstrated after early hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Endoscopy revealed grade 3 or 4 lesions in only 5 cases. Conclusion Symptomatic high-concentration peroxide exposures had a high incidence of associated embolic events in this cohort. Patients with evidence of embolic events had a high rate of death. Early hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be useful, but routine endoscopy is unlikely to be of benefit.
This 2023 Clinical Policy from the American College of Emergency Physicians is an update of the 2008 “Clinical Policy: Neuroimaging and Decisionmaking in Adult Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the ...Acute Setting.” A writing subcommittee conducted a systematic review of the literature to derive evidence-based recommendations to answer the following questions: 1) In the adult emergency department patient presenting with minor head injury, are there clinical decision tools to identify patients who do not require a head computed tomography? 2) In the adult emergency department patient presenting with minor head injury, a normal baseline neurologic examination, and taking an anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication, is discharge safe after a single head computed tomography? and 3) In the adult emergency department patient diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury or concussion, are there clinical decision tools or factors to identify patients requiring follow-up care for postconcussive syndrome or to identify patients with delayed sequelae after emergency department discharge? Evidence was graded and recommendations were made based on the strength of the available data. Widespread and consistent implementation of evidence-based clinical recommendations is warranted to improve patient care.
Patients with pulpal and periapical conditions often seek treatment for pain, intraoral swelling, or both. Even when definitive, conservative dental treatment (DCDT) is an option, antibiotics are ...often prescribed. The purpose of this review was to summarize available evidence regarding the effect of antibiotics, either alone or as adjuncts to DCDT, to treat immunocompetent adults with pulpal and periapical conditions, as well as additional population-level harms associated with antibiotic use.
The authors updated 2 preexisting systematic reviews to identify newly published randomized controlled trials. They also searched for systematic reviews to inform additional harm outcomes. They conducted searches in MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Pairs of reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, and assessment of risk of bias and certainty in the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach.
The authors found no new trials via the update of the preexisting reviews. Ultimately, 3 trials and 8 additional reports proved eligible for this review. Trial estimates for all outcomes suggested both a benefit and harm over 7 days (very low to low certainty evidence). The magnitude of additional harms related to antibiotic use for any condition were potentially large (very low to moderate certainty evidence).
Evidence for antibiotics, either alone or as adjuncts to DCDT, showed both a benefit and a harm for outcomes of pain and intraoral swelling and a large potential magnitude of effect in regard to additional harm outcomes. The impact of dental antibiotic prescribing requires further research.
This clinical policy from the American College of Emergency Physicians addresses key issues in opioid management in adult patients presenting to the emergency department. A writing subcommittee ...conducted a systematic review of the literature to derive evidence-based recommendations to answer the following clinical questions: (1) In adult patients experiencing opioid withdrawal, is emergency department-administered buprenorphine as effective for the management of opioid withdrawal compared with alternative management strategies? (2) In adult patients experiencing an acute painful condition, do the benefits of prescribing a short course of opioids on discharge from the emergency department outweigh the potential harms? (3) In adult patients with an acute exacerbation of noncancer chronic pain, do the benefits of prescribing a short course of opioids on discharge from the emergency department outweigh the potential harms? (4) In adult patients with an acute episode of pain being discharged from the emergency department, do the harms of a short concomitant course of opioids and muscle relaxants/sedative-hypnotics outweigh the benefits? Evidence was graded and recommendations were made based on the strength of the available data.
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