St. Paul's Hospital Emergency Department The Continuous Pursuit of Excellence in Patient Care and Academic Emergency Medicine

Neither WBC or Fever are Sensitive nor Specific indicators of Appendicitis.  We should be wary of relying on these findings when assessing for Appendicitis.

Acad Emerg Med 2004; 11:1021–1027. (Link)

 

This paper demonstrated a significant difference between Emergency Physicians' perception of CHF severity and severity determined by Brain Naturietic Peptide (BNP) levels.  They also demonstrated a significant difference in outcomes (mortality and readmission) between mild and severe CHF as determined by BNP levels.

J Am Coll Cardiol 2004;44: 1328 –33.  (Link)

The Providence Health Antibiogram (antibiotic susceptibility profile for common pathogens) for 2007.

 (Link)

This is the study that is the basis for our Chest Pain Pathway. Authors from our Department include Jim Christensen, Grant Innes and Eric Grafstein. Ann Emerg Med. 2006;47:1-10.  (Link)

An interesting article from 2007 that asks "Does an elevated troponin always mean ACS?" And if not, then what does the troponin mean?

ACS vs Non-Specific Troponin Rise (Link)

Another study looking at Toponin rise in patients without ACS - they conclude this occurs often, but that a troponin rise is a predictor of poor short- and long-term outcomes.

Cardiac Troponin I Elevation in Hospitalized Patients Without
Acute Coronary Syndromes (Link)

This study evaluated the long-term mortality in the group of patients with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction not meeting the (WHO) criteria (CK) but rather identified by the novel definition of myocardial infarction (elevated troponin).

Impact on Mortality of using Troponin to define MI (Link)