August 2020; papers of the month
So this is our last episode before a small summer hiatus, so it better be a good one! Journals are littered with some great articles at the moment, so we've chosen 3 great papers that cover a number of really important EM topics. Over the last few years more emphasis has been put on a more conservative management on pneumothoraces and following that trend we take a look at a paper evaluating the safety of using a small bore chest drain for the delayed management of haemothoraces, compared with large bore. Next up we take a look at the Injury Severity Score and how well it correlates with the need for life saving interventions in trauma. Lastly there is another great paper on the management of acute atrial fibrillation; comparing electrical cardioversion with the potential use of procainamide prior to shocking. Does it result in fewer patients requiring a shock, and when it comes to the shock is AP pad positioning more effective that anterolateral? We'll be taking a small break over the summer and will be back in September for our next Papers Podcast and keep an eye out for the launch of our FREE CPD app and web platform this summer. Enjoy! Simon & Rob