A paper published in Health Economics in May, using estimates of excess deaths purely among emergency patients, concluded that emergency seven-day working would fail this financial test.
Whatever the particulars, these patients concluded that they lacked the resources to deal with the chaos, stereophonic screaming and exhaustion of raising twins.
A recent investigation of musculoskeletal dysfunctions in migraine patients concluded that neck pain is not simply a symptom of the migraine attack but corresponds to identifiable muscle and joint alterations.
A recent meta-analysis including more than 6000 patients concluded that the use of crystalloids rich in chloride increases the risk of AKI and blood transfusion, without affecting mortality rates as compared with balanced solutions [86].
A clinical trial reported in JAMA (Shay et al, 1998), involving acupuncture and amitriptyline in HIV-infected patients, concluded that there was no effect for either acupuncture or amitriptyline on neuropathic pain.
A recent Cochrane database review, including 16 studies (n = 3005 patients), concluded that any prophylaxis might reduce the risk of VTE: mechanical (RR 0.43, 95% CI [0.25 0.73]), pharmacological (RR 0.48, 95% CI [0.25 0.95]) or even better with both prophylaxis (RR 0.34, 95% CI [0.19 0.60]) [15].
So far only retrospective analyses are available, except for one randomized controlled single centre trial including 28 patients in total, the results being again fairly equivocal: a multicenter cohort study on 6326 patients concluded that hyperoxemia defined as PaO2 >300 mmHg was associated with higher mortality than normoxemia and even hypoxemia defined as PaO2 <60 mmHg) [138].
But a review study of 14 clinical trials involving 891 patients concluded that open operative treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures significantly reduces the risk of re-rupture compared to non-operative treatment.
One systematic review of 6 trials involving 1297 patients concluded that PVL reduces mortality at 28 days and at hospital discharge.
[16] In contrast, an analysis of 5 trials involving 1,202 patients concluded that "low tidal volumes should not be standard for these patients".
All but four patients concluded the study (n = 98).
