Training requirements for point of care ultrasound in acute medicine.

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was to explore the ultrasound training requirements in acute medicine by comparing the ultrasound skill of an acute medicine trainee (AMT) with that of the radiology department following short ultrasound training.

Results: 43 participants (34 males and 9 females).The mean age was 58 (range 20-93 years).

Bedside ultrasound in the Acute Medical setting - Practiced by the Acute Physician or Ultrasonographer?

Ultrasound is widely used by physicians in the emergency medical setting in the USA, Australia and Europe. The objective in bringing ultrasound to the bedside is to bring immediacy to diagnostic decisions and improve safety for interventional procedures. Additionally within the NHS there are increasing pressures to limit bed usage and manage more conditions in an ambulatory setting.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in an elderly patient.

We report a case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease(vCJD) in a 74-year old man in whom diagnosis was made at necropsy. The occurrence of vCJD in an individual in this age group is unlikely to be an isolated event. Doctors need to be aware that vCJD can arise in elderly patients so that appropriate investigations (including magnetic resonance imaging) can be done, and permission for neuropathological necropsy requested, in suspected cases.

The prognostic value of blood glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin estimation in patients with stroke.

In a prospective study of 109 patients admitted to hospital with a provisional diagnosis of acute stroke, 87 were found to have acute hemiplegic stroke lasting more than 24 hours, and did not have any other co-existing life-threatening disorder. In 81 of these patients, blood glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1) were measured at the time of admission. Thirteen of these 81 patients (16%) were hyperglycaemic--in 5 cases, normal HbA1 was found in conjunction with hyperglycaemia suggesting that this represented a 'stress' response.