Tension pneumocephalus and bilateral orbital compartment syndrome relieved by lateral canthotomies.

Traumatic tension pneumocephalus and orbital compartment syndrome are rare, tend to be associated with severe craniofacial injuries, and can occur following both blunt and penetrating injury. Early recognition and high index of clinical suspicion are important in both cases. Emergency decompression results in improvement in vast majority of cases.

BET 1: Intravenous tranexamic acid for the treatment of post-partum haemorrhage.

A short-cut review was carried out to see if administering tranexamic acid reduced mortality in patients with postpartum haemorrhage. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results, and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. Two randomised controlled trials were found, a smaller one suggesting that treatment with tranexamic acid reduced the volume of blood lost and a much larger study that showed a reduction in mortality due to bleeding in this patient group.

BET 1: Is routine irrigation of a cutaneous abscess necessary?

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether the addition of irrigation of the abscess cavity improved outcomes after incision and drainage of a cutaneous abscess. One paper presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of this paper are tabulated.