BET 1: Can the Manchester Acute Coronary Syndromes and Troponin-only Manchester Acute Coronary Syndromes decision aids rule out acute coronary syndromes in the emergency department?

A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether the Manchester Acute Coronary Syndromes (MACS) and Troponin-only MACS (T-MACS) decision aids can safely rule out acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting to the ED with suspected cardiac chest pain. Six studies were directly relevant to the question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated.

Prognostic factors in patients with metastatic spinal cord compression secondary to melanoma: a systematic review.

Melanoma is one of the most common primary tumours associated with metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC). The aim of this review is to identify prognostic factors specifically for MSCC secondary to melanoma. A systematic search of literature was performed in MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library to identify studies reporting prognostic factors for patients with MSCC secondary to melanoma.

Can consultant geriatrician led comprehensive geriatric assessment in the emergency department reduce hospital admission rates? A systematic review.

Objective: economic and demographic pressures are driving a need to reassess the way in which we care for older patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs). This systematic review seeks to assess the extent to which performing comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in the ED can reduce admission rates.

Design: systematic search of both published and unpublished literature to identify studies reporting admission rates following the introduction of consultant geriatrician led teams performing CGA in the ED.