Pneumomediastinum as a complication of cocaine abuse.

A 26-year-old male presented with a 24-hour history of pleuritic chest pain following intranasal cocaine insufflation. He was a smoker, cannabis and alcohol user. Cardiovascular and respiratory examinations were unremarkable.

A simple tool to predict admission at the time of triage.

Aim: To create and validate a simple clinical score to estimate the probability of admission at the time of triage.

Methods: This was a multicentre, retrospective, cross-sectional study of triage records for all unscheduled adult attendances in North Glasgow over 2 years. Clinical variables that had significant associations with admission on logistic regression were entered into a mixed-effects multiple logistic model.

Impact of a new daily rapid access medical clinic in a Scottish district general hospital.

Background: Medical admissions to hospital in the UK are rising by approximately 10% per year. A Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) was opened to help deal with the rising influx of patients. The objectives of this study were to determine if a daily rapid access medical clinic could provide a safe alternative to hospital admission and aid safe discharge for medical patients.