Prevalence of midline cervical spine tenderness in the non-trauma population.

Objective: The Canadian C-Spine Rule (CCR) and the National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study (NEXUS) criteria are two commonly used clinical decision rules which use midline cervical spine (c-spine) tenderness on palpation as an indication for c-spine imaging post-trauma. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and location of midline c-spine tenderness in the non-trauma population.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated consenting adult patients presenting to an urban ED or university sport medicine clinic in Montreal, Canada between 2018 and 2020 for atraumatic non-head and neck-related reports over a 20-month period.

The ABCD2 score: a poor predictor of stroke risk in the emergency department.

Clinical Question: In patients presenting with transient ischemic attack in the emergency department, what is the accuracy of the ABCD2 score for predicting stroke?

Article Chosen: Perry JJ, Sharma M, Sivilotti ML, et al. Prospective validation of the ABCD2 score for patients in the emergency department with TIA. CMAJ 2011;183:1137-45.