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Intravenous thrombolysis is safe and effective for the treatment of ischemic stroke in the time window of 3-4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms.
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Uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (origin distal to left subclavian artery) is usually treated medically. However, early mortality is 10%-12%, and is due to complications.
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In patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, CPAP or NIV produces a more rapid improvement in respiratory distress and arterial blood gases than standard therapy.
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Increased migraine attack frequency and overuse of acute medication, especially barbiturates and opiates, are risk factors for the chronification of migraine, which occurs in up to 2% of individuals.
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The Babinski sign continues to be a valid bed-side test for pyramidal tract lesions.
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A randomized, controlled trial in the Netherlands showed that oral prednisolone and naproxen were equivalent in the treatment of acute gout with no difference in side effects.
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Perhaps the most prominent cardiovascular report in 2007 was the publication of the COURAGE trial (N Engl J Med. 2007;356:1503-1516), which demonstrated the equality in major CV outcomes in randomized patients with stable CAD, most with angina, who were assigned PCI with optimal medical therapy (OMT) vs OMT alone, with a mean follow-up of 4.6 years.
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In a prospective study of immunocompetent patients admitted to critical care units, CMV viremia showed a significant association with prolonged ICU stay and death.
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This study showed that intra-abdominal hypertension is associated with increased organ dysfunction and higher ICU mortality, and two commonly used methods for measuring intra-abdominal pressure have equivalent predictive capabilities.
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Although the ECG is key in the triage of suspected ST wave elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), it is imperfect.