SMARTEM

This week The Lancet published the largest ever randomized trial of thrombolytics for acute stroke. Hands are wringing, teeth are gnashing, and department heads are fighting. It is the biggest, baddest controversy in our field: Do clot-busters benefit stroke patients.

In medicine we love us a good diagnostic test; we're always looking for the next one. It is strange, then, that we should be so aloof to the basics of diagnostic testing. This month's audio is a primer on testing—and it changes everything. We're going back to basics: if you learn the four axioms of diagnostic testing you'll know...

In October of 2010 the prestigious British Medical Journal published the largest, and by far the best, study ever done on the diagnosis of SAH in the ED. The data are revolutionary, and they prompted us to take a new look at the classic teaching and modern approach to this diagnosis. It’s always fun to deep dive on a new...