Annals of Emergency Medicine Journal Club. Journal club: clinical prediction rules.
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC: Previous out-of-hospital studies indicate that selective spinal immobilization may miss patients with cervical injury. WHAT QUESTION THIS STUDY ADDRESSED: Can paramedics apply the Canadian C-Spine Rule in alert, stable, cooperative, blunt-trauma patients to reserve spinal immobilization for high-risk patients while avoiding immobilization for low-risk patients? WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS TO OUR KNOWLEDGE: In this 1,949-patient cohort, paramedics achieved 100% sensitivity and 38% specificity for important cervical fractures. HOW THIS MIGHT CHANGE CLINICAL PRACTICE: Use of the Canadian C-spine Rule by paramedics may safely avoid unnecessary spinal immobilization.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
Tyler W
TW
Barrett
David L
DL
Schriger
D035081:Editorial Policies; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D006801:Humans; D055811:Journal Impact Factor; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011786:Quality Control; D014481:United States