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Our trust utilises an electronic referral system for patients presenting with sudden onset headache that require neurology input. A formal referral guideline is not established and thus the referrals often result in unnecessary admissions and investigations.We reviewed referrals received between the months of June and August 2022. In particular, we looked into the number of patients requiring admission for further review, how many of these required a diag- nostic lumbar puncture and ultimately the number of positive subarachnoid haemorrhage diagnoses.There were 65 admissions in the 3-month period. Half of these patients required lumbar puncture. Only one patient had a positive subarachnoid haemorrhage diagnosis. The average duration of admission was 1.8 days. The majority of referrals lacked important information such as the time it took for the headache to reach maximum intensity and fundoscopy findings. The most frequent diagnosis on discharge was primary headache.There is a significant number of patients that require admission that could be avoided with the implemen- tation of a detailed subarachnoid haemorrhage pathway. Our goal is to implement our new pathway in accordance with NICE guidelines and re-audit the number of admissions to see if there has been a reduction in the number of inappropriate admissions.

The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is an important instrument in the interpretation of changes in patient-reported outcome measures (PROM). To our knowledge, no MCID of the Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder Index (WOOS) score has ever been reported and no studies have reported an MCID for the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) based on patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis, treated with an anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA). The aim of this study was to determine MCID for WOOS and OSS in a cohort of patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis treated with an aTSA. All patients treated with an aTSA for glenohumeral osteoarthritis at our institution between March 2017 and February 2019 were included. Each patient completed the WOOS and the OSS preoperatively and one year postoperatively. At one year, the patients were asked to rate their overall improvement on a 7-point scale. We used an anchor-based method as our primary method to calculate the MCID, supported by two different distribution-based methods. A total of 45 primary aTSA were included. The MCID of WOOS was 12.3 according to the anchor-based method and 14.2 and 10.3 according to the two distribution-based methods. The MCID of OSS was 4.3 according to the anchor-based method and 5.8 and 4.3 according to the two distribution-based methods. The anchor-based method is considered superior to the distribution-based method, and therefore we advocate to use this as MCID. For patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis treated with an aTSA, the MCID values were 12.3 points for WOOS and 4.3 points for OSS. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report a MCID value for WOOS and the first study to report a MCID value for OSS in this subgroup of patients.

Headache is a common neurological referral and a frequent cause for acute hospital admissions. Despite peripheral nerve blocks being widely used in headache and pain services to treat patients with headache disorders, there is no readily accessible resource with instructions for the delivery of peripheral nerve blocks. Here we provide a practical approach for administering peripheral nerve blocks and cover the current evidence base for such procedures in different headache disorders. We provide instructions and an audiovisual guide for administering greater and lesser occipital, supratrochlear, supraorbital and auriculotemporal nerves blocks, and give information on their adverse effects and potential complications. This information will provide a reference for headache practitioners when giving peripheral nerve blocks safely to people with headache.

Background Glenohumeral osteoarthritis can, in the most severe cases, require surgery with insertion of a shoulder arthroplasty. A design with a stem in the humeral bone canal is currently regarded as the standard treatment option in patients who have an intact rotator cuff function, but complications related to the stem including humeral fractures can have devastating consequences. By using a stemless humeral component, stem-related complications can be reduced. The aim of this study is to compare the Comprehensive Nano stemless total shoulder arthroplasty (intervention group) with the Comprehensive stemmed total shoulder arthroplasty (control group). Materials and methods This is a randomized controlled trial comparing the stemless and the stemmed total shoulder arthroplasty. All Danish citizens with glenohumeral osteoarthritis indicating a total shoulder arthroplasty referred to the orthopedic department at Copenhagen University Hospital in Herlev/Gentofte will be offered participation. The following exclude from participation: below 18 years of age, cognitive or linguistic impairment, insufficient function of the rotator cuff, poor bone quality, and ASA groups 4–5. A total of 122 patients will be included of which 56 will be part of a radiostereometric analysis (RSA) study of humeral component migration. The primary outcomes are magnitude of migration of the humeral component assessed by RSA and patient-reported outcome by Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder index (WOOS). The secondary outcomes are additional patient-reported outcomes, functional outcome, readmission, complications, revisions, and changes in bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal humerus assessed by duel energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and economy (cost-utility analysis). The patients are examined before the operation and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperative. Discussion To our knowledge, RSA has never been used to access migration of a stemmed or a stemless humeral component nor has the stemmed and the stemless humeral component been compared with regard to pain relief and shoulder function in a randomized clinical trial. Today, the two designs are considered equal in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The study will provide surgeons and patients with information about shoulder arthroplasty for osteoarthritis and assist them in decision-making. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04105478 . Registered on 25 September 2019

When an unidentified patient who cannot communicate presents with symptoms and signs suggesting an acute stroke, the decision to thrombolyse is a particular challenge. In a time-pressured environment, clinicians need clear thought processes for diagnosis and treatment. Ethical considerations, diagnosis, identity and previous history, contraindications, time of symptom onset (EDICT) can help decision-making in this situation.

BackgroundThe effect of transdermal glyceryl trinitrate (GTN, a nitrovasodilator) on clinical outcome when administered before hospital admission in suspected stroke patients is unclear. Here, we assess the safety and efficacy of GTN in the prespecified subgroup of patients who had an ischaemic stroke within the Rapid Intervention with Glyceryl trinitrate in Hypertensive stroke Trial-2 (RIGHT-2).MethodsRIGHT-2 was an ambulance-based multicentre sham-controlled blinded-endpoint study with patients randomised within 4 hours of onset. The primary outcome was a shift in scores on the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at day 90. Secondary outcomes included death; a global analysis (Wei-Lachin test) containing Barthel Index, EuroQol-5D, mRS, telephone interview for cognitive status-modified and Zung depression scale; and neuroimaging-determined ‘brain frailty’ markers. Data were reported as n (%), mean (SD), median [IQR], adjusted common OR (acOR), mean difference or Mann-Whitney difference (MWD) with 95% CI.Results597 of 1149 (52%) patients had a final diagnosis of ischaemic stroke; age 75 (12) years, premorbid mRS>2 107 (18%), Glasgow Coma Scale 14 (2) and time from onset to randomisation 67 [45, 108] min. Neuroimaging ‘brain frailty’ was common: median score 2 [2, 3] (range 0–3). At day 90, GTN did not influence the primary outcome (acOR for increased disability 1.15, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.54), death or global analysis (MWD 0.00, 95% CI −0.10 to 0.09). In subgroup analyses, there were non-significant interactions suggesting GTN may be associated with more death and dependency in participants randomised within 1 hour of symptom onset and in those with more severe stroke.ConclusionsIn patients who had an ischaemic stroke, ultra-acute administration of transdermal GTN in the ambulance did not improve clinical outcomes in a population with more clinical and radiological frailty than seen in previous in-hospital trials.

Background Prehospital stroke trials will inevitably recruit patients with non-stroke conditions, so called stroke mimics. We undertook a pre-specified analysis to determine outcomes in patients with mimics in the second Rapid Intervention with Glyceryl trinitrate in Hypertensive stroke Trial (RIGHT-2). Methods RIGHT-2 was a prospective, multicentre, paramedic-delivered, ambulance-based, sham-controlled, participant-and outcome-blinded, randomised-controlled trial of transdermal glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) in adults with ultra-acute presumed stroke in the UK. Final diagnosis (intracerebral haemorrhage, ischaemic stroke, transient ischaemic attack, mimic) was determined by the hospital investigator. This pre-specified subgroup analysis assessed the safety and efficacy of transdermal GTN (5 mg daily for 4 days) versus sham patch among stroke mimic patients. The primary outcome was the 7-level modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days. Results Among 1149 participants in RIGHT-2, 297 (26%) had a final diagnosis of mimic (GTN 134, sham 163). The mimic group were younger, mean age 67 (SD: 18) vs 75 (SD: 13) years, had a longer interval from symptom onset to randomisation, median 75 [95% CI: 47,126] vs 70 [95% CI:45,108] minutes, less atrial fibrillation and a lower systolic blood pressure and Face-Arm-Speech-Time tool score than the stroke group. The three most common mimic diagnoses were seizure (17%), migraine or primary headache disorder (17%) and functional disorders (14%). At 90 days, the GTN group had a better mRS score as compared to the sham group (adjusted common odds ratio 0.54; 95% confidence intervals 0.34, 0.85; p  = 0.008), a difference that persisted at 365 days. There was no difference in the proportion of patients who died in hospital, were discharged to a residential care facility, or suffered a serious adverse event. Conclusions One-quarter of patients suspected by paramedics to have an ultra-acute stroke were subsequently diagnosed with a non-stroke condition. GTN was associated with unexplained improved functional outcome observed at 90 days and one year, a finding that may represent an undetected baseline imbalance, chance, or real efficacy. GTN was not associated with harm. Trial registration This trial is registered with International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number ISRCTN 26986053 .

The Rapid Intervention with Glyceryl Trinitrate in Hypertensive Stroke Trial-2 (RIGHT-2) reported no overall treatment difference between glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and sham at day 90. Here we assess participants' outcomes 1 year after randomisation. RIGHT-2 was an ambulance-based prospective randomised controlled trial where patients with presumed stroke and systolic blood pressure (BP) of >120 mm Hg received either GTN (5 mg/day) or sham patch. Centralised blinded telephone follow-up was performed at days 90 (primary endpoint) and 365 (secondary endpoint). The lead outcome was dependency assessed with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). 1149 patients were recruited to RIGHT-2 between October 2015 and May 2018, and 1097 (95.5%) had outcome data recorded at day 365. At baseline, the patients were; female (48%), had a mean age of 73 (15) years, BP of 162 (25)/92 (18) mm Hg, onset to randomisation of 70 (45-115) min, diagnosis of ischaemic stroke (52%), intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) (13%), transient ischaemic attack (TIA) (9%) and mimics (26%). There was no effect of GTN on mRS score at day 365 in participants with confirmed stroke/TIA (adjusted common odds ratio (acOR) 1.10, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.42) or in all patients. In patients randomised to GTN, mRS at day 365 tended to be worse in those with ICH (acOR 1.65, 95% CI 0.84 to 3.25) and better in those with a mimic diagnosis (acOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.84). At 1 year post randomisation, dependency did not differ between GTN and sham treatment in either the target population or overall. In prespecified subgroup analyses, GTN was associated with reduced dependency in participants with a final diagnosis of mimic and a non-significant worse outcome in participants with ICH. ISRCTN26986053.

ObjectiveRecent news events have highlighted that patients may not be aware of the DVLA guidelines for driving. There may be complex reasons why advice is not followed but it should at least be given. How often neurologists consider driving at time of assessment in the neurology clinic was of interest.MethodologyA prospective review of 102 new patient notes from randomly selected neurology clinics over 3 months was completed. A survey assessing knowledge of neurologists and trainees of commonly encountered neurological disorders was performed in tandem.Results43.1% (45/102) of patients had driving status recorded. 48.9% (22/45) were car drivers. 15.7% (16/102) of all patients were documented to have received driving advice. Correct driving advice was given in 11.76% (12/102), 1.96% (2/102) was unknown as exact advice was not documented. The documentation of driving advice was noted in 36.7% (37/102) of cases where as in 63.7% (65/102) cases there was no documentation.ConclusionsSignificant numbers of neurological presentations don't affect driving but even frequent migraines or dizzy turns should trigger an enquiry to assess risk to patients and others. Appropriate advice can include “no need to stop driving” but a decision should be documented. Strategies to improve assessment need developing.

There is no evidence base on the efficacy of onabotulinum toxin A treatment and peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) when used in combination to treat chronic migraine. This retrospective single centre evaluation looked at outcomes from 198 headache service users who had been managed with onabotulinum toxin A treatment alone (n=97), PNBs alone (n=43) or both treatments in combination (n=58). 85% of patients who had PNBs alone considered them effective in reducing their headache burden on follow-up, compared to 71% of patients who had onabotulinum toxin A treatment only. In patients who received both headache treatments, due to increased headache burden, 84% of patients found PNBs effective, while 41% of patients found onabotulinum toxin A treatment effective, suggesting that PNB respond- ers don’t always respond to onabotulinum toxin A treatment. There were also differences in the type of headache outcomes reported, with patients who received PNBs more likely to report a reduction in headache severity compared to patients who received onabotulinum toxin A treatment (69% vs. 50%). Patient who received onabotulinum toxin A treatment were more likely to report a reduction in headache days (47% vs 0.31%). Complications rates and side effects were also evaluated.linford.fernandes@nhs.net|ABN Bursary