Hot CATs
  
Breast cancer
bisphosphonates reduce skeletal events but not death in women with advanced disease and bone metastases
Level of evidence 1a Expiry Date June 2004
COPD exacerbation
acute respiratory failure: a low initial pH was associated with failure of non-invasive ventilation
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
COPD exacerbation
cardiopulmonary disease increased the risk of hospital admission or revisiting primary care physicians
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
COPD exacerbation
a clinical prediction rule could help predict patients at risk of mechanical ventilation
Level of evidence 2b Expiry Date June 2004
COPD exacerbation
physicians were poor at assessing FEV1
Level of evidence 4 Expiry Date June 2004
  COPD exacerbation
the benefits of heliox are unclear
Level of evidence 1a- Expiry Date June 2004
Cardiac arrest
active compression-decompression does not reduce mortality
Level of evidence 1a Expiry Date June 2004
Community-acquired pneumonia
bottle blowing reduced the duration of fever and hospital stay
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
  Community-acquired pneumonia
physician judgment of need for chest radiograph helped diagnosis
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
Congestive heart failure
milrinone caused adverse effects without shortening hospital stays
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
Crohn's disease
no clear role for olsalazine in maintaining remission
Level of evidence 1b- Expiry Date June 2004
Heart failure
end-stage: left ventricular assist devices reduced death, but caused many complications
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
Inflammatory bowel disease
a raised platelet count made it more likely
Level of evidence 4 Expiry Date June 2004
Lumbar puncture
epidural blood patching may reduce headache
Level of evidence 1a Expiry Date June 2004
Lumbar puncture
bed rest does not reduce headache
Level of evidence 1a Expiry Date June 2004
Myocardial infarction
using abciximab during stenting reduced death, reinfarction and revascularisation
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
NSAIDs
increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, perforations and ulcers
Level of evidence 1a Expiry Date June 2004
Pleural effusion
empyema: surgical drainage may lead to less time in hospital than non-surgical drainage
Level of evidence 1a- Expiry Date June 2004
Pulmonary embolism
patients with a normal d-dimer and considered at low risk for a PE using a clinical diagnosis rule were unlikely to have one
Level of evidence 1a Expiry Date June 2004
Pulmonary embolism
MR angiography could help diagnose it
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
Renal artery stenosis
ultrasound could help diagnose it
Level of evidence Expiry Date June 2004
Renal artery stenosis
a clinical diagnosis rule could help diagnose it
Level of evidence 2b Expiry Date June 2004
Renal artery stenosis
a resistance index of 80 or more predicted worsening renal function after treatment
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
Sickle cell disease
psychological therapies have limited effects
Level of evidence 1a Expiry Date June 2004
Status epilepticus
lorazepam or diazepam helped stop fitting out of hospital
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
Stroke
piracetam may help aphasia improve
Level of evidence 1a Expiry Date June 2004
Stroke
lacunar: the long-term risk of death and recurrent stroke was high
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004
Stroke
estradiol increased endometrial abnormalities without clearly reducing stroke or death in postmenopausal women
Level of evidence 1b Expiry Date June 2004