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Choosing Wisely Canada

Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians

Many adults present to the emergency department with chest pain and/or shortness of breath. The majority of adult patients with these symptoms do not have a pulmonary embolism (PE) that requires investigation with a CT pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) or ventilation perfusion (VQ) lung scan. CTPAs or VQ scans expose patients to ionizing radiation that has the potential to increase patients’ lifetime risk of cancer. CTPAs also place patients at risk for potential allergic reaction and acute kidney ...

Choosing Wisely Canada

Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians

Patients commonly present to the emergency department with syncope. Syncope is a transient loss of consciousness followed by a spontaneous return to baseline neurologic function that does not require resuscitation. The evaluation of syncope should include a thorough history and physical exam to identify high-risk clinical predictors for CT head abnormalities. These highrisk predictors include, but are not limited to: trauma above the clavicles, headache, persistent neurologic deficit, age over ...

Choosing Wisely Canada

Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians

Abscesses are walled off collections of pus in soft tissue, with Staphylococcus aureus (both sensitive and resistant to methicillin) being the microbe most frequently involved. Most uncomplicated abscesses should undergo incision in the emergency department using local analgesia or procedural sedation, complete drainage and appropriate follow-up. Evidence suggests that antibiotics are not routinely required after abscess incision and drainage of an uncomplicated abscess. Physicians should not ...

Choosing Wisely Canada

Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians

Neck pain resulting from trauma (such as a fall or car crash) is a common reason for people to present to the emergency department. Very few patients have a cervical spinal injury that can be detected on radiographs (“X-rays”). History, physical examination and the application of clinical decision rules (i.e., the Canadian C-spine rule) can identify alert and stable trauma patients who do not have cervical spinal injuries and therefore do not need radiography. The Canadian C-spine rule has ...

Choosing Wisely Canada

Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians

Adults with non-specific lumbosacral (low back) pain, in the absence of significant trauma (i.e., car crash, acute axial loading, acute hyperflexion, etc.), commonly present to the emergency department. The evaluation of patients presenting with nontraumatic low back pain should include a complete focused history and physical examination to identify “red flags” that may indicate significant pathology. These may include, but are not limited to: features of cauda equina syndrome, weight loss, ...