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The Briefing · Emergency & Critical Care

Continuous newsroom coverage of evidence in Emergency & Critical Care — newest first.

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24 stories
  1. Heart Failure Palliative Research Shifts Toward Frailty and Prognostic Tools
    Journal of palliative medicine ·Systematic Review · April 30, 2026

    Heart Failure Palliative Research Shifts Toward Frailty and Prognostic Tools

    A 25-year bibliometric analysis of 1,619 studies tracks the evolution from basic survival data to complex care coordination.

  2. IVUS Guidance Reduces Target Vessel Failure in Complex Bifurcation PCI
    Journal of the American College of Cardiology ·Randomized Controlled Trial · April 30, 2026

    IVUS Guidance Reduces Target Vessel Failure in Complex Bifurcation PCI

    A randomized trial shows IVUS-guided optimization more than halves the 1-year risk of failure in complex double kissing crush procedures.

  3. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Reduce Psoriasis Severity in Patients With Obesity
    JAMA dermatology ·Narrative Review · April 30, 2026

    GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Reduce Psoriasis Severity in Patients With Obesity

    A National Psoriasis Foundation primer details how incretin therapies lower skin scores and systemic inflammatory markers.

  4. Lung Ultrasound Reaches 94% Sensitivity for Pediatric Pneumonia Diagnosis
    Pediatric emergency care ·Narrative Review · April 30, 2026

    Lung Ultrasound Reaches 94% Sensitivity for Pediatric Pneumonia Diagnosis

    Meta-analyses indicate point-of-care ultrasound offers up to 96% specificity while eliminating radiation exposure in children.

  5. Endothelial Nitric Oxide and Nitrosative Stress Drive Potassium Channel Migraine Pain in Mice
    Pain ·Animal Study · April 30, 2026

    Endothelial Nitric Oxide and Nitrosative Stress Drive Potassium Channel Migraine Pain in Mice

    Mouse study finds that KATP channel-induced hypersensitivity requires eNOS and peroxynitrite rather than traditional cGMP signaling.

  6. Automated Model Predicts Surgical Complications Across 14 Health Systems
    JAMA surgery ·Prognostic Study · April 30, 2026

    Automated Model Predicts Surgical Complications Across 14 Health Systems

    A multicenter analysis of 508,097 encounters shows high accuracy in predicting ICU admission, kidney injury, and in-hospital mortality.

  7. Intravenous Tocilizumab Stabilizes Severe Pediatric Neuroinflammation Within 72 Hours
    Neurology ·Cohort Study · April 30, 2026

    Intravenous Tocilizumab Stabilizes Severe Pediatric Neuroinflammation Within 72 Hours

    A retrospective study shows rapid clinical improvement and intracranial pressure reduction in children with refractory CNS inflammation.

  8. Systemic Steroids Accelerate Symptom Resolution in Orbital Cellulitis
    Ophthalmology ·Systematic Review · April 30, 2026

    Systemic Steroids Accelerate Symptom Resolution in Orbital Cellulitis

    An American Academy of Ophthalmology review finds steroids safe but notes inconsistent effects on hospital stay and surgical rates.

  9. Patient-Provided Video Footage Influences Pediatric Trauma Management Decisions
    Pediatric emergency care ·Cohort Study · April 30, 2026

    Patient-Provided Video Footage Influences Pediatric Trauma Management Decisions

    Reviewing video of injury mechanisms altered imaging and specialist consultation plans in over half of pediatric emergency cases.

  10. Systematic Protocols Identify and Treat True Resistant Hypertension
    JAMA ·Narrative Review · April 30, 2026

    Systematic Protocols Identify and Treat True Resistant Hypertension

    True resistant hypertension affects 10% of treated patients and carries a 10.3% absolute risk increase in cardiovascular death.

  11. 2C-B Shows Empathogenic and Psychedelic Effects with Low Cardiovascular Strain
    Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology ·Randomized Controlled Trial · April 30, 2026

    2C-B Shows Empathogenic and Psychedelic Effects with Low Cardiovascular Strain

    A crossover trial compares 30 mg of 2C-B to MDMA and psilocybin, finding similar emotional empathy and a shorter five-hour duration.

  12. Outpatient Oncology Records Lack Goals-of-Care Documentation for Most Older Adults
    Journal of palliative medicine ·Cohort Study · April 30, 2026

    Outpatient Oncology Records Lack Goals-of-Care Documentation for Most Older Adults

    A retrospective study of 7,743 patients found that only 43% had documented goals-of-care conversations in their electronic health records.

  13. Intravenous NAD+ Reduces Post-Resuscitation Lung Injury in Swine Model
    Shock (Augusta, Ga.) ·Animal Study · April 30, 2026

    Intravenous NAD+ Reduces Post-Resuscitation Lung Injury in Swine Model

    Exogenous NAD+ administration improves oxygenation and limits pulmonary edema by inhibiting ferroptosis-mediated cell death.

  14. Spectral CT Reconstructions Improve Acute Bowel Ischemia Detection
    European Radiology ·Diagnostic Accuracy Study · April 30, 2026

    Spectral CT Reconstructions Improve Acute Bowel Ischemia Detection

    Adding iodine maps and monoenergetic images to portal venous CT increases diagnostic accuracy from 73% to 86% across scanner platforms.

  15. Chronic and Social Needs Linked to High School Absenteeism
    JAMA Pediatrics ·Cross-Sectional Study · April 29, 2026

    Chronic and Social Needs Linked to High School Absenteeism

    A national study finds children with both chronic health conditions and social instability face a 9.4% risk of missing 11 or more school days.

  16. Mild Acute Kidney Injury Minimally Affects Long-Term Kidney Function Decline
    Kidney International ·Cohort Study · April 29, 2026

    Mild Acute Kidney Injury Minimally Affects Long-Term Kidney Function Decline

    A study of 1,603 patients finds that mild to moderate AKI causes a small permanent drop in GFR without accelerating annual decline.

  17. Helicopter Transport Increases Survival for Specific High-Risk Trauma Phenotypes
    Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care ·Cohort Study · April 29, 2026

    Helicopter Transport Increases Survival for Specific High-Risk Trauma Phenotypes

    Patients with low Glasgow Coma Scale scores and respiratory distress show the greatest benefit from air medical evacuation.

  18. Low CSF Amyloid-Beta Predicts Intracranial Hemorrhage in CAA Patients
    Annals of Neurology ·Cohort Study · April 29, 2026

    Low CSF Amyloid-Beta Predicts Intracranial Hemorrhage in CAA Patients

    Low levels of amyloid-beta 40 and 42 in cerebrospinal fluid are associated with a sevenfold increase in future symptomatic bleeding risk.

  19. Targeted sFlt-1 Apheresis Safely Extends Pregnancy in Very Preterm Preeclampsia
    Nature Medicine ·Non-Randomized Controlled Trial · April 29, 2026

    Targeted sFlt-1 Apheresis Safely Extends Pregnancy in Very Preterm Preeclampsia

    A pilot trial shows selective removal of sFlt-1 reduces maternal blood pressure and delays delivery by a median of 10 days.

  20. Absence of Chest Pain Predicts Severe Pediatric Myocarditis Risk
    Pediatric Emergency Care ·Cohort Study · April 29, 2026

    Absence of Chest Pain Predicts Severe Pediatric Myocarditis Risk

    A retrospective study identifies hemodynamic instability and elevated procalcitonin as key markers for ICU admission in children.

  21. Conduction System Pacing Reduces Hospitalization and Improves Ejection Fraction
    JAMA ·Narrative Review · April 29, 2026

    Conduction System Pacing Reduces Hospitalization and Improves Ejection Fraction

    New data suggest direct stimulation of the His bundle or left bundle branch improves outcomes over traditional biventricular pacing.

  22. Oral Factor D Inhibitor Fails to Improve Myasthenia Gravis Symptoms
    JAMA Neurology ·Randomized Controlled Trial · April 29, 2026

    Oral Factor D Inhibitor Fails to Improve Myasthenia Gravis Symptoms

    A phase 2 trial of vemircopan was terminated after the oral complement inhibitor showed no significant benefit over placebo.

  23. Continuous Probabilities Identify High-Risk Patients in Hypoinflammatory Respiratory Failure
    Intensive care medicine ·Cohort Study · April 29, 2026

    Continuous Probabilities Identify High-Risk Patients in Hypoinflammatory Respiratory Failure

    Continuous modeling of IL-6 and sTNFR-1 reveals a 40% mortality risk in patients masked by binary inflammatory classification.

  24. Low MicroRNA-362 Linked to Acute Lung Injury After Murine Brain Trauma
    Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care ·Animal Study · April 29, 2026

    Low MicroRNA-362 Linked to Acute Lung Injury After Murine Brain Trauma

    Downregulation of microRNA-362-3' in extracellular vesicles fails to suppress proinflammatory TIMP-1 in a mouse model of head injury.