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Best evidence topic reports
BET 1

https://doi.org/10.1136/emj.2010.104869

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    Elbow extension as a ‘rule-out’ tool for significant injury

    Report by: Adam Reuben and Andrew Appelboam, Consultant emergency physicians

    Search checked by: Gavin Lloyd, Consultant emergency physician

    Institution: Devon and Exeter Foundation NHS Trust, Exeter, Devon, UK

    Clinical scenario

    A 35-year-old man presents to the emergency department complaining of pain in his left elbow, having fallen onto his outstretched hand. On examination he can fully extend the elbow on the affected side. You have heard that full elbow extension can be used as a ‘rule-out’ tool for significant injury and you wonder whether there is any value in obtaining an x-ray.

    Three-part question

    In (adults with elbow injuries) does (the ability to fully extend the injured limb) exclude the possibility of (significant injury)?

    Search strategy

    Ovid MEDLINE from 1950 to July week 2 2010. …

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    Footnotes

    • Linked articles 104877, 104885, 104893, 104851.

    • Competing interests None.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; not externally peer reviewed.

    Linked Articles

    • Best evidence topic reports
      Towards evidence-based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary
      Craig Ferguson
      Emergency Medicine Journal 2010; 27 873-873 Published Online First: 23 Oct 2010. doi: 10.1136/emj.2010.104851
    • Best Evidence Topic reports
      BET 2
      BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
      Emergency Medicine Journal 2010; 27 874-875 Published Online First: 23 Oct 2010. doi: 10.1136/emj.2010.104877
    • Best Evidence Topic reports
      BET 3
      BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
      Emergency Medicine Journal 2010; 27 876-877 Published Online First: 23 Oct 2010. doi: 10.1136/emj.2010.104885
    • Best Evidence Topic reports
      BET 4
      BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
      Emergency Medicine Journal 2010; 27 877-878 Published Online First: 23 Oct 2010. doi: 10.1136/emj.2010.104893