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PV card: Bell’s Palsy Treatment

Bells PalsyBell’s Palsy is an idiopathic unilateral facial nerve paralysis.

Since the 2009 Cochrane review1 showing that antivirals added no benefit to corticosteroids in Bell’s Palsy, I stopped prescribing them. The NNT.com site has concluded the same. Looking at the literature a little more, the recommendations are a little murkier. Some groups are still advocating for antivirals for severe cases, because there may be a very small but questionably positive benefit.

  • “Because of the possibility of a modest increase in recovery, patients might be offered antivirals (in addition to steroids) (Level C). Patients offered antivirals should be counseled that a benefit from antivirals has not been established, and, if there is a benefit, it is likely that it is modest at best”2
  • UpToDate: “For the subgroup of patients with severe facial palsy at presentation, defined as House-Brackmann grade IV or higher, we suggest early combined therapy with prednisone (60 to 80 mg per day) plus valacyclovir (1000 mg three times daily) for one week rather than glucocorticoids alone (Grade 2B).”
  • “The authors conclude that although a strong recommendation for adding antiviral agents to corticosteroids to further improve the recovery of patients with severe Bell palsy is precluded by the lack of robust evidence, it should be discussed with the patient.”3
  • “Antiviral agents, when administered with corticosteroids, may be associated with additional benefit.”4

PV Card: Treatment of Bell’s Palsy


Adapted from [1, 2, 4]
Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources.

Thanks to Dr. Kristin Berona (UCSF-SFGH EM resident) for the idea and notes!

References

  1. Lockhart P, Daly F, Pitkethly M, Comerford N, Sullivan F. Antiviral treatment for Bell’s palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(4):CD001869. [PubMed]
  2. Gronseth G, Paduga R, American A. Evidence-based guideline update: steroids and antivirals for Bell palsy: report of the Guideline Development Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2012;79(22):2209-2213. [PubMed]
  3. van der, Rovers M, de R, van der. A small effect of adding antiviral agents in treating patients with severe Bell palsy. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2012;146(3):353-357. [PubMed]
  4. de A, Al K, Guyatt G, et al. Combined corticosteroid and antiviral treatment for Bell palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2009;302(9):985-993. [PubMed]
By |2026-06-16T16:02:00-07:00Feb 21, 2013|ALiEM Cards, Neurology|
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Trick of the Trade: Recognizing eyedrop bottles by color

Have you ever wondered why prescription eyedrops have different color bottle caps? Did you know that the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has a policy to color-code topical ocular medication bottles caps?

Why was this needed? 

“The Academy’s policy on color coding of eyedrop drug caps was prompted by reports to the Academy and the National Registry of Drug-Induced Ocular Side Effects of serious adverse events resulting from patient difficulty in distinguishing between various ocular medications. With input from the pharmaceutical industry and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Academy’s Committee on Drugs developed a uniform color-coding system.” — AAO policy statement

This totally makes sense. I would think the highest-risk population to mix up medications are those with vision problems. The colors help serve as an safeguard against error.

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By |2016-11-11T18:41:10-08:00Feb 12, 2013|Ophthalmology, Tricks of the Trade|
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Dexmedetomidine (Precedex) as an Adjunct to Benzodiazepines for Ethanol Withdrawal

Sometimes a question is posed on Twitter that generates a great discussion from colleagues ’round the globe. Such was the case for dexmedetomidine. Although benzodiazepines remain the standard of treatment for ethanol withdrawal, particularly seizures and delirium tremens, what’s all the hype about dexmedetomidine?

(more…)

By |2016-11-16T09:38:00-08:00Feb 7, 2013|Endocrine-Metabolic, Tox & Medications|
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PV card: VBG versus ABG

abg vbgYou obtain a venous blood gas (VBG) on a patient with a COPD exacerbation because you are concerned about hypercarbia. You get a value of 55 mmHg. How correlative is that compared to an arterial blood gas (ABG). There has been a lot of literature on how well the pH correlates between the ABG and VBG but what about pCO2?

A small study (n=89) from 20121 found that with a cutoff of pCO2 < 45 mmHg, the venous pCO2 is 100% sensitive in ruling out arterial hypercarbia. When the pCO2 was ≥ 45 mmHg, the VBG was less correlative.

Below is a review by Dr. Michelle Reina (EM resident at Univ of Utah) and Dr. Rob Bryant (Intermountain Medical Center in Utah) of the VBG vs ABG correlative data, along with a proposed algorithm on what to do with patients with COPD exacerbation.

What is your practice with an elevated pCO2 value on VBG?


Adapted from [1–5]
Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources.

Updated 1/31/13 at 2 pm PST:

  • Changed range of pH correlation between VBG and ABG = 0.03-0.04
  • Was typo in abstract of Kelly et al article.2 Stated difference between pHs was 0.4, rather than 0.04 as described in main results text.

References

  1. McCanny P, Bennett K, Staunton P, McMahon G. Venous vs arterial blood gases in the assessment of patients presenting with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Emerg Med. 2012;30(6):896-900. [PubMed]
  2. Kelly A, McAlpine R, Kyle E. Venous pH can safely replace arterial pH in the initial evaluation of patients in the emergency department. Emerg Med J. 2001;18(5):340-342. [PubMed]
  3. Ma O, Rush M, Godfrey M, Gaddis G. Arterial blood gas results rarely influence emergency physician management of patients with suspected diabetic ketoacidosis. Acad Emerg Med. 2003;10(8):836-841. [PubMed]
  4. Middleton P, Kelly A, Brown J, Robertson M. Agreement between arterial and central venous values for pH, bicarbonate, base excess, and lactate. Emerg Med J. 2006;23(8):622-624. [PubMed]
  5. Koul P, Khan U, Wani A, et al. Comparison and agreement between venous and arterial gas analysis in cardiopulmonary patients in Kashmir valley of the Indian subcontinent. Ann Thorac Med. 2011;6(1):33-37. [PubMed]
By |2021-10-08T09:26:47-07:00Jan 31, 2013|ALiEM Cards, Endocrine-Metabolic, Pulmonary|
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