R.E:B.E:L.EM - September 24, 2018 - By Devivo A
..."Author’s Conclusion:
We found that the Ottawa SAH Rule had excellent sensitivity for identifying subarachnoid hemorrhage in a new consecutive cohort of patients with acute headache. Patients who are neurologically intact with a new rapidly peaking headache and who lack each of the 6 elements of the rule do not need further investigation to rule out subarachnoid hemorrhage. Instead, other diagnoses should be considered and managed accordingly in these patients...
Clinical Bottom Line:
The Ottawa Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Rule is a high sensitivity screening tool that may be applied to the aforementioned patient population, in conjunction with a complete history and physical exam, in order to clinically rule out a subarachnoid hemorrhage. However as a one sided rule, with poor specificity, if a patient is not ruled out, clinical decision making and shared decision making must be used to determine which patients would need further workup."