The Skeptics' Guide to EM

SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

Reference: Snelling et al. Ultrasonography or radiography for suspected pediatric distal forearm fractures. New England Journal of Medicine June 2023 Date: July 19, 2023 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Casey Parker is a Rural Generalist that includes in his practice emergency medicine, anesthesia, and critical care. He is also a fully-fledged ultrasonographer. Casey currently splits his time […] The post SGEM#415: Buckle Down for some Ultrasound to Diagnosis Distal Forearm Fractures first appeared on The Ske

Critical Care 310

Critical Care ALS ED Emergency Department 310

Pediatric EM Morsels

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

To celebrate the end of trauma season ( is it ever really over? ), we here at the Ped EM Morsels Bakery have cooked up a morsel to remind you that pediatric trauma can be even more difficult than you think. Never fear. As our fearless leader likes to say: “children are not aliens, but they are a special population with unique anatomy and physiology.” Children compensate for blood and volume loss very well… until they don’t.

E-9-1-1 300

E-9-1-1 Epinephrine ALS EMS 300

Emergency Medicine Cases

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

In this ECG Cases blog Dr. Jesse MacLaren guides us through 10 cases of patients who present with generalized weakness or acute neurologic symptoms and discusses how to look for ECG signs of dysrhythmias, electrolyte emergencies, acute coronary occlusion, and demand ischemia in patients with generalized weakness and in patients with neurologic symptoms, to consider predisposing factors like LVH; seizure-like activity from cardiac syncope; TIA/CVA embolic sources like atrial fibrillation or LV th

Coronary 296

Coronary OR EMS 296

ALiEM

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

The toxin from the golden poison dart frog most resembles which of the following in its mechanism of action? Botulinum toxin Bufotoxin Grayanotoxin Palytoxin Tetrodotoxin Photo adapted from Wilfried Berns (Wikimedia Commons) Reveal the Answer 3. Grayanotoxin – a sodium channel opener Background The golden poison dart frog ( Phyllobates terribilis ), often considered one of the most poisonous animals on the planet, secretes onto its skin the lipophilic alkaloid batrachotoxin , which irreversibly

ALS 284

ALS ED OR 284

Don't Forget the Bubbles

OCTOBER 30, 2023

Read between the lines. No matter where we are or what type of medicine we practice, it is likely that we all were told at one point that we were expected to be lifelong learners. This is important as medical knowledge is constantly evolving. Dr. David Sackett, the father of evidence-based medicine, once said: I The traditional way to stay current is by reading the relevant scientific literature.

OR 144

OR 144

First 10 EM

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

Transfusion seems like the simplest intervention in medicine. The patient is losing blood, so let’s put some back in. Not much more complicated than an oil change. Sure, you need to use a specific brand, but as long as the system is topped up, everything should run just fine. Therefore, when someone (to be left […] The post Massive hemorrhage: a very deep dive appeared first on First10EM.

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145

REBEL EM

JUNE 29, 2023

Back on June 1 st , 2023, Swami wrote a blog post on REBEL EM titled, The CT FIRST Trial, Should We Pan-CT After ROSC? This stemmed a lot of discussion in the background between Swami, myself, and Scott. We felt it was worthwhile to record this as a podcast to better flush out some nuanced points. Below you will find some of the points we discussed.

CPR 145

CPR ICU EMS ALS 145

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

OCTOBER 21, 2023

A 70 something male presented in severe respiratory distress. The patient had altered mental status and so he was prepared for intubation. Before intubation, he became hypotensive. On the monitor patient had wide-complex tachycardia. The following 12-lead was obtained: What do you think? Differential is ventricular tachycardia versus supraventricular tachycardia with aberrancy versus sinus tachycardia with a aberrancy.

OR 136

OR 136

Broome Docs

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

This is another lecture by the always amazing Dr Justin Morgenstern from the series of talks he delivered on his tour of Perth in September 2023. In this talk I challenged Justin to go on a very deep dive into the literature around the modern management of the massively bleeding trauma patient. What is the best way to resuscitate and replace all those blood products in these severely unwell people?

FFP 138

FFP OR 138

EMCrit Project

SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

In many countries, pulmonary and critical care are commonly bundled together. Consequently, a single person will often be responsible for both inpatient ICU management as well as inpatient pulmonary consultation. Honestly, I have some doubts about whether this is an ideal system. As both pulmonology and critical care medicine become increasingly complex, it's becoming impossible […] EMCrit Project by Josh Farkas.

Critical Care 133

Critical Care ICU 133

The Skeptics' Guide to EM

DECEMBER 2, 2023

Reference: Shaikh N, et al. Identifying children likely to benefit from antibiotics for acute sinusitis: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA July 2023 Date: October 17, 2023 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Alasdair Munro is a clinical research fellow specializing in pediatric infectious disease at the University of Southampton. He is currently involved with clinical trials of vaccines […] The post SGEM#422: And It was all Yellow-Nasal Discharge and Antibiotics in Pediatric Sinusitis first appeared on The Skep

Emergency Department 297

Emergency Department ALS OR ED 297

Pediatric EM Morsels

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

Imported Malaria , like all imported tropical illnesses, is a Tale of Two Cities. The infection was unknowingly obtained while enjoying a delightful holiday and then brought back in transit to a country where it is not endemic. In these non-endemic countries, we need to always be attentive to patient’s history of recent travel to correctly identify any concerns related to their recent travel.

ALS 278

ALS Critical Care EMS OR 278

Emergency Medicine Cases

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023

I had the enormous honour of interviewing Dr. Ben McKenzie, EM physician and a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne studying the topic of resuscitation algorithms in anaphylaxis and asthma. The tragic death of his son Ben McKenzie at the age 15 from hypoxic respiratory arrest as a result of anaphylaxis and asthma in 2021 has led Dr. McKenzie on a mission to prevent deaths from anaphylaxis and asthma by educating emergency providers around the world using his AMAX4 algorithm as a framewor

EMS 279

EMS 279

ALiEM

OCTOBER 27, 2023

A 26-year-old male with no significant past medical history presented to the ED after slipping on wet pavement and hitting his head on the ground three hours prior. He endorsed a constant, achy 7/10 headache accompanied by nausea and photophobia. He denied vomiting, dizziness, diplopia, loss of consciousness, or seizures. Nothing made it better or worse.

OR 278

OR ED 278

Don't Forget the Bubbles

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Four-year-old Ed is being resuscitated for presumed Invasive Group A Streptococcal Sepsis from tonsilitis. He presented tachycardic and hypotensive with a capillary refill time of 5 seconds. After 40ml/kg of IV 0.9% NaCl, his HR came down a little, but the effect was short-lived. He has an HR of 190/min, and his BP is 85/35 mmHg. The CRT is unchanged.

Advanced Life Support 143

Advanced Life Support ED ALS OR 143

First 10 EM

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Introduced to the world by our friend Scott Weingart, delayed sequence intubation (DSI) is often summarized as procedural sedation for the procedure of preoxygenation. (Weingart 2011, Weingart 2015) It is a brilliant concept, makes a ton of sense on paper, and anecdotally has seemed to help a number of my patients. However, any long time […] The post Delayed sequence intubation: An RCT appeared first on First10EM.

EMS 138

EMS 138

REBEL EM

JUNE 26, 2023

Background: Hemorrhage is the leading cause of mortality in trauma patients. Interventions such as early application of hemorrhage control, tranexamic acid, reduction of crystalloid fluid administration and balanced ratio blood product transfusion have improved many patients’ outcomes. However, mortality still remains high due to trauma-induced coagulopathy.

FFP 145

FFP Frozen Plasma ALS Plasma 145

The Bottom Line

OCTOBER 18, 2023

In patients with trauma and critical bleeding who require activation of a major haemorrhage protocol, does the empiric administration of 3 pools of cryoprecipitate (6g fibrinogen) within 90 minutes of randomisation (and no more than 3 hours after injury) improve survival, compared to standard care?

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Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

Case submitted by anonymous. Written by Smith. Ken's piece at the bottom is excellent. A 50-something presented with s udden onset palpitations 8 hrs prior while sitting at desk at work. He had concurrent sharp substernal chest pain that resolved, but palpitations continued. Over past 3 months, he has had similar intermittent episodes of sharp chest pain while running, but none at rest.

Coronary 136

Coronary OR EMS ED 136

ACEP Now

OCTOBER 13, 2023

The CHRISTUS Health-Texas A&M Spohn Emergency Medicine Residency Program announced Friday that its program will close in June 2026 after the current emergency medicine residents complete their training. An official reason for the closure was not immediately available from the hospital administration, but residents there said they were told the surprise move was likely because of financial reasons.

ICU 132

ICU Emergency Department EMS 132

EMCrit Project

DECEMBER 10, 2023

Within the past year, two major societies have released guidelines on ARDS: the ATS (American Thoracic Society) and the ESICM (European Society of Intensive Care Medicine). Don’t be fooled by their names – both of these organizations are fundamentally international in scope. Some authors on the ATS document were from Europe, and similarly some authors […] EMCrit Project by Josh Farkas.

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The Skeptics' Guide to EM

JULY 2, 2023

Date: July 1, 2023 Reference: PATCH-Trauma Investigators and ANZICS Clinical Trial Group. Prehospital Tranexamic Acid for Severe Trauma. NEJM 2023. Guest Skeptic: Dr. Salim Rezaie is a community emergency physician in San Antonio, TX. He is the Creator and founder of REBEL EM, a free, critical appraisal blog that tries to cut down knowledge translation gaps of […] The post SGEM#408: Hey, I, Oh I’m Still Alive – Is it due to TXA?

Emergency Medical Services 302

Emergency Medical Services EMS Paramedic 302

Pediatric EM Morsels

OCTOBER 27, 2023

Taking care of a critically ill child can be nerve-racking to say the least, and downright petrifying for those who don’t do it frequently, even if they are well-trained and brilliant clinicians. Dr. James Broselow, a family medicine-turned-emergency medicine physician from Hickory, North Carolina , recognized that his team spent a lot of time trying to calculate doses of medications rather than spending their mental energy on the actual medical decisions for the resuscitation.

E-9-1-1 269

E-9-1-1 Emergency Medical Services Life Support ALS 269

Emergency Medicine Cases

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

On this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Anand Swaminathan on update to ED management of postpartum hemorrhage, Nour Khatib on serotonin syndrome and its mimics, Katie Lin on an approach to recognition and management of severe TBI and brain herniation syndromes, Hans Rosenberg on the ED management of ulcerative colitis, Heather Cary on pediatric c-spine immobilization controversies and techniques, Navpreet Sahsi on the difference between humanitarian and development work The post EM Quick Hits 53

EMS 276

EMS ED 276

ALiEM

OCTOBER 23, 2023

A 32-year-old man with a history of traumatic globe rupture from a stab wound two months ago, status post repair, presented to the emergency department for worsening right eye pain and green malodorous drainage for the past three days. These symptoms started when he got a fleck of sawdust in the right eye about four days prior to presentation, which he was able to brush out with his finger.

Emergency Department 278

Emergency Department OR 278

Don't Forget the Bubbles

JUNE 30, 2023

A PEM adventure It’s time for another PEM adventure. Join us on another journey (with an inbuilt time travel machine) in managing Elsa, a 2-year-old girl who is a HUGE fan of the Disney movie, Frozen. Elsa was found face down in the family pool 20 minutes after last visual contact and was picked up without resuscitation. Emergency Medical Services found her apneic and pulseless.

CPR 145

CPR Life Support Critical Care ALS 145

First 10 EM

JUNE 19, 2023

The internet is alive with rumors of a simple, cheap, low-risk cure for long COVID. Sound too good to be true? That’s because it almost certainly is. Let’s talk about this COVIT-OUT trial and what it says about metformin. The paper Bramante CT, Buse JB, Liebovitz DM, et al. Outpatient treatment of COVID-19 and incidence […] The post No, metformin is probably not the cure for long COVID appeared first on First10EM.

ALS 134

ALS EMS 134

REBEL EM

JUNE 22, 2023

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been the focus of massive research efforts over the last three years. Our understanding of the disease and effective treatments to reduce mortality have progressed rapidly during this time. However, the medical community is only just starting to understand long-COVID (WHO Definition: the continuation or development of new symptoms 3 months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least 2 months with no other explanation).

ALS 145

ALS OR EMS ED 145

Medgadget

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable ultrasound system for cardiac imaging. The postage stamp-sized patch can be worn on the skin of the chest and uses AI and ultrasound waves to perform advanced imaging of the heart. The technology can even be worn to perform cardiac ultrasound imaging during exercise. Each patch can be worn for up to 24 hours, and provides information on how much blood the heart is pumping, a key metric in detecting and appraising a var

OR 129

OR 129

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

This was sent by anonymous The patient is a 55-year-old male who presented to the emergency department after approximately 3 to 4 days of intermittent central boring chest pain initially responsive to nitroglycerin, but is now more constant and not responsive to nitroglycerin. It is unknown when this pain recurred and became constant. More past history: hypertension, tobacco use, coronary artery disease with two vessel PCI to the right coronary artery and circumflex artery several years prior.

Defibrillator 130

Defibrillator Coronary STEMI CPR 130

ACEP Now

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Each time she moved her hand it caught my eye: the glint of her bejeweled fingers sharply contrasting with the spare gurney and paper-thin blanket. The fat heaviness of her rings seemed startling against her bony fingers, as if they should have shrunk in parallel with her collagen and fat. She fought against the technician removing her belongings while her protestations melded with my trauma survey.

Heart Attack 126

Heart Attack Life Support Emergency Department Ambulance 126

EMCrit Project

MARCH 21, 2023

Steroid is worthless for pneumonia! Wait, a new study shows it's beneficial! Hang on, a fresh meta-analysis shows that steroid it's useless! And wait, here's a fresh NEJM study showing mortality benefit!! This feels like a roller coaster. What's going on here? Several factors may explain this: Steroid is beneficial, but only in a subset […] EMCrit Project by Josh Farkas.

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The Skeptics' Guide to EM

DECEMBER 16, 2023

Reference: Punches et al. Patient Perceptions of Microaggressions and Discrimination Towards Patients During Emergency Department Care. AEM Dec 2023 Date: December 14, 2023 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Chris Bond is an emergency medicine physician and assistant Professor at the University of Calgary. He is also an avid FOAM supporter/producer through various online outlets including TheSGEM.

Emergency Department 295

Emergency Department ED ALS OR 295

Pediatric EM Morsels

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Life is full of hazards! Chance encounters with life’s hazards seem to increase in the Summer time (ex, Trampolines , Snakes , Lawn Mowers , Water , and Heat ). It is good that continue to raise awareness of such hazards so we can prevent them ! Certainly, the care of pediatric patients is known for its “ Seasonality. ” Now that the long days of summer ( for us in the Northern Hemisphere ) might be behind us, some of those hazards may also be receding, but injuries and illnesse

EMS 275

EMS ED OR 275

Emergency Medicine Cases

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

You diagnose uncomplicated appendicitis in the ED. The on call General Surgery team wants to wait until the next morning to perform an appendectomy. Is your patient at risk for appendiceal perforation with a delay to surgery? Dr. Rohit Mohindra and Dr. Shelley McLeod analyze the latest RCT that attempts to answer this question, the PERFECT study, on this EM Cases Journal Club.

EMS 258

EMS ED 258

ALiEM

APRIL 12, 2023

Ever finally step away from a busy resuscitation and someone stops you for peripheral IV access? You set up everything, have the patient positioned, and then notice there is no sterile ultrasound gel. No gel? No problem. The trick is to eliminate anything of poor acoustic impedance between the ultrasound probe and the patient’s skin. Trick of the Trade 1.

Emergency Department 258

Emergency Department ALS ED 258

Don't Forget the Bubbles

JUNE 30, 2023

A PEM adventure Meet Polly, a 6-year-old girl with a penchant for shopping. Besides a few febrile convulsions when she was two, she’s a healthy 6-year-old. Having just bought the most gorgeous pair of red ballet pumps that would go delightfully with the red bow she bought in Harrods last week, she was skipping down Regent’s Street with her nanny. As they crossed the front of Liberty, a huge letter L came plummeting down, crashing in front of her.

E-9-1-1 145

E-9-1-1 OR ALS Critical Care 145