resuscitation and critical care medicine: Recent Episodes

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Bringing you North America's brightest minds in Emergency Medicine

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Andrew Petrosoniak on the role of vasopressors in the hemorrhaging trauma patient, Megan Landes on providing HIV PEP and PrEP in the ED, Justin Morgenstern & George Kovacs on the PREOXI trial and evidence for pre-oxygenation with NIPPV before intubation in RSI, Brit Long on recognition and management of blast crisis in the ED, and Leah Flanagan & Liam Loughrey on the rise of nitrous oxide toxicity...

The post EM Quick Hits 58 – HIV PEP and PrEP, PREOXI Trial, Blast Crisis, Nitrous Oxide Poisoning, Vasopressors in Trauma appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Megan Landes on the importance of diagnosing HIV in the ED, Jesse McLaren on the failed paradigm of STEMI criteria and ECG tips to identify acute coronary occlusion, Anand Swaminathan on evidence for non-invasive airway management in the poisoned patient, Brit Long and Hans Rosenberg on the identification, workup and management of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, Matt Poyner on the most lucrative side-gig, DIY investing.
To support EM Cases, please consider a donation here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post EM Quick Hits 57 – HIV Diagnosis, Failed Paradigm of STEMI Criteria, Poisoned Patient Airway Management, Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis, DIY Investments appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Once the diagnosis of nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has been made, our job is not done. Mortality in SAH patients can be up to 30% even without neurological deficit. Paying attention to the time-sensitive details of ED management of SAH patients can have a significant impact on their outcome. In this second part of our 2-part podcast series on subarachnoid hemorrhage with Dr. Katie Lin and Dr. Jeff Perry we answer questions such as: what are the 4 critical priorities in the initial stabilization of the patient with a suspected massive subarachnoid hemorrhage? When is a CT plus CTA of the head indicated up front in the management of patients with suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage? What is the evidence for oral nimodipine in improving outcomes in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and how does it work? What can we do in the ED to prevent rebleeding in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage? What are the simplest and best prognostic tools available for spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage to help counsel families and patients? and more...
Please consider a donation to EM Cases to ensure ongoing Free Open Access here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post Ep 195 ED Management of Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhage appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Justin Morgenstern on the first RCT of high dose nitroglycerin in SCAPE, Andrew Neill on Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) indications and evidence, Brit Long on indications for CT in suspected diverticulitis, Tahara Bhate on Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO) and diagnostic error, Matthew McArthur on penicillin allergy labels, myths and penicillin challenges, and Susan Lu on how ED physician personality influences patient outcomes...

The post EM Quick Hits 56 – Nitroglycerin in SCAPE, REBOA, Diverticulitis Imaging, CRAO, Penicillin Allergy, Physician Personality appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this part 2 of our 2-part podcast on asthma with Dr. Sameer Mal and Dr. Leeor Sommer, we dig into the recognition and management of life-threatening asthma. We answer such questions as: what are the key elements in recognition of threatening asthma? What are the most time-sensitive interventions required to break the vicious cycle of asthma? What are the best options for dosing and administering magnesium sulphate, epinephrine, fentanyl and ketamine in the management of the crashing asthmatic? What is the role of NIPPV in the management of life-threatening asthma? What are the factors we should consider when it comes to indications for endotracheal intubation of the crashing asthmatic? What role do blood gases play in the decision to intubate? What are the most appropriate ventilation strategies in the intubated asthma patient? and many more...
Please support EM Cases with a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post Ep 193 The Crashing Asthmatic – Recognition and Management of Life Threatening Asthma appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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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...
Please support EM Cases with a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post EM Quick Hits 53 Postpartum Hemorrhage, Serotonin Syndrome, TBI Herniation Syndromes, Ulcerative Colitis, Pediatric C-Spine Immobilization, Global EM appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Key principles and approach to management of both non-massive and massive hemoptysis with Dr. Scott Weingart and Dr. Bourke Tillmann, who answer questions such as: What are the factors to consider in the decision to intubate patients with massive hemoptysis? How can one reliably distinguish hemoptysis from pseudohemoptysis? What is the evidence for tranexamic acid in patients with hemoptysis? What are the best strategies for suctioning blood from the airway to improve visualization during endotracheal intubation in crashing hemoptysis patients? What is the role of bronchoscopy and how should it be integrated into the hemoptysis management algorithm? How does one's hemorrhage control strategy change when pulmonary embolism is the underlying diagnosis? and many more...
Please support EM Cases with a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post Ep 188 Hemoptysis – ED Approach and Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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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 framework...
Please support EM Cases with a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post Ep 187 Crashing Anaphylaxis – AMAX4 Algorithm and The Max McKenzie Case appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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On this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Anand Swaminathan on the role of methylene blue in septic shock, Nour Khatib on jaw dislocation reduction techniques, Hans Rosenberg on a phenotypic approach to Crohn's disease emergencies, Gil Yehudaiff on evidence based analgesics in renal colic, Brit Long on the importance of inhaled steroids for asthma, and Andrew Petrosoniak on the "lethal diamond" in polytrauma patients and the current state of hypocalcemia in bleeding trauma patients...
Please support EM Cases with a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post EM Quick Hits 51 – Methylene Blue in Septic Shock, TMJ Dislocation, Crohn’s Disease, Analgesia for Renal Colic, Inhaled Steroids for Asthma, Hypocalcemia in Bleeding Trauma Patients appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits: Heather Cary on the use and misuse of abdominal FAST in pediatric trauma, Hans Rosenberg and Arleigh McCurdy on the diagnosis and management of Multiple Myeloma in the ED, David Jerome on practice tips for managing the drowning patient, Brit Long and Michael Gottlieb on the diagnosis and management of Alcohol-Induced Ketoacidosis, Navpreet Sahsi on his journey to becoming a humanitarian and global EM doctor...

The post EM Quick Hits 48 – FAST in Pediatric Trauma, Multiple Myeloma, Drowning, AKA, Global EM appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Understanding why ETCO2 is recommended in cardiac arrest with Swami, practical steps to organ donation in the ED with Dr. Andrew Healy, using your hospital food court to treat paraphimosis, rectal prolapse and food bolus obstruction with Dr. Sarah Foohey, QI Corner with Dr. Tahara Bhate, 4 Medicolegal Myths with Dr. Jennifer C. Tang on this month's EM Quick Hits podcast...

The post EM Quick Hits 45 ETCO2 in Cardiac Arrest, Organ Donation, Paraphimosis, Medicolegal Myths, QI Corner appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Quick Hits podcast: Justin Morgenstern on fluids in pancreatitis, Leeor Sommer on nasal fractures, Christina Shenvi on delirium, Sheldon Cheskes and Rohit Mohindra on Dose VF, and Noor Khatib and Kari Sampsel on intimate partner violence...

The post EM Quick Hits 44 Fluids in Pancreatitis, Nasal Fractures, Delirium, DOSE VF, Intimate Partner Violence appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Quick Hits podcast: Salim Rezaie on venous thromboembolism recurrence in subsegmental pulmonary embolism, Andrew Petrosoniak on pain management in the polytrauma, Nour Khatib on a rural EM case on management of near-drowning patient, Sara Reid delivers a polio primer, Anand Swaminathan on head-up CPR...

The post EM Quick Hits 42 – Subsegmental PE, Trauma Analgesia, Drowning, Polio, Head-up CPR appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Quick Hits podcast: Anand Swaminathan on limitations and practical tips on intraosseus access,Tahara Bhate QI corner on missed ectopic pregnancy, Sarah Reid from EM Cases Summit on oxygen saturation monitoring in bronchiolitis and management of infant gastro-esophageal reflux, Brit Long on the value of rectal exam in diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome, Hans Rosenberg & Ariel Hendin on withdrawal of life-sustaining care in the ED...

The post EM Quick Hits 41 – IO Limitations, Missed Ectopic Pregnancy, Bronchiolitis O2 Monitoring, DRE in Cauda Equina Syndrome, Withdrawal of Life Sustaining Care appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Anand Swaminathan on GI balloon tamponade preparation and indications, Jesse McLaren on why troponin is rarely useful in SVT, Christina Shenvi on why we should not use the term "mechanical fall" in older patients, Nour Khatib & Jonathan Wallace on rural vertical vertigo case and Reuben Strayer on VAFEI - Video-Assisted Flexible Endoscopic Intubation for the anatomically challenging airway...

The post EM Quick Hits 40 – GI Balloon Tamponade, SVT and Troponin, Falls in Older Patients, Vertical Vertigo, VAFEI Airway appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this part 2 of our 2-part podcast series on Cardiac Arrest - The When, Why & How, we discuss some of the finer art of cardiac arrest care and answer questions such as: how should we best communicate to EMS, the ED team and the family of the patient to keep the team focused, garner the most important info and keep the flow of the code going? How should we integrate PoCUS into cardiac arrest care so we do not interrupt the core components, yet we gain valuable data? What are the indications for consideration of ECPR/ECMO in cardiac arrest? What factors need to be taken into consideration to decide on when to terminate resuscitation of the cardiac arrest patient - when to call the code? and many more...

The post Ep 170 Cardiac Arrest – PoCUS Integration, Communication Strategies, E-CPR, Calling the Code appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this first part of our 2-part series on Cardiac Arrest Controversies Rob Simard, Bourke Tillman, Sara Gray and Scott Weingart discuss with Anton how best to ensure high quality chest compressions, the pros and cons of mechanical CPR, the literature on dual sequential defibrillation and optimizing pad placement, epinephrine vs vasopressin, amiodarone vs lidocaine, when to consider IV calcium and sodium bicarbonate, esmolol, airway considerations, sedation in cardiac arrest, the pros and cons of end-tidal CO2 and more...

The post Ep 169 Cardiac Arrest Controversies – Chest Compressions, Dual Defibrillation, Medications and Airway appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Tahara Bhate's new QI corner Quick Hits series, Hans Rosenberg & Michael Gottlieb on the evidence around ED diagnosis and management of skin abscesses using PoCUS, Anand Swaminathan on what the oxygen saturation monitor can tell you besides oxygen saturation, Sarah Reid on how to pick up infantile spasms and prevent poor neurologic outcomes, Elisha Targonsky on battle of the ED rate control medications for rapid atrial fibrillation...

The post EM Quick Hits 37 Introducing QI Corner, Skin Abscess, O2 Sat Monitor Pearls, Infantile Spasms, Atrial Fibrillation Rate Control appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Brit Long on Surving Sepsis Campaign -2021 Updates, Nour Khatib on rural medicine case - angle closure glaucoma, Reuben Strayer on bougie vs endotracheal tube and stylet on first-attempt intubation, Justin Hensley on management of frostbite, Sarah Foohey on the hot and altered patient, and Andrew Petrosoniak on central cord syndrome...

The post EM Quick Hits 36 – Surviving Sepsis, Angle Closure Glaucoma, Bougies, Frostbite, Hot/Altered Patient, Central Cord Syndrome appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this months EM Quick Hits podcast: Ken Milne expertly walks us through the 10 biggest EM papers of 2021, Brit Long on a careful structured approach to Febrile Neutropenia to improve outcomes, Catherine Varner on how not to miss Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, Joe Nemeth on Anaphylaxis update and Anand Swaminathan gives us his approach to the Crashing Asthmatic...

The post EM Quick Hits 35 – 10 Best Papers of 2021, Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, Crashing Asthmatic, Febrile Neutropenia, Anaphylaxis update appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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What is the preferred order of vasopressors and ionotropes in the management of cardiogenic shock? In which patients would dobutamine be preferred over milrinone and vice versa? How can we best pick up occult cardiogenic shock before it floured shock kicks in? What are the best strategies to efficiently get the patient in cardiogenic shock to definitive care, whether that be the cath lab or the operating room? What is the evidence for intra-aortic balloon pumps, percutaneous ventricular assist devices and ECMO in the patient with cardiogenic shock? Which patients with acute heart are safe to send home in general? How useful is the Ottawa Heart Failure Risk Score in aiding in disposition decisions?...

The post Ep 164 Cardiogenic Shock Simplified appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this months EM Quick Hits podcast: The mighty return of Carr's Cases! Sarah Reid on differentiating septic arthritis from transient synovitis in pediatric limp, Anand Swaminathan on managing tracheostomy complications in the ED, Nour Khatib on rural medicine and ethylene glycol poisoning, Justin Morgenstern on RCTs for ketamine in patients with severe agitation...

The post EM Quick Hits 34 Carr’s Case, Septic Arthritis vs Transient Synovitis, Managing Tracheostomies, Ethylene Glycol Poisoning, Ketamine for Agitation appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast, Anand Swaminathan on tips and tricks in polytrauma, Rohit Mohindra on diagnosis and management of toxic megacolon, Jesse McLaren on ECG in pulmonary embolism, Victoria Myers on approach to the patch call for cardiac arrest, Brit Long on when to do a CT head before LP, Salim Rezaie on nebulized ketamine - the ketaBAN study...

The post EM Quick Hits 33 Polytrauma Tips & Tricks, Toxic Megacolon, ECG in PE, Patch Calls, CT Before LP, Nebulized Ketamine appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this Journal Jam podcast, special guest Dr. Mizuho Morrison joins Anton and Justin to clear up the muddy waters of therapeutic hypothermia with a deep dive into the world’s literature...

The post Journal Jam 19 Therapeutic Hypothermia After Cardiac Arrest – Mixed Evidence appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Quick Hits: Walter Himmel on new diseases associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, Leeor Sommer on the evolution of epiglottitis - adult epiglottitis clinical pearls, Sarah Reid on how to pick up HSP, Anand Swaminathan on an approach to management of heat stroke, Justin Morgenstern on the association between pediatric Bell's palsy and leukemia...

The post EM Quick Hits 32 Checkpoint Inhibitors, Adult Epiglotitits, HSP, Heat Stroke, Bell’s Palsy and Leukemia appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Just as pediatric patients are not small adults, geriatric patients are not just old adults. In this Part 1 of our 2-part EM Cases podcast series on Geriatric Trauma, Dr. Barbara Haas, Dr. Camilla Wong and Dr. Bourke Tillman answer questions such as: why are older patients under-triaged to trauma centers and how does that affect outcomes? What is the utility of the Shock Index in older patients? How should we adjust airway management for the older trauma patient? Which older patients do not require head or c-spine imaging after a ground level fall? Why is it challenging, yet of utmost importance, to clear the c-spine of a geriatric trauma patient as soon as possible? When can anticoagulation medications be safely resumed after an older person has sustained a minor head injury? and many more...

The post Ep 159 Geriatric Trauma Part 1: The Under-Triaging Problem, Resuscitation, Airway, Head and C-spine Imaging, Clearing the C-spine appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Arun Sayal on the nuances of assessment for scaphoid fractures, Justin Morgenstern on the evidence for therapeutic hypothermia post-arrest and the TTM2 trial, Sarah Reid on HEADS-ED mental health screening tool for children, youth and young adults, Andrew Petrosoniak on pelvic trauma and pelvic binder tips and pitfalls, Michelle Klaiman on what we need to know about Kratom and Anand Swaminathan on why femoral lines are often a great central line choice...

The post EM Quick Hits 30 Scaphoid Fracture, Therapeutic Hypothermia, HEADS-ED, Pelvic Trauma, Kratom, Femoral Lines appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Anand Swaminathan on vasopressor failure, Brit Long and Michael Gottlieb on aspleic considerations, Sarah Reid on a bronchiolitis update and evolving patterns in the COVID era, Hans Rosenberg and Lindsay Cheskes on ICD electrical storm, Justin Morgenstern on night shift tips...

The post EM Quick Hits 29 Vasopressor Failure, Asplenic Considerations, Bronchiolitis Update, ICD Electrical Storm, Night Shift Tips appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Anand Swaminathan on the approach to cardiogenic shock, Hania Bielawska on the myths of radiation dose in pregnant patients, Hans Rosenberg & Michael Gottlieb on PoCUS in airway management, Menaka Pai on VIPIT following AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination, Brit Long & Michael Gottlieb on Angiotensin II for emergency clinicians, Michael Schull on tips on the safety of short-term steroid use....

The post EM Quick Hits 28 Cardiogenic Shock, Radiation Dose in Pregnancy, PoCUS in Airway Management, VIPIT, Angiotensin II, Short-Term Steroid Safety appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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How do we figure out when bradycardia is due to a medical illness and when it is a primary cardiac problem? What are the 4 immediate life threatening diagnosis that we have to entertain and address in the first few minutes of the sick bradycardic patients? What are some key ECG patterns that are sometimes missed by ED docs that can have devastating consequences? How can we better understand Torsades de Pointes by understanding AV blocks? How can we better understand Mobitz l and ll using 'The Dorian' approach? What is BRASH syndrome and how can we recognize it? In this main episode podcast 4-step Approach to Bradycardia and Bradydysrhythmias with electrophysiologist, educator and researcher Dr. Paul Dorian and Chair of Education for the ED at Cook County Hospital Dr. Tarlan Hedayati, we dig deep into bradycardia...

The post Ep 154: 4-Step Approach to Bradycardia and Bradydysrhythmias appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Justin Morgenstern on colchicine for COVID pneumonia, Victoria Myers on sodium bicarbonate in cardiac arrest, Brit Long on troponin in chronic kidney disease, Michelle Klaiman on GHB overdose, Ian Walker on iloprost for frostbite, Sarah Reid on tips on avoiding patient and parent complaints....

The post EM Quick Hits 27 Colchicine for COVID, Bicarb in Cardiac Arrest, Troponin in CKD, GHB Withdrawal, Iloprost for Frostbite, Patient Complaints appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast we have Salim Rezaie on clinical probability adjusted D-dimer for pulmonary embolism, Bourke Tillmann on ARDS for the ED Part 2, Brit Long & Michael Gottlieb on pharyngitis mimics, Justin Hensley on the many faces of barotrauma, Hans Rosenberg & Peter Johns on assessment of continuous vertigo and Justin Morgenstern & Jeannette Wolfe on gender-based differences in CPR...

The post EM Quick Hits 23 – Clinical Probability Adjusted D-dimer, ARDS Part 2, Pharyngitis Mimics, Barotrauma, Vertigo, CPR Gender-Based Differences appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this Rapid Reviews Video Dr. Nick Clarridge runs through the NRP algorithm and delivers the nuggets of wisdom on when and how best to perform chest compressions, give epinephrine and pearls and pitfalls of the algorithm...

The post Neonatal Resuscitation Rapid Review Video Part 2 – Chest Compressions, Epinephrine, Algorithm Pearls and Pitfalls appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this Rapid Reviews Video Dr. Nick Clarridge runs through the NRP algorithm and delivers the nuggets of wisdom on how best to prepare for the sick neonate, best monitoring practices and ventilation strategies of the neonate...

The post Neonatal Resuscitation NRP Rapid Reviews Video appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this first part of our 2-part podcast on DKA and HHS, Drs Melanie Baimel, Bourke Tillman and Leeor Sommer discuss the importance of identifying the underlying cause or trigger in DKA patients, the pitfall of ruling out DKA in patients with normal pH or normal serum glucose, how to close the gap effectively, why stopping the insulin infusion is almost never indicated, how to avoid cardiac collapse when DKA patients require endotracheal intubation, the best alternatives to plastic in the trachea, why using a protocol improves patient outcomes, how to avoid the common complications of hypoglycemia and hypokalemia, and much more...

The post Ep 146 DKA Recognition and ED Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast, Anand Swaminathan on postpartum hemorrhage, Justin Morgenstern on phenobarbital in pediatric status epilepticus, Michelle Klaiman on managed alcohol programs, Andrew Petrosoniak on traumatic cardiac arrest, Brit Long on cholangitis pearls and pitfalls and Bourke Tillman on ED approach to ARDS...

The post EM Quick Hits 22 Postpartum Hemorrhage, Phenobarbital in Status Epilepticus, Managed Alcohol Programs, Traumatic Cardiac Arrest, Cholangitis, ED Approach to ARDS appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Justin Morgenstern on imaging choices in renal colic, Hanni Stoklosa on recognition and management of human trafficking, Rohit Mohindra on management of atrial fibrillation during COVID-19, Anand Swaminathan on transvenous pacemaker placement, Rob Simard on COVID-19 lung POCUS, Brit Long on COVID-19 dermatology and Sarah Foohey & Paul Koblic on virtual simulation...

The post EM Quick Hits 20 Imaging Renal Colic, Human Trafficking, Atrial Fibrillation During COVID, Transvenous Pacemaker Placement, COVID Lung POCUS, COVID Derm, Virtual Simulation appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Cases Best Case Ever podcast, Dr. Kari Sampsel, Emergency Physician at Ottawa Hospital and Assistant Professor at University of Ottawa, Medical Director of Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Care Program guides us through an example of a perimortem C-section - a resuscitative hysterotomy at Janus General. She and Rajiv discuss preparation, indications, the procedure, team dynamics and debriefing for this HALO procedure...

The post BCE 82 Perimortem C-section – The Resuscitative Hysterotomy appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Dr. Hilary Whyte, Dr. Jabeen Fayyaz, Dr. Emily MacNeill discuss a neonatal resuscitation algorithm, airway management, fluid resuscitation, central access tips, glucose and temperature control and transport tips...

The post Ep142 Neonatal Resuscitation – Airway, Temperature Control, Central Access, Hemodynamics, Glucose Control and Tranport appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Anand Swaminathan on recognition and ED management of adrenal crisis, Maria Ivankovic on indications for antibiotics in strep throat from EM Cases Course 2020, Jesse McLaren on recognition of posterior MI from ECG Cases, Justin Yan & Hans Rosenberg on just the facts of approach to DKA, Brit Long on ovarian torsion imaging myths, Walter Himmel on how to use the HINTS exam properly, and Ian Stiell on how to use Canadian CT head rules properly...

The post EM Quick Hits 17 Adrenal Crisis, Strep Throat, Posterior MI, DKA Just the Facts, Ovarian Torsion Imaging, HINTS Exam, Canadian CT Head Rule appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Anand Swaminathan on oxygenation strategies for COVID-19 learned from the New York experience, Andrew Petrosoniak on trauma care modifications in the COVID-19 era, Michelle Klaiman on addiction medicine considerations, Brit Long & Michael Gottlieb on cardiac complications of COVID-19 and Leeor Sommer on physician compassion and preserving patients' humanity...

The post EM Quick Hits 16 COVID-19 Oxygenation Strategies, Trauma Care, Addictions Considerations, Cardiovascular Complications and Compassionate Care appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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There are many complicated guides on airway management and protected intubation since the COVID-19 pandemic broke. This can be confusing in our rush to develop protocols and guides in our own EDs. In this podcast, part of the COVID-19 EM Cases 5-part series, we aim to simplify protected intubation so that you can adapt it to your ED rapidly. Canada's leading airway expert, George Kovacs guides us through the general principles and important details of the protected RSI...

The post Ep 140 COVID-19 Part 4 – Protected Intubation appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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The single most important thing we can do as ED providers in this COVID pandemic is to protect ourselves, our colleagues, our patients, our families and our friends against transmission of the virus; and there is no higher risk of transmission that during the resuscitation of a sick COVID patient. In this podcast we speak with a world expert on PPE, Dr. Laurie Mazurik about protecting against transmission of the virus before, during and after your shift. Not only do we discuss the details of all PPE from head protection to footwear, but we give tips on the equally important non-PPE protection as well. We touch on PPE conservation strategies as we struggle with supplies, give you the bottom line on donning/doffing sequencing, and discuss the core principles of the protected code blue...

The post Ep 139 COVID-19 Part 3 – PPE: What We Know, Conservation Strategies and Protected Code Blue appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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The Niagara falls of GI bleeding is occuring before your eyes. The patient is hypotensive and altered. What is your medical management algorithm and how do you deal with a grossly contaminated airway? What rescue device will you use? At EMU 2019, Dr. Sara Gray takes us through one of her best cases of damage control resuscitation for a patient with massive GI bleeding...

The post EMU365 Massive GI Bleed with Sara Gray appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Salim Rezaie on single syringe adenosine for SVT, Sarah Reid on pertussis pearls, Elisha Targonsky on management of hyperemesis gravidarum , Joe Nemeth on the utility of hypertension as a risk factor in EM, Justin Morgenstern on tramadol myths, Reuben Strayer on ketamine only breathing intubation (KOBI)...

The post EM Quick Hits 13 – One Syringe Adenosine, Pertussis Pearls, Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Tramadol, Hypertension Myths, KOBI appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Dr. Mike Misch guides us through this part 2 of a blunt chest trauma case with a presumed bronchopulmonary fistula requiring 3 chest tubes and describes options to optimize one-lung ventilation for safe transport...

The post Crit Cases 14 Bronchopleural Fistula Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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This EMU365 Video features Dr. Salim Rezaie of REBEL EM presenting his approach to airway management and epinephrine dosing in cardiac arrest based on the latest evidence...

The post EMU 365 A New Frontier in Cardiac Arrest Management with Salim Rezaie appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this CritCases blog, Shock and Hypoxia in Blunt Chest Trauma, a collaboration between STARS Air Ambulance Service, Mike Betzner and EM Cases, Mike Misch guides us through a hairy thoracic trauma case, reviewing principles of trauma resuscitation, airway considerations, tension pneumothorax management and a rare and challenging trauma diagnosis...

The post CritCases 13 Shock and Hypoxia in Blunt Chest Trauma appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Among the presentations seen in the ED, few command the same respect as status epilepticus. It is, in itself, both a diagnostic dilemma and, at times, a therapeutic nightmare. There’s a reason it’s the very first domino to fall in the dreaded sequence “seizure, coma, death”. Status epilepticus can be nuanced to manage. Sure, most seizures self-abort or love an IV dose of lorazepam, but ask anyone who’s been down the propofol route, and they’re not likely to have forgotten the time they stared down a patient who just...would...not....stop...

The post Ep 133 Emergency Management of Status Epilepticus appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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This EMU365 Video features Dr. Mike Betzner, medical director of STARS Air Ambulance service, collaborator on the CritCases blog, and bad-ass resuscitationist presenting his approach to the crashing asthmatic...

The post EMU 365 Mike Betzner on The Crashing Asthmatic appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Rob Simard of POCUS Cases fame and Scott Weingart go beyond ACLS and guide you through the complex world of PEA. We discuss that the palpation technique is poor at determining whether or not a patient has a pulse, that the POCUS pulse is more accurate and as rapid compared to the palpation technique at determining whether or not a patient has a pulse, the difference between true PEA arrest, PseudoPEA and PREM, why epinephrine may be harmful in PEA, Weingart's chain of survival approach from PEA arrest to ROSC, four tools to help differentiate true PEA arrest from PseudoPEA, how to prevent long pauses in chest compressions using POCUS, EM Cases PEA arrest and PseudoPEA suggested dynamic algorithm, vasopressor choices in PseudoPEA, whether the "QRS wide vs narrow width" approach to PEA arrest underlying cause is useful or not and much more...

The post Ep 131 PEA Arrest, PseudoPEA and PREM – With Simard and Weingart appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Anand Swaminathan on a simple approach to status epilepticus, David Juurlink on codeine and tramadol interactions: nasty drugs with nastier drug interactions, Brit Long on DOACS in patients with malignancy: which patient's with cancer can be safely prescribed DOACs? Ian Stiell on atrial fibrillation rate vs rhythm control controversy, Justin Morgenstern on peripheral vasopressors: safe or unsafe? Michelle Klaiman, Taryn Lloyd on motivational interviewing that makes a difference to patient's lives...

The post EM Quick Hits 7 Approach to Status Epilepticus, Codeine Interactions, Anticoagulation in Malignancy, Atrial Fibrillation Rate vs Rhythm Control, Peripheral Vasopressors, Motivational Interviewing appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Cases Best Case Ever podcast Rajiv interviews Dr. Eric Russell, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine attending physician at the Texas Children's Hospital, and editor at the Human Diagnosis Project. They discuss a challenging case of a pediatric patient who presents with what at first appears to be bronchiolitis...

The post BCE 80 Pediatric Respiratory Failure appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Quick Hits Podcast: Ludwig's Angina Emergency Management - Approach, Airway, Imaging, Transient Monocular Vision Loss (TMVL), D-dimer in the Work-up of Pulmonary Embolism in Pregnancy, Management of Pediatric Nasal Foreign Bodies: Tips and Tricks, Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim Drug Interactions and Airway Options in Cardiac Arrest - LMA for all?...

The post EM Quick Hits 5 Ludwig’s Angina, Transient Monocular Vision Loss, D-dimer for PE Workup in Pregnancy, Pediatric Nasal Foreign Bodies, Trimethoprim Drug Interactions, Airway Management in Cardiac Arrest appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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It turns out that for all burn patients—from minor to severe—there is a lot of room for improvement in ED management, counselling and disposition. Things like inaccurate estimation of burn size, unnecessary endotracheal intubation, over- and under-estimation of fluid resuscitation volumes, inadequate analgesia and inappropriate wound dressings are just some of the issues where a small change to ED practice patterns could have a huge impact on patient care. In this EM Cases main episode podcast we have the director of the Burn Unit at Hospital for Sick Children, Dr. Joel Fish and EM educator Dr. Maria Ivankovic discuss dozens of pearls and pitfalls in the management of both pediatric and adult burn and inhalation injuries management with a special appearance by airway master George Kovacs to talk about awake intubation in the burn and inhalation injuries patient...

The post Ep 124 Burn and Inhalation Injuries: ED Wound Care, Resuscitation and Airway Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this Quick Hits Podcast: David Juurlink on acetaminophen and warfarin drug interaction, Hans Rosenberg on management of dental infections, Emily Austin on dialysis in massive acetaminophen overdose, Andrew Petrosoniak on MTP decisions and the RABT score in trauma , Joel Yaphe on statins for STEMI from Whistler's Update in EM Conference, and George Kovacs on how to maximize success of a cricothyrotomy from EM Cases Course 2019...

The post EM Quick Hits 4 Acetaminophen Overdose & Warfarin Interaction, Dental Infections, MTP RABT Score, Statins for STEMI, Cricothyrotomy Tips appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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The final EMU365 video from EMU2018 features Dr. Amit Shah who discusses decision making and dosing around the use of thrombolytics in PE in the context of cardiac arrest, massive PE and submassive PE; the controversy around using half dose alteplase, and nuanced decision making around which patients with submassive PEs should have thrombolysis...

The post EMU 365 Thrombolysis in Pulmonary Embolism with Amit Shah appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this podcast Dr. Sara Gray, intensivist and emergency physician, co-author of The CAEP Sepsis Guidelines, answers questions such as: How does one best recognize occult septic shock? How does SIRS, qSOFA and NEWS compare in predicting poor outcomes in septic patients? Which fluid and how much fluid is best for resuscitation of the septic shock patients? What are the indications for norepinephrine, and when in the resuscitation should it be given, in light of the CENSER trial? What are the goals of resuscitation in the patient with sepsis or septic shock? When should antibiotics administered, given that the latest Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines recommend that antibiotics be administered within one hour of arrival for all patients suspected of sepsis or septic shock? What are the indications for a second vasopressor after norepinephrine? Given the conflicting evidence for steroids in sepsis, what are the indications for steroids? Should we be considering steroids with Vitamin C and thiamine for patients in septic shock? What are the pitfalls of lactate interpretation, and how do serial lactates compare to capillary refill in predicting poor outcomes in light of the ANDROMEDA trial? Is procalcitonin a valuable prognostic indicator in septic patients? and many more...

The post Ep 122 Sepsis and Septic Shock – What Matters from EM Cases Course appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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On this EM Quick Hits podcast we have Natalie May on Kawasaki disease clues to diagnosis, Justin Morgenstern on suturing dog bites: the evidence, Anand Swaminathan on BVM prior to laryngoscopy, Michelle Klaiman on anticraving medications for alcohol use disorder and special guest Howard Ovens on managing ED violence with compassionate care...

The post EM Quick Hits 3 – Kawasaki Disease, Suturing Dog Bites, BVM in RSI, Anticraving Meds for Alcohol Misuse, ED Violence appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Pediatric traumas are high acuity but low frequency situations that are stress provoking for emergency physicians. Dr. Mikrogianakis, Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Alberta Children’s Hospital gives his Top 10 Pediatric Trauma Pearls you can use to help with your practice...

The post EMU 365 Pediatric Trauma Top 10 Pearls with Angelo Mikrogianakis appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this CritCases blog Michael Misch takes us through a case of accidental hypothermia and cardiac arrest, reviewing the controversies in management as well as the guidelines for rewarming, the role of ECMO and the alterations to ACLS cardiac arrest medications, CPR and defibrillations...

The post CritCases 12 Accidental Hypothermia and Cardiac Arrest appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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EM Quick Hits is a brand new EM Cases podcast that contains 5 minute segments chosen from 10 specific topics by 10 different experts and educators. These topics are ones that either are not taught very well in training and/or that physicians tend to be not completely comfortable with. They include toxicology, trauma, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, resuscitation, human factors, addiction and pediatric emergencies. The EM Quick Hits Team is: Emily Austin, Peter Brindley, Chris Hicks, Michelle Klaiman, Anna MacDonald, Natalie May, Justin Morgenstern, Andrew Petrosoniak, Hans Rosenberg, Arun Sayal and Anand Swaminathan...

The post EM Quick Hits 1 Massive PE, Gabapentin for Alcohol Withdrawal, Dental Avulsions, Pediatric Eye Exam, Best Resuscitation Fluid appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Dr. Simard explains how to incorporate IVC POCUS into your assessment of volume status, he reviews the literature on accuracy of POCUS for assessment of volume status, reviews the key POCUS steps and cautions us about interpretation of your findings in intubated and deep breathing patients...

The post POCUS Cases 7 IVC Assessment of Volume Status appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Walter Himmel takes us through the resuscitation of a sick patient with an UGIB and the management priorities including blood products, antibiotics, TXA, octreotide, pantoprazole and endoscopy in this EMU 365 video...

The post EMU 365 Upper GI Bleed with Walter Himmel appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Does epinephrine improve the chances of return of spontaneous circulation at the expense of the brain? In other words, while we know that epinephrine doubles rates of ROSC in all comers in cardiac arrest, there’s never been robust evidence for long term improvements in neurologic functional outcomes. So, are we saving lives, or are we prolonging death? Find out the answer in this Journal Jam podcast with Justin Morgenstern and Rory Spiegel...

The post JJ 14 Epinephrine in Cardiac Arrest appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this episode Dr. Kathryn Dong, Dr. Michelle Klaiman and Dr. Aaron Orkin discuss the latest in naloxone in opioid overdose cardiac arrest and altered LOA, a 5-step approach to ED opioid withdrawal management and how we can improve mortality and morbidity in patients with opioid use disorder in the era of the opioid epidemic...

The post Ep 116 Emergency Management of Opioid Misuse, Overdose and Withdrawal appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Managing acutely agitated patients can cause anxiety in even the most seasoned emergency doctor. These are high risk patients and they are high risk to you and your ED staff. It’s important to understand that agitation or agitated delirium is a cardinal presentation – not a diagnosis. There is pathology lurking beneath - psychiatric, medical, traumatic and toxicological diagnoses driving these patients and we just won’t know which until we can safely calm them down...

The post Ep 115 Emergency Management of the Agitated Patient appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In anticipation of EM Cases Episode 113 Diagnosis an Workup of Pulmonary Embolism with Dr. Kerstin DeWit and Dr. Eddy Lang, we have Dr. Peter Reardon telling us his Best Case Ever (Coding in the Scanner) of a young woman who presents with a seizure followed by hemodynamic instability, who codes while in the CT scanner...

The post BCE 74 Coding in the Scanner appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Cases main Episode 112 Tachydysrhythmias with Amal Mattu and Paul Dorion we discuss a potpurri of clinical goodies for the recognition and management of both wide and narrow complex tachydysrhythmias and answer questions such as: Which patients with stable Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) require immediate electrical cardioversion, chemical cardioversion or no cardioversion at all? Are there any algorithms that can reliably distinguish VT from SVT with aberrancy? What is the "verapamil death test"?  While procainamide may be the first line medication for stable VT based on the PROCAMIO study, what are the indications for IV amiodarone for VT? How should we best manage patients with VT who have an ICD? How can the Bix Rule help distinguish Atrial Flutter from SVT? What is the preferred medication for conversion of SVT to sinus rhythm, Adenosine or Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs)? Why is amiodarone contraindicated in patients with WPW associated with atrial fibrillation? What are the important differences in the approach and treatment of atrial fibrillation vs. atrial flutter? How can we safely curb the high bounce-back rate of patients with atrial fibrillation who present to the ED? and many more...

The post Ep 112 Tachydysrhythmias with Amal Mattu and Paul Dorion appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In anticipation of EM Cases Episode 112 on Tachydysrhthmias with Amal Mattu and Paul Dorion, Melanie Baimel tells her Best Case Ever of a previously healthy young man who presents in refractory ventricular fibrillation after receiving multiple single shocks, ongoing chest compressions, several rounds of epinephrine, amiodarone and dual sequence defibrillation without ROSC...

The post BCE 73 Esmolol in Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Cases CritCases blog - a collaboration between STARS Air Ambulance Service, Mike Betzner and EM Cases, a middle aged woman presents to a rural ED with headache and vomiting, normal vital signs with subsequent status epilepticus and serum sodium of 110 mmol/L. What management recommendations would you make to the rural ED physician, the transport team and in your ED with regards to treatment of seizures, safe correction of hyponatremia, airway management, search for underlying cause and prevention of Osmotic Demyelenation Syndrome?

The post CritCases 10 Hyponatremia Associated Seizures appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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The last decade has seen a torrent of literature and expert opinion on emergency airway management. It is challenging to integrate all this new information into a seamless flow when faced with a challenging airway situation. In this live podcast recorded at North York General's Emergency Medicine Update Conference 2018, Scott Weingart and Anton Helman put together the latest in emergency airway management by outlining  6 common airway pitfalls: Failure to prepare for failure, failure to position the patient properly, failure to optimize oxygenation, failure to optimize hemodynamics, failure to consider an awake intubation and failure to prepare for a cricothyrotomy...

The post Ep 110 Airway Pitfalls – Live from EMU 2018 appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In anticipation of EM Cases Episode 110 Airway Pitfalls Live from EMU 2018 with Scott Weingart, we have Dr. Shira Brown tell her Best Case Ever of a pediatric trauma patient who required a cricothyrotomy. She explains how, despite working in a non-trauma center with limited resources, her team was well prepared because of the robust simulation program specifically designed for practicing emergency physicians that she had developed in her region. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the scalpel-Bougie vs scalpel-finger-Bougie cricothyrotomy techniques and to maintain an optimistic attitude in seemingly futile cases...

The post BCE 71 Cricothyrotomy and the Value of Simulation Training appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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When patients with known congenital heart disease present to the ED with common illnesses we need to consider how their physiology might alter our approach to those common illnesses. Max Ben-Yakov guides us through his Best Case Ever of a CHD patient who presents with bronchiolitis and gives us some tips on how best to approach these fragile patients in a crisis situation...

The post BCE 66 CHD with Bronchiolitis: A Delicate Balance appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this CritCases blog we present a case of a 30 week gestational age pregnant woman with high blood pressure, headache, blurry vision and pelvic cramping. We discuss the management challenges of transporting a patient with severe pre-eclampsia and preterm labor, with special attention to dosing of magnesium, antihypertensive agents choice, and indications for steroids, tocolytics and antibiotics.

The post CritCases 9 Pre-Eclampsia and Preterm Labor – Time Sensitive Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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The EM Cases Rapid Reviews Videos library is growing! You might have had trouble remembering all the details of Episode 78 Anaphylaxis & Anaphylactic Shock live from the EM Cases Course with David Carr. But don't fret! In these short videos Patrick Gilbride reviews the ED recognition and management nuances of anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock including when to give epinephrine, steroids and H1 blockers, epinephrine resistant shock, Kounis Syndrome and more...

The post Rapid Reviews Video on Anaphylaxis & Anaphylactic Shock appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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There exists a kind of self-fulfilling prognostic pessimism when it comes to ICH. And this pessimism sometimes leads to less than optimal care in patients who otherwise might have had a reasonably good outcome if they were managed aggressively. Despite the poor prognosis of these patients overall, there is some evidence to suggest that early aggressive medical management may improve outcomes. As such, the skill with which you manage your patient with ICH in those first few hours could be the most important determinant of their outcome. In this Golden Hour you have a chance to prevent hematoma expansion, stabilize intracerebral perfusion and give your patient the best chance of survival with neurologic recovery.

The post Ep 104 Emergency Management of Intracerebral Hemorrhage – The Golden Hour appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In Part 2 of our two part podcast on GI Bleed Emergencies Anand Swaminathan and Salim Rezaie kick off with a discussion on the evidence for benefit of various medications in ED patients with upper GI bleed. PPIs, somatostatin analogues such as Octreotide, antibiotic prophylaxis and prokinetics have varying degrees of benefit, and we should know which ones to prioritize. We then discuss the usefulness of the Glasgow-Blatchford and Rockall scores for risk stratification and disposition of patient with upper GI bleeds and hit it home with putting it all together in a practical algorithm. Enjoy!

The post Episode 102 GI Bleed Emergencies Part 2 appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this Part 1 of our two part podcast on GI bleed emergencies we answer questions such as: How do you distinguish between an upper vs lower GI bleed when it's not so obvious clinically? What alterations to airway management are necessary for the GI bleed patient? What do we need to know about the value of fecal occult blood in determining whether or not a patient has a GI bleed? Which patients require red cell transfusions? Massive transfusion? Why is it important to get a fibrinogen level in the sick GI bleed patient? What are the goals of resuscitation in a massive GI bleed? What's the evidence for using an NG tube for diagnosis and management of upper GI bleeds?  In which patients should we give tranexamic acid and which patients should we avoid it in? How are the indications for massive transfusion in GI bleed different to the trauma patient? What are your options if the bleeding can't be stopped on endoscopy? and many more...

The post Episode 101 GI Bleed Emergencies Part 1 appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this CritCases blog - a collaboration between STARS Air Ambulance Service, Mike Betzner and EM Cases, we take you through a not uncommon stroke presentation which then develops into a challenge with regard to management of elevated ICP, hypertension and the airway...

The post CritCases 8 Management of Elevated ICP appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Cases podcast Dr. Joel Lockwood tells his Best Case Ever of a prehospital trauma resuscitation, bringing to light the challenges faced by EMS with the complicated trauma patient. He discusses the importance of checklists, practice and simulation to help streamline the process, offloading some cognitive burden, prepare the team, reduce the change of errors, improve efficiency and etch actions into each team member's muscle memory.

The post Best Case Ever 60 What we can learn from Prehospital Trauma Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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This is the first ever video podcast on EM Cases with Jordan Chenkin from EMU Conference 2017 discussing how to optimize three aspects of cardiac arrest care: persistent ventricular fibrillation, optimizing pulse checks and PEA arrest, with code team videos contrasting the ACLS approach to an optimized approach...

The post Episode 96 Beyond ACLS Cardiac Arrest – Live from EMU Conference 2017 appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Management of the pediatric trauma patient is challenging regardless of where you work. In this EM Cases episode, with the help of two leading pediatric trauma experts, Dr. Sue Beno from Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and Dr. Faud Alnaji from Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa we answer such questions as: what are the most important physiologic and anatomic differences between children and adults that are key to managing the trauma patient? How much fluid should be given prior to blood products? What is the role of POCUS in abdominal trauma? Which patients require abdominal CT? How do you clear the pediatric c-spine? Are atropine and fentanyl recommended as pre-induction agents in the pediatric trauma patient? How can the BIG score help us prognosticate? Is tranexamic acid recommended in early pediatric trauma like it is in adults? Is the Pediatric Trauma Score helpful in deciding which patients should be transferred to a trauma center? and many more...

The post Episode 95 Pediatric Trauma appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Airway management requires a lot things; it requires not only technical skills and specific considerations of anatomy and physiology but a co-ordinated team who can communicate clearly and react to a whole slew of potentially challenging situations. On this month's Best Case Ever podcast we use the framework of a new mnemonic PREPARE to discuss human factors, situational awareness and some airway tips and tricks with intensivist Peter Brindley, human factors expert Chris Hicks and EM-intensivist Sara Gray...

The post Best Case Ever 57 PREPARE mnemonic for Airway Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this CritCases blog - a collaboration between STARS Air Ambulance Service, Mike Betzner and EM Cases we discuss a challenging case of pulmonary hypertension where a fine balance in volume resuscitation, oxygenation and ventilation is critical.

The post CritCases 7 Pulmonary Hypertension – A Fine Balance appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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I remember when I started practicing emergency medicine a decade and a half ago it seemed that any kid who came to our ED in cardiac arrest died. I know, depressing thought. But, over the past 15 years, survival to discharge from pediatric cardiac arrest has markedly improved, at least for in-hospital arrests. This is probably mostly due to an emphasis on high-quality CPR and advances in post-resuscitation care; nonetheless the more comfortable, knowledgeable and prepared we are for the always scary critically ill pediatric patient, the more likely we will be able to resuscitate them successfully - which is always a huge save.

The post Episode 93 – PALS Guidelines appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Cases CritCases blog - a collaboration with STARS Air Ambulance Service, Mike Betzner, we present a challenging airway obstruction case, the limitations of non-rebreather masks, using PEEP on bag-valve-masks, heliox, tips on awake intubation, and the differential for high peak inspiratory pressures in the post intubation period. With commentary by Michael Betzner and Reuben Strayer as well as expert peer review by George Kovacs...

The post CritCases 6 – Airway Obstruction appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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As EM Cases has grown and expanded over the past 7 years I've had the pleasure of working with a team of talented people. This Best Case Ever was produced by two all-star EM residents from Ottawa, podcaster Dr. Rajiv Vairavanathan and editor Dr. Richard Hoang. In this all-resident Best Case Ever we interview Dr. Chris Belcher from University of Kentucky about TTP - Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, that rare but often elusive clotting disorder that picks off multiple organs and has a near 100% mortality rate without treatment...

The post Best Case Ever 53 – TTP appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In anticipation of EM Cases Episode 90 on the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) guidelines with the lead author Dr. Allan DeCaen and Dr. Anthony Crocco, Dr. DeCaen tells his Best Case Ever showing us the value of orchestrated team work and a great example of the saying, "they're not dead until they're warm and dead"...

The post Best Case Ever 52 – Pediatric Hypothermia Cardiac Arrest appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In anticipation of Episode 88 and 89: DOACs Use, Misuse and Reversal with the president of Thrombosis Canada and world renowned thrombosis researcher Dr. Jim Douketis, internist and thrombosis expert Dr. Benjamin Bell and 'The Walking Encyclopedia of EM' Dr. Walter Himmel, we have Dr. Himmel telling us the story of his Best Case Ever on anticoagulants and GI bleed. He discusses the most important contraindication to DOACs, the importance of not only attempting to reverse the effects of anticoagulants in a bleeding patient but managing the bleed itself as well as more great pearls. In the upcoming episodes we'll run through 6 cases and cover the clinical use of DOACs, how they work, safety, indications, contraindications, management of minor, moderate and severe bleeding, the new DOAC reversal agents, management of DVT with DOAC anticoagulants, stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation with DOACs and much more...

The post Best Case Ever 51 – Anticoagulants and GI Bleed with Walter Himmel appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this CritCases blog - a collaboration between STARS Air Ambulance Service, Mike Betzner and EM Cases, Dr. Michael Misch discusses the management controversies around a challenging pediatric drowning and hypothermia case, including the nuances of rewarming, oxygenation, CPR or no CPR, the role of ECMO, dosing of epinephrine and more...

The post CritCases 5 – Pediatric Drowning and Hypothermia appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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This is 'A Nuanced Approach to Emergency Management of Hyperkalemia' on EM Cases.

Of all the electrolyte emergencies, hyperkalemia is the one that has the greatest potential to lead to cardiac arrest. And so, early in my EM training I learned to get the patient on a monitor, ensure IV access, order up an ECG, bombard the patient with a cocktail of kayexalate, calcium, insulin, B-agonists, bicarb, fluids and furosemide, and get the patient admitted, maybe with some dialysis to boot. Little did I know that some of these therapies were based on theory alone while others were based on a few small poorly done studies. It turns out that some of these therapies may cause more harm than good, and that precisely when and how to give these therapies to optimize patient outcomes is still not really known...

The post Episode 86 – Emergency Management of Hyperkalemia appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Shortness of breath is a very common chief complaint in the emergency department, but despite our familiarity with this symptom, management is not always straightforward. The differential diagnosis is extensive, including the common cardiorespiratory conditions, but extending to toxicologic, hematologic, neuromuscular, metabolic, and psychiatric causes. Over the past decade, we have seen the widespread adoption of new technologies to help us manage these patients. This post will look at some new evidence on two of those technologies: noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) and ultrasound (POCUS). We will answer 3 questions based on 3 systematic reviews using the BEEM critical appraisal framework...

The post BEEM Cases 3 – Acute Respiratory Failure: NIPPV & POCUS appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Melanie Baimel's Best Case Ever on Post-Arrest Hyperkalemia on EM Cases.

Post arrest patients can sometimes be challenging. We need to think of a variety of underlying causes of the arrest, antiarrhythmics, possible cath lab activation, targeted temperature management, sedation and more. To add to this, many post arrest patients do not have ideal vital signs that require attention. In this Best Case Ever, in anticipation of our upcoming episode on A Rational Approach to Hyperkalemia Dr. Melanie Baimel describes a post arrest patient who remains bradycardic and hypotensive despite multiple pressors....

The post Best Case Ever 49 – Post-Arrest Hyperkalemia appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this CritCases blog - a collaboration between STARS Air Ambulance Service, Mike Betzner and EM Cases, Dr. James Brokenshire presents a case of acute unstable Uterine Inversion and discusses key therapeutic maneuvers including the Johnson Maneuver, tocolytics and resuscitation of postpartum hemorrhage.

The post CritCases 4 – Uterine Inversion and Postpartum Hemorrhage appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Congenital Heart Disease Emergencies on EM cases with Gary Joubert and Ashley Strobel.

You might be surprised to learn that the prevalence of critical cardiac disease in infants is almost as high as the prevalence of infant sepsis. And if you’re like me, you don’t feel quite as confident managing sick infants with critical heart disease as you do managing sepsis. Critical congenital heart defects are often missed in the ED. For a variety of reasons, there are currently more children with congenital heart disease presenting to the ED than ever before and these numbers will continue to grow in the future. When I was in medical school I vaguely remember learning the complex physiology and long lists of congenital heart diseases, which I’ve now all but forgotten. What we really need to know about congenital heart disease emergencies is what actions to take in the ED when we have a cyanotic or shocky baby in front of us in the resuscitation room. So with the goal of learning a practical approach to congenital heart disease emergencies using the child’s age, colour and few simple tests, Dr. Strobel and Dr. Joubert will discuss some key actions, pearls and pitfalls so that the next time you’re faced with that crashing baby in the resuscitation room, you’ll know exactly what to do.

The post Episode 84 – Congenital Heart Disease Emergencies appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Journal Jam 7 - Amiodarone vs Lidocaine vs Placebo in Cardiac Arrest: The ALPS Trial.

In our most popular EM Cases episode to date - ACLS Guidelines Cardiac Arrest Controversies, we boldly stated, that there has never been an antiarrhythmic medication that has shown any long term survival benefit in cardiac arrest. The use of medications in cardiac arrest has been one of those things that we all do, but that we know the evidence isn’t great for. Yet Amiodarone is still in the newest AHA adult cardiac arrest algorithm for ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycarida – 300mg IV after the 3rd shock with the option to give it again at 150mg after that. Anti-arrhythmics have been shown in previous RCTs to increase the rate of return of spontaneous circulation and even increased survival to hospital admission, however none of them have been able to show a decrease in mortality or a favourable neurological outcome at hospital discharge. In other words, there has never been shown a long term survival or functional benefit - which is a bit disconcerting.

But now, we have a recent large randomized, controlled trial that shines some new light on the role of anti-arrythmics in cardiac arrest - The ALPS trial: Amiodarone vs Lidocaine vs placebo in out of hospital cardiac arrest. In this Journal Jam podcast, Justin Morgenstern and Anton Helman interview two authors of the ALPS trial, Dr. Laurie Morrison a world-renowned researcher in cardiac arrest and Dr. Paul Dorian, a cardiac electrophysiologist and one of Canada's leading authorities on arrhythmias about what we should take away from the ALPS trial. It turns out, it's not so simple. We also discuss the value of dual shock therapy for shock resistant ventricular fibrillation and the future of cardiac arrest care.

The post Journal Jam 7 – Amiodarone vs Lidocaine vs Placebo in Cardiac Arrest: The ALPS Trial appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In anticipation of EM Cases' upcoming episode, Congenital Heart Disease Emergencies we have Dr. Gary Joubert a double certified Pediatric EM and Pediatric Cardiology expert telling his Best Case Ever of a four month old infant who presents with intermittent cyanosis. The Cyanotic Infant can present a significant challenge to the EM provider as the differential is wide, ranging from benign causes such as GERD to life threatening heart disease that may present atypically in a well-appearing child. Dr. Joubert gives us some simple sweet clinical pearls to help us along the way...

The post Best Case Ever 47 – Cyanotic Infant appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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EM Cases Episode 83 - 5 Critical Care Controversies from SMACC Dublin: I had the great opportunity to gather some of the brightest minds in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care from around the world (Mark Forrest from U.K., Chris Nickson from Australia, Chris Hicks from Canada and Scott Weingart from U.S.) at the SMACC Dublin Conference and ask them about 5 Critical Care Controversies and concepts:

How to best prepare your team for a resuscitation

Optimum fluid management in sepsis

Direct vs. video laryngoscopy as first line tool for endotracheal intubation

Early vs. late trauma intubation

Whether or not to attempt a thoracotomy in non-trauma centres

The discussion that ensued was enlightening...

The post Episode 83 – 5 Critical Care Controversies from SMACC Dublin appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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EM Cases Best Case Ever - Chris Nickson on Hickam's Dictum.

Usually we use the heuristic of Occam's razor to help us arrive at one diagnosis that makes sense of all the data points that a particular patient presents to us. However sometimes it's not so straight forward and we need to think about multiple diagnoses that explain a patient's condition - Hickam's Dictum. Dr. Chris Nickson, the brains behind the Life in the Fast Lane blog tells his Best Case Ever from the SMACC Conference in Dublin, in which a patient thrombolysed for massive pulmonary embolism suffers a cardiac arrest, and the thought process he went through to discover the surprising complicating diagnoses that ensue...

The post Best Case Ever 46 – Chris Nickson on Hickam’s Dictum appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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EM Cases CritCases 3 - GSW to the chest in a rural setting. In this CritCases we discuss preparation for penetrating trauma in a rural setting, the ABC score, massive transfusion protocol, clamshell thoracotomy, trauma intubation and more.

The Case... You are the transport physician on call. A 50-year old male with a history of depression allegedly shot himself in the chest with a rifle. A bystander called 911. The local paramedics are en route and the air transport team is activated with a plan to rendezvous at the nearest hospital, Janus General, which is 90 minutes by ground from the nearest tertiary care centre. You contact the rural hospital for a status update but all they can tell you is that his GCS is 14 and he has a GSW to the central chest.

The post CritCases 3 – GSW to the Chest appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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I had the great pleasure of meeting Dr. Mike Winters on his first ever visit to Canada at North York General's Emergency Medicine Update Conference, where he gave two fantastic presentations. His credentials are impressive: He is the Medical Director of the Emergency Department, Associate Professor in both EM and IM, EM-IM-Critical Care Program co-director and Residency Program Director of EM-IM at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Sometimes we are so caught up with the job we need to get done during cardiac arrest that we forget about the important and profound effect that this event has on patients' families. On this Best Case Ever Dr. Winters tells the story of witnessing his grandfather's cardiac arrest, being present in the ED during the resuscitation attempts, and how that experience has coloured his practice. We discuss some pearls on communication with patients' families after death, colour-coded cardiac arrest teams and how to integrate POCUS into cardiac arrest care while minimizing chest compressions.

The post Best Case Ever 45 – Mike Winters on Cardiac Arrest appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Anaphylaxis is the quintessential medical emergency. We own this one. While the vast majority of anaphylaxis is relatively benign, about 1% of these patients die from anaphylactic shock. And usually they die quickly. Observational data show that people who die from anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock do so within about 5-30mins of onset, and in up to 40% there’s no identifiable trigger. The sad thing is that many of these deaths are because of two simple reasons: 1. The anaphylaxis was misdiagnosed and 2. Treatment of anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock was inappropriate.

So there’s still lots of room for improvement when it comes to anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock management.

With the help of Dr. David Carr of Carr's Cases fame, we’ll discuss how to pick up atypical presentations of anaphylaxis, how to manage the challenging situation of epinephrine-resistant anaphylactic shock, whether or not we should abandon steroids, a rare but ‘must know’ diagnosis related to anaphylaxis, and much more. Plus, we have a special guest apperance by George Kovacs, airway guru, to walk us through an approach to the impending airway obstruction we might face in anaphylaxis.

The post Episode 78 Anaphylaxis and Anaphylactic Shock – Live from The EM Cases Course appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Welcome to EM Cases' CritCases blog, a collaboration between Mike Betzner, the STARS air ambulance service and EM Cases’ Michael Misch and Anton Helman! These are educational cases with multiple decision points where there is no strong evidence to guide us. Various strategies and opinions from providers around the world are coalesced and presented to you in an engaging format. Enjoy!

The post CritCases 2 – Is this Septic Shock with Pneumonia? appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Welcome to the new EM Cases CritCases blog, a collaboration between Mike Betzner, the STARS air ambulance service and EM Cases' Michael Misch and Anton Helman! These are educational cases with multiple decision points where there is no strong evidence to guide us. Various strategies and opinions from providers around the world are coalesced and presented to you in an engaging format. Enjoy!

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I caught up with Dr. Anand Swaminathan, otherwise known as EM Swami, at The Teaching Course in NYC where he told his Best Case Ever from Janus General of his heroic and collaborative attempts at saving the life of a gentleman who presented to the ED with a classic story for a ruptured AAA. As William Olser famously said, "There is no disease more conducive to clinical humility than aneurysm of the aorta."

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When was the last time you saw ventricular fibrillation in a 4 month old? Dr. Simard tells his Best Case Ever of a Pediatric Cardiac Arrest in which meticulous preparation, sticking to his guns, early activation of the transportation service, and clever use of point of care ultrasound helped save the life of a child. He explains the importance of debriefing your team after an emotionally charged case.

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Once we've achieved ROSC our job is not over. Good post-arrest care involves maintaining blood pressure and cerebral perfusion, adequate sedation, cooling and preventing hyperthermia, considering antiarrhythmic medications, optimization of tissue oxygen delivery while avoiding hyperoxia, getting patients to PCI who need it, and looking for and treating the underlying cause. Dr. Lin and Dr. Morrison offer us their opinion on the new simplified approach to diagnosing the underlying cause of PEA arrests. We'll also discuss when it's time to terminate resuscitation or 'call the code' as well as some fascinating research on gender differences in cardiac arrest care. These co-authors of the guidelines will give us their vision of the future of cardiac arrest care and we'll wrap up the episode with a third opinion, so to speak: Dr. Weingart's take on the whole thing....

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A lot has changed over the years when it comes to managing the adult in cardiac arrest. As a result, survival rates after cardiac arrest have risen steadily over the last decade. With the release of the 2015 American Heart Association ACLS Guidelines 2015 online on Oct 16th, while there aren’t a lot a big changes, there are many small but important changes we need to be aware of, and there still remains a lot of controversy. In light of knowing how to provide optimal cardio-cerebral resuscitation and improving patient outcomes, in this episode we’ll ask two Canadian co-authors of The Guidelines, Dr. Laurie Morrison and Dr. Steve Lin some of the most practice-changing and controversial questions.

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Current estimates of the prevalence of obesity are that a quarter of adult Canadians and one third of Americans are considered obese with approximately 3% being morbidly obese. With the proportion of patients with a BMI>30 growing every year, you’re likely to manage at least one obese patient on every ED shift. Obese patients are at high risk of developing a host of medical complications including diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, biliary disease, sleep apnea, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolism and depression, and are less likely compared to non-obese adults to receive timely care in the ED.

Not only are these patients at higher risk for morbidity and mortality, but obesity emergency management is complicated by the patient’s altered cardiopulmonary physiology and drug metabolism. This can make their acute management much more challenging and dangerous. To help us gain a deeper understanding of the challenges of managing obese patients and elucidate a number of important differences as well as practical approaches to obesity emergency management, we welcome Dr. Andrew Sloas, the founder and creator of the fantastic pediatric EM podcast PEM ED, Dr. Richard Levitan, a world-famous airway management educator and innovator and Dr. David Barbic a prominent Canadian researcher in obesity in emergency medicine from University of British Columbia....

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I caught up with airway educator, innovator and self-described enthusiast Dr. Richard Levitan at SMACC in Chicago this past June. In this Best Case Ever on Airway Strategy and Mental Preparedness in EM Procedures, Dr. Levitan uses a great save of his in a penetrating trauma case as a basis for discussion on mental preparedness and how we've been thinking about our general approach to emergency procedures the wrong way. Rather than fixating on the final goal of a procedure, which can often be daunting and lead us astray, he suggests a methodical incrementalized and compartmentalized approach to EM procedures that reduces stress and fear, improves confidence and enhances success. He runs through several examples including intubation, cricothyrotomy and initial approach to hypoxia to explain his Simple Incremental Approach to EM Procedures. Could this be a paradigm shift in the way we think about procedures in EM?....

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In this Best Case Ever with Dr. Scott Weingart, the brains behind EMcrit.org, we hear the devastating story of a tracheostomy gone bad. Dr. Weingart shares with us what he has learned about how to manage massive hemoptysis in tracheostomy patients, and in particlar, a step-wise approach to managing a tracheo-innominate fistula. We discuss the balance between providing maximal aggrressive critical care while maintaining a deep respect for the risks associated with the procedures we perform. Recorded at North York General's EM Update Conference 2015.

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In this Part 2 of EM Cases' Highlights from Whistler's Update in EM Conference 2015 Dr. David Carr gives you his top 5 pearls and pitfalls on ED antibiotic use including when patients with sinusitis really require antibiotics, when oral antibiotics can replace IV antibiotics, how we should be dosing Vancomycin in the ED, the newest antibiotic regimens for gonorrhea and the mortality benefit associated with antibiotic use in patients with upper GI bleeds. Dr. Chris Hicks gives you his take on immediate PCI in post-cardiac arrest patients with a presumed cardiac cause and The Modified HEART Score to safely discharge patients with low risk chest pain.

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In anticipation of our series of podcasts on Diagnostic Decision Making with Dr. Walter Himmel, Dr. Chris Hicks and Dr. David Dushenski we have Dr. Hicks presenting his Best Case Ever. Taking action in Emergency Medicine requires not only careful consideration of the best evidence, the experience of the clinician, the patient's values and the system that you work in, but also the will to act. Dr. Hicks describes a case of a patient who suffers a cardiac arrest, where the diagnosis is quite obvious to everyone in the room (and the required action is as well), yet a delay in treatment occurs nonetheless.

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This EM Cases episode is Part 1 of The Highlights of The University of Toronto, Divisions of Emergency Medicine, Update in EM Conference from Whistler 2015 with Paul Hannam on Pearls and Pitfalls of Intraosseus Line Placement, Anil Chopra on who is at risk and how to prevent Contrast Induced Nephropathy, and Joel Yaphe on the Best of EM Literature from 2014, including reduction of TMJ dislocations, the TRISS trial (on transfusion threshold in sepsis), PEITHO study for thrombolysis in submassive PE, Co-trimoxazole and Sudden Death in Patients Receiving ACE inhibitors or ARBs, the effectiveness and safety of outpatient Tetracaine for corneal abraisons, chronic effects of shift work on cognition and much more...

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On this EM Cases Best Case Ever, Andrew Sloas, the brains behinds the fabulous PEM-ED podcast tells the tale of a pericardiocentesis gone bad and what he learned from it. Emergency pericardicentesis can be life saving, but it also carries risks. Dr. Sloas reviews the steps to take to ensure that the pericardiocentesis needle is the the correct place to minimize the risk of intubating the right ventricle of the heart. A discussion of errors of omission and ones of commission follows....

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In this second part of the Weingart-Himmel Sessions on critical care pearls for the community ED on the EM Cases podcast, we discuss the many controversies and recent changes in fluid management in severe sepsis and septic shock. With the recently published ARISE trial, and some deviations from Early Goal Directed Therapy, we are changing the way we think about fluids in sepsis: the type of fluid, the volume of fluid, the rate of fluid administration, the timing of introducing vasopressors and the goals of fluid resuscitation. In the next section of the podcast we discuss the PAD mnemonic for post-intubation analgesia and sedation, the prevention of delirium, and medication choices to minimize time on the ventilator, and improve prognosis.

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Hot on the heels of Dr. Weingart's latest publication in the Annal of EM on Preoxygenation & Delayed Sequence Intubation, we have Dr. Weingart, perhaps the world's most influential critical care educator, and Dr. Walter Himmel, 'The Walking Encyclopedia of EM' discussing how the community ED doc can use preoxygenation, apneic oxygenation and delayed sequence intubation to help improve airway management knowledge and skills. Whether you work in a rural setting or a big urban community hospital, Dr. Himmel and Dr. Weingart explain how these concepts and skills are easily adaptable to your work environment. We introduce the Triple 15 Rule for preoxygenation as a memory aid that will help you the next time you're faced with a critically ill patient who's oxygen saturation isn't good enough on a non-rebreather.

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Kids aren't little adults. Pediatric sepsis and septic shock usually presents as 'cold shock' where as adult septic shock usually presents as 'warm shock', for example. In this episode, a continuation of our discussion on Fever from with Ottawa PEM experts, Sarah Reid and Gina Neto, we discuss the pearls and pitfalls in the recognition and management of pediatric sepsis and septic shock. We review the subtle clinical findings that will help you pick up septic shock before it's too late as well as key maneuvers and algorithms to stabilize these patients. We cover tips for using IO in children, induction agents of choice, timing of intubation, ionotropes of choice, the indications for steroids in septic shock, and much more.....

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Ottawa this year, I had the pleasure of discussing pediatric shock and sepsis with Dr. Sarah Reid, a good medical school friend of mine from the Gretzky Year ('99) graduating class. I knew back then that she was heading for PEM educator stardom. Lo and behold, she is the now the director of CME at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and a national PEM speaker extraordinaire. After recording an eye-opening session on Pediatric Fever Without a Source and Pediatric Sepsis, she told me the story of her Best Case Ever where the initial presumptive diagnosis was sepsis.

Maximize your learning and submit your questions on 'Pediatric Fever Without a Source' on the Next Time on EM Cases page.

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I met up with Mike Betzner at North York General's Update in EM Conference in Toronto. He is the medical director of Air Transport STARS air ambulance out of Calgary and an amazing speaker on the national lecturing circuit. His Best Case Ever on Chloral Hydrate poisoning & cardiac arrest describes a young man in cardiac arrest with resistant Ventricular Fibrillation and Torsades de Pointes. There is only one class of drugs that can get him back into normal sinus rhythm. Dr. Betzner describes how he recognized that this patient was suffering from Chloral Hydrate poisoning and how he saved his life with one simple intervention.

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In anticipation of the Highlights from North York General's Emergency Medicine Update Conference 2014 we have the master educator himself, Dr. Amal Mattu's Best Case ever of a patient who presented with a COPD exacerbation, that we recorded at the conference in Toronto just a couple of weeks ago. Dr. Mattu gives you a string of pearls and pitfalls when it comes to management of COPD, bagging & vent settings that you will never forget. In the upcoming episode Dr. Mattu will review his favorite papers from the cardiology literature of the past year and Dr. Stuart Swadron will give you his approach to the challenges of the patient with vertigo. This will the first of two parts of the highlights from the conference - the largest and best EM conference in Canada.

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In this episode on Whistler's Update in Emergency Medicine Conference 2014 Highlights we have... Chapter 1 with David Carr on his approach to Shock, including the RUSH protocol, followed by a discussion on Thrombolysis for Submassive Pulmonary Embolism.... Then in Chapter 2 Lisa Thurgur presents a series of Toxicology Cases packed with pearls, pitfalls and surprises and reviews the use of Lipid Emulsion Therapy in toxicology....Finally in Chapter 3 Joel Yaphe reviews the most important articles from 2013 including the Targeted Temperature Managment post-arrest paper, the use of Tranexamic Acid for epistaxis, return to play concussion guidelines and clinical decision rules for subarachnoid hemorrhage. Another Whistler's Update in Emergency Medicine Conference to remember.......

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In the first of our series on Best Case Ever of 'Carr's Cases' we have, the legend himself, Dr. David Carr. This series will run on the theme of interesting diagnoses that we don't think of too often, but that are not as rare as we might think and can make a significant difference to your patient's outcome if you pick up on them early - and maybe even make you look as smart as David! Dr. Carr will be highlighted in our upcoming episode on Whistler's Update in EM Conference highlights 2014 when he will be speaking about his approach to the shocky patient as well as the controversial management of submassive pulmonary embolism. He will be featured along with Dr. Lisa Thurgur speaking about lipid emulsion therapy and other toxicologic goodies and Joel Yaphe will give us his take on the best of the EM literature from 2013 including the TTM trial, tranexamic acid for epistaxis, return to sport after concussion guidelines and more. Please go to the 'Next Time on EM Cases' page to submit your question about these topics.

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In this episode on Hypertensive Emergencies, Dr. Joel Yaphe, EM residency program director at the University of Toronto & Dr. Clare Atzema, one of Canada's leading cardiovascular EM researchers will discuss the controversies of how to manage patients who present to the ED with high blood pressure and evidence of end organ damage related to the high blood pressure. Hypertensive emergencies are a grab bag of diagnoses that all need to be treated differently. Hypertensive Encephalopathy, Aortic Dissection, Acute Pulmonary Edema, Pre-eclampsia & Eclampsia, Acute Renal Failure, Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Intracranial Hemorrhage all need individualized blood pressure management.

The post Episode 41: Hypertensive Emergencies appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Dr. Dave MacKinnon & Dr. Mike Brzozowski return for an Update in Trauma Literature since the epic Episode 10: Trauma Pearls & Pitfalls. In this episode we discuss predicting the sick trauma patient, videolaryngoscopy vs traditional laryngoscopy, Damage Control Resuscitation, Occult Hemothorax, Blunt Thoracic Aorta and Cardiac Injury, Sternal Fractures, Tranexamic Acid, Communication in the trauma bay and much more......

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BEST CASE EVER 20: CPR in Trauma?!?! Closed Chest Compressions in Traumatic Arrest?!?! Is CPR ever successful in the trauma patient? Dr. Dave MacKinnon, Trauma Team Leader at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, gives you his Best Case Ever in the cardiac arrest trauma patient.

The literature is full of case series of zero survival in trauma patients requiring CPR. For example, this report in CJEM. Normally, we should not be thinking of CPR in traumatic arrests, but instead, ED thoracotomy as Scott Weingart of emcrit describes in his podast 36 - Traumatic Arrest. But just wait until you here Dave's Best Case Ever..........

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Dr. Leeor Sommer who runs ENT hands-on workshops and Dr. Maria Ivankovic, lecturer extraordinaire on ENT emergencies discuss ENT Emergencies Pearls, Pitfalls, Tips & Tricks:

Dr. Ivankovic's stepwise approach to managing epistaxis including the best local anesthetics, the use of ice to decrease nasal flow, who requires antibiotics, the management of hypertension in epistaxis, tranexamic acid for nose bleeds and managing posterior bleeds, tips for nasal and ear foreign body removal including the use of tissue adhesive, how to pick up and work up the dreaded Malignant Otitis Externa including key diagnostic pearls the best tests, sudden sensorineural hearing loss ('The Bells' Palsy of the Ear') including how to save a patient from losing their hearing, Epiglottitis including diagnostic clues and imaging findings, Pharyngitis work-up and treatment: Do we need to work-up and treat with antibiotics at all? & The Toronto Throat Score, Tips and Tricks for peritonsillar abscess drainage, Hereditary and ACE-inhibitor associated Angioedema presentations and management including the use of C1 Esterase inhibitors.

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In the second part of this epic 2-part authoritative episode, Anticoagulants, PCCs & Platelets, we have Dr. Walter Himmel (also known as 'The walking encyclopedia of EM') along with Dr. Katerina Pavenski (Head of Transfusion Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital) & Dr. Jeannie Callum (Head of Transfusion Medicine at Sunnybrook Hospital) who will discuss the latest on comparative efficacy and reversal of Warfarin vs Dabigatran vs Rivaroxiban vs Abixaban, the use of prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs), the ins and outs of thrombocytopenia & platelet transfusions, ITP, TTP, anti-platelet associated intracranial bleeds, indications for Tranexamic Acid & more...

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In the first part of this epic 2 part must-hear episode, Transfusions, Anticoagulants & Bleeding, we have the triumphant return of Dr. Walter Himmel (also known as 'The walking encyclopedia of EM') along with Dr. Katerina Pavenski (Head of Transfusion Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital) & Dr. Jeannie Callum (Head of Transfusion Medicine at Sunnybrook Hospital) who will update you on the latest in transfusion indications & risks, managing INRs and how Wararin compares to Dabigatran, Rivaroxiban & Apixaban. They give you the authoritative low down on: Indications for red cell transfusions in different clinical scenarios (GI bleed, cardiac disease, vaginal bleeding etc) and how to give them, Risks of red cell transfusions including Host vs Graft Disease, TRALI & TACO and how to manage them, IV Iron as an alternative to red cell transfusions, Managing INRs: indications for Vit K, Prothrombin Complex Concentrates (Octaplex & Beriplex), adjusting Warfarin Dose, liver patients, and much much more.........

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Dr. Katerina Pavenski, on Anticoagulant Reversal in Trauma. A leader in Transfusion Medicine from St. Michael's Hospital, Dr. Pavenski tells us about her Best Case Ever in which a straight forward trauma case turns into a 'bloody disaster', after Prothrombin Complex Concentrates (PCCs) were given in an anticoagulant reversal attempt.

In the related two-part epic episode on Antiocagulants, Transfusions & Bleeding, Drs. Pavenski, Dr. Jeannie Callum (Head of Transfusion Medicine at Sunnybrook Hospital & Dr. Walter Himmel (also known as 'The walking encyclopedia of EM') cover: Indications for red cell transfusion in different clinical scenarios (GI bleed, cardiac disease, vaginal bleeding etc), Risks of transfusion including Host vs Graft Disease, TRALI & TACO, Indications for Platelet transfusion in different scenarios (hyporoliferative patients vs ITP, invasive procedures with thrombocytopenia), Managing INRs - indications for Vit K, PCC, adjusting Warfarin Dose, liver patients, Apixaban vs Rivaroxiban vs Dabigatran vs Warfarin and reversal of them, Anti-platelet medication-associated intracranial hemorrhage management, Indications for Tranexamic Acid, and much more........

The post Best Case Ever 18: Anticoagulant Reversal in Trauma appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this episode dedicated to emergency procedures pearls and pitfalls, tips and tricks, Dr. Jordan Chenkin & Dr. Jamie Blicker take us step by step through how best to perform surgical airways and pericardiocentesis, as well as place central lines and intraosseous lines. They explain the various methods for surgical airways including the bougie-assisted surgical airway. They review the indications, contraindications, and complications for all of these life saving procedures, and give us some amazing tips and tricks on what to do when things aren't going as expected.

The post Episode 30: Central Lines, Surgical Airways and Pericardiocentesis appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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As a bonus to Episode 27 on Drugs of Abuse -Stimulants & Opiates, Dr. Margaret Thompson, one of Canada's leading Toxicologists and the medical director of the Ontario Poison Control Centre tells us 2 of her Best Cases Ever about stimulant overdose surprises. In the related Episode, Dr. Margaret Thompson & Dr. Lisa Thurgur Canada's toxicologist gurus discuss several cases of stimulant drugs of abuse such as cocaine, MDMA & bath salts, as well as the pearls and pitfalls of managing opiates toxicity. We discuss: The management of the intoxicated patient including seizures, dysrhythmias, cardiac ischemia and hypertensive emergencies related to cocaine toxicity, the recognition and management of necrotizing vasculitis caused by cocaine cut with Levamisole, the differential diagnosis and management of the "hot and crazy" patient, including the role of dantrolene and cyproheptidine, pearls and pitfalls of naloxone, the utility of urine drug screens and much more....

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In this episode we have the continuation of our discussion on Respiratory Emergencies with Dr. Anil Chopra and Dr. John Foote. We discuss key clinical decisions in COPD assessment and management - how to assess for impending respiratory failure, how best to oxygenate the COPD patient, medication pearls and how best to approach intubating the COPD patient. We then review an approach to hemoptysis as well as tricks of the trade for managing massive hemoptysis. Many pearls of pneumonia work-up and management are detailed as well as how to make important disposition decisions.

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In this episode Dr. Clare Atzema, Dr. Nazanin Meshkat and Dr. Bryan Au discuss the presentation, etiology, precipitants, management and disposition of Atrial Fibrillation in the Emergency Department. The pros and cons of rate and rhythm control are debated, what you need to know about rate and rhythm control medications reviewed, and the strength of the Ottawa Aggressive Protocol discussed. The importance of appropriate anticoagulation is detailed, with a review of the CHADS-VASc score and whether to use Warfarin, Dabigatran or ASA for stroke prevention for patient with Atrial Fibrillation. We end off with a discussion on how to recognize and treat Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in the setting of Atrial Fibrillation.

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As a bonus to Episode 20 on Atrial Fibrillation, we present here, Dr. Clare Atzema, a leading EM researcher in Atrial Fibrillation, telling her Best Case Ever related to Afib. What would you do if you needed to cardiovert a patient who was too obese to fit on an ED stretcher? Dr. Atzema, along with Dr. Nazanin Meshkat and Dr. Bryan Au, discuss the presentation, etiology, precipitants, management and disposition of Atrial Fibrillation in the Emergency Department. The pros and cons of rate vs rhythm control are debated, what you need to know about Afib medications, and the value of the Ottawa Aggressive Protocol discussed. The importance of appropriate anticoagulation is detailed, with a review of the CHADS-VASc score and whether to use anticogulants or ASA for stroke prevention for patients with Afib. We end off with a discussion on how to recognize and treat Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in the setting of Atrial Fibrillation.

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In this first installment of this Episode, Point of Care Ultrasound Pearls, Pitfalls & Controversies we have a panel of POCUS gurus, Dr. Greg Hall, Dr. Jordan Chenkin, Dr. Paul Hannam & Dr. Jason Fischer. They review the basic criteria for commonly used, practical Point of Care Ultrasound indications at the bedside and then dive into heated debate about specific pearls and pitfalls in Point of Care Ultrasound assessment of the patient with undifferentiated shortness of breath, undifferentiated shock, cardiac arrest and swollen leg. They discuss how best to interpret the massive body of literature for POCUS and when we can hang our hats on our Point of Care Ultrasound findings.

The post Episode 18 Part 1: Point of Care Ultrasound Pearls, Pitfalls and Controversies appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In Part 2 of this Episode on Acute Coronary Syndromes Risk Stratification & Management, the evidence for various medications for ACS, from supplemental oxygen to thrombolytics are debated, and decision making around reperfusion therapy for STEMI as well as NSTEMI are discussed. Finally, there is a discussion on risk stratification of low risk chest pain patients and all it's attendant challenges as well as disposition and follow-up decisions.

Dr. Eric Letovsky, the Head of the CCFP(EM) Program at the University of Toronto, Dr. Mark Mensour & Dr. Neil Fam, an interventional cardiologist answer questions like: What is the danger of high flow oxygen in the setting of ACS? When, if ever, should we be using IV B-blockers in AMI patients? How can you predict, in the ED, who might go on to have an urgent CABG, in which case Clopidogrel is contra-indicated? Which anticoagulant is best for unstable angina, NSTEMI and STEMI - unfractionated heparin (UFH), low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), or fonduparinux? Is there currenly any role for Glycoprotein 2b3a Inhibitors in ACS in the ED? When is thrombolysis better than PCI for STEMI? When should we consider facilitated angioplasty and rescue angioplasty? Which low risk chest pain patients require an early stress test? CT coronary angiography? Stress Echo? Admission to a Coronary Decision Unit (CDU)? and many more.......

The post Episode 15 Part 2: Acute Coronary Syndromes Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In Part 2 of this episode on ACLS Guidelines - Atropine, Adenosine & Therapeutic Hypothermia, Dr. Steven Brooks and Dr. Michael Feldman discuss the removal of Atropine from the PEA/Asystole algorithm, the indications and dangers of Adenosine in wide-complex tachycardias, pressors as a bridge to transvenous pacing in unstable bradycardias, and the key elements of post cardiac arrest care including therapeutic hypothermia and PCI.

They answer questions such as: In which arrhythmias can Amiodarone cause more harm than good? Is there any role for transcutaneous pacing for asystole? When should Bicarb be given in the arrest situation? In what situations is Atropine contra-indicated or the dosage need to be adjusted? How has the widespread use of therapeutic hypothermia currently effected our ability to prognosticate post-arrest patients? What are the indications for PCI and thrombolysis in the cardiac arrest patient? Should we be using therapeutic hypothermia in the non-Vfib arrest patient? What is the best method for achieving the target temperature for the patient undergoing therapeutic hypothermia? and many more......

The post Episode 12 Part 2: ACLS Guidelines – Atropine, Adenosine & Therapeutic Hypothermia appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In Part 1 of this episode on the latest ACLS Guidelines, Dr. Steven Brooks and Dr. Michael Feldman review and debate what's new and what's controversial in the the 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Within the frameworks of Cardiocerebral Rescusitation and the 3 phase model of rescucitation (electrical, circulatory and metabolic), they discuss the importance of high quality CPR, the de-emphasis on early ventilation and the utility of continuous quantitative waveform capnography. Dr. Brooks and Dr. Feldman answer questions such as: of all the therapeutic manoeuvres we do for the cardiac arrest patient, which ones have been shown to improve survival to hospital discharge? What is the evidence for chest compression machines? What is the utility of bedside ultrasound in the cardiac arrest patient? Why is cardiac arrest survival to discharge in Seattle the best in the world? Should we be performing 'hands-on defibrillation'? and many more.....

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In this episode on Trauma Pearls and Pitfalls, Dr. Dave MacKinnon and Dr. Mike Brzozowski discuss the latest in trauma controversies. In Part 1 they give us some key pearls and pitfalls on traumaairway management, the value of the C-spine collar, how to clear the C-spine, vascular access options in trauma, 'Damage Control Rescuscitation', the best resuscitation fluids to use including hypertonic saline, hemostatic drugs such as Tranexamic Acid in trauma, the vulue, or lack thereof, of Recombinant Factor 7a in trauma, and the use of Prothrombin Complex Concentrates in trauma.

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There are so many emergency airway controversies in emergency medicine! Dr. Jonathan Sherbino, Dr. Andrew Healy and Dr. Mark Mensour debate dozens of these controversies surrounding emergency airway management. A case of a patient presenting with decreased level of awareness provides the basis for a review of the importance, indications for, and best technique of bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation, as well as a discussion of how best to oxygenate patients. This is followed by a discussion of what factors to consider in deciding when to intubate and some of the myths of when to intubate. The next case, of a patient with severe head injury who presents with a seizure, is the fodder for a detailed discussion of Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI). Tips on preparation, pre-oxygenation and positioning are discussed, and some great debates over pre-treatment medications, induction agents and paralytic agents ensues. The new concept of Delayed Sequence Intubation is explained and critiqued. They review how to identify a difficult airway, how best to confirm tube placement and how to avoid post-intubation hypotension. In the last case of a morbidly obese asthmatic they debate the merits of awake intubation vs RSI vs sedation alone in a difficult airway situation and explain the best strategies of ventilation to avoid the dreaded bradysystlolic arrest in the pre-code asthmatic. Finally, some key strategies to help manage the morbidly obese patient's airway effectively are reviewed.

The post Episode 8: Emergency Airway Controversies appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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The whole playing field changes with pregnant patients in the emergency department. When you're faced with one of the Medical and Surgical Emergencies in Pregnancy that we'll cover in this episode, there are added challenges and considerations. Dr. Shirley Lee and Dr. Dominick Shelton discuss a challenging case of a pregnant patient presenting to the emergency department with shortness of breath and chest pain. They review those diagnoses that the pregnant patient is at risk for and discuss the challenges of lab test interpretation and imaging algorithms in the pregnant patient. Next, they walk us through the management of cardiac arrest in the pregnant patient. In another case of a pregnant patient who presents with abdominal pain and fever, they discuss strategies to minimize delays in diagnosis to prevent serious morbidity and mortality. The pros and cons of abdominal ultrasound, CT and MRI are reviewed as well as the management of appendicitis, pyelonephritis and septic abortion in pregnant patients.

The post Episode 7: Medical and Surgical Emergencies in Pregnancy appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Dr. Eric Letovsky and Dr. Brian Steinhart describe a practical way to approach patients with undifferentiated SOB and acute congestive heart failure, the utility of various symptoms and signs in the diagnosis of CHF, as well as the controversies surrounding the best use of BNP and Troponin in the ED. A discussion of the use of ultrasound for patients with SOB as well as the indications for formal Echo are reviewed. In the second part of the episode they discuss the management of acute congestive heart failure based on a practical EM model, as well as the difficulties surrounding disposition of patients with CHF.

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Dr. Margaret Thompson, Canada's toxicology guru and Dr. Dan Cass review the clinical presentation, precipitating factors and important do's and don'ts in managing patients with Excited Delirium Syndrome to prevent sudden death. They update us on the most current guidelines for Excited Delirium Syndrome and discuss the prevalent theories to explain why many of these patients have cardiac arrests.

Excited Delirium Syndrome has recently been recognized by the American College of Emergency Physicians as a true medical emergency in which, typically, a young obese male, often under the influence of sympathomimetic drugs, becomes acutely delirious and displays super-human strength, tachypnea, profuse sweating and severe agitation. Usually, there is a prolonged and continued struggle with law enforcement despite physical restraints . Severe acidosis, rhabdomyolysis and hyperkalemia ensue, often leading to a sudden bradyasystolic cardiac arrest. Listen to this fascinating episode to find out how you can recognize and treat this important syndrome.

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