emergency medicine toxicology: Recent Episodes

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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.
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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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Olivia Ostrow on the management of button battery ingestions, Brit Long on C difficile infection, Jesse McLaren on an approach to ECG's in the tox patient, Joe Mullally on the identification and treatment of bed bug bites, Andrew Petrosoniak on fibrinogen replacement in bleeding trauma patients, Justin Morganstern on Cold Air for Croup... https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post EM Quick Hits 54 Button Battery Ingestion, C. difficile, ECG in Tox, Bed Bugs, Fibrinogen in Trauma, Cold Air for Croup 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...
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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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We miss potentially dangerous and even lethal drug interactions in EM more often than we realize. In this main episode EM Cases podcast with Dr. David Juurlink and Dr. Walter Himmel we review the common categories of drugs, the high risk patients and the key drug interactions that we need to know about in Emergency Medicine...
Please support EM Cases by giving a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post Ep 184 Must Know Drug Interactions in Emergency Medicine appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this main episode podcast we explore a dozen pitfalls in the assessment and management of acetaminophen poisoning. Dr. Emily Austin and Dr. Margaret Thompson answer questions such as: how is massive acetaminophen overdose a totally different toxidrome compared to non-massive overdose? Which patients are the ones that we are most likely to miss and have poor outcomes? What are the common ways in which we misinterpret the Rumack-Matthew nomogram? What are indications for fomepizole and dialysis after acetaminophen poisoning? Is hyperphosphatemia the best predictor of need for liver transplant in acetaminophen poisoning? and many more...
Please support EM Cases by giving a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

The post Ep 180 Acetaminophen Poisoning – Pitfalls in Assessment and Management 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: 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: 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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Anand Swaminathan on LAST prevention, recognition and management, Emily Austin on sodium nitrite suicide kit poisoning, methemoglobinemia and methylene blue, Hans & Erin Rosenberg on post-intubation analgesia and sedation, Salim Rezaie on short-term tetracaine for corneal abrasions new evidence, Jesse MacLaren on differentiating ST deviation in occlusion MI from other causes, Robert Maunder on a 3 step approach to coping and building resilience during the COVID pandemic...

The post EM Quick Hits 26 LAST, Sodium Nitrite Poisoning, Post-intubation Care, Tetracaine for Corneal Abrasion, ST Segment in Occlusion MI, Coping with COVID appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Anand Swaminathan on lateral canthotomy, Emily Austin on pediatric cannabis poisoning, Reuben Strayer on an approach to hyperthermia, Brit Long on diagnosis and management of malignant otitis externa, Jesse McLaren on ECG diagnosis of occlusion MI in patients with BBB and Peter Brindley on prone CPR...

The post EM Quick Hits 24 Lateral Canthotomy, Cannabis Poisoning, Hyperthermia, Malignant Otitis Externa, BBB in Occlusion MI, Prone CPR appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this 1st part of our 2 part series on Liver Emergencies Walter Himmel, Brian Steinhart and Anton discuss: What are the most important causes of acute liver failure that we need to identify in the ED so we can initiate timely treatment? What are some of the common medications we use in the ED that we should avoid in the liver patient? How should we approach the interpretation of liver enzymes and liver function tests? What are the key management steps in treating acute liver and hepatorenal syndrome? Why do liver failure patients become hypoglycemic and how should hypoglycemia in these patients be treated in the ED? How do we diagnose hepatorenal syndrome in the ED? How can the MELD score help us manage liver patients? What are the indications for IV albumin? What is the role of an ammonia level in the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy? Is polyethylene glycol a better alternative to lactulose for treating hepatic encephalopathy? and much more...

The post Ep 148 Liver Emergencies: Acute Liver Failure, Hepatic Encephalopathy, Hepatorenal Syndrome, Liver Test Interpretation & Drugs to Avoid 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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Anand Swaminathan on airway management in angioedema, Jeff Perry on Ottawa subarachnoid hemorrhage rule and 6hr CT rule, Hania Bielawska on ED breastfeeding myths and misconceptions, Brit Long on neurologic associations with COVID-19, Justin Hensley on management of spider bites and Hans Rosenberg & Heather Murray on management of skin abscesses...

The post EM Quick Hits 19 Angioedema, SAH Decision Tool, Breastfeeding Myths, COVID-19 Neurology, Spider Bites, Skin Abscess Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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This EMU365 video features Dr. Reuben Strayer, who discusses incorporating ED initiated buprenorphine into our practice and how we can improve morbidity and mortality in patients with opioid use disorder in the era of the opioid epidemic...

The post EMU365 ED Initiated Buprenorphine with Reuben Strayer appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Quick Hits podcast we have Paul Dorion on immediate cardioversion vs rate control/delayed cardioversion for atrial fibrillation, Justin Morgenstern & Justin Hensley on emergency management of snake bites, Brit Long on reliability of clinical features in the diagnosis of ovarian torsion, Michelle Klaiman on emergency management of crystal methamphetamine use disorder, Hans Rosenberg & Rob Ohle on workup of suspected aortic dissection, and Anand Swaminathan on epinephrine and magnesium sulphate in severe asthma...

The post EM Quick Hits 12 AFib Early vs Delayed Cardioversion, Snake Bites, Ovarian Torsion Myths, Crystal Meth, Aortic Dissection, Severe Asthma Meds appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Quick Hits podcast we have Emily Austin on physostigmine for anticholinergic toxidrome, Walter Himmel on understanding nystagmus to differentiate central vs peripheral causes of vertigo, Rob Devins on the role of transesophageal echocardiogram in cardiac arrest, Jesse MacLaren on nuances in inferior MI ECG changes and aVL, Andrew Petrosoniak on a practical approach to blunt cerebrovascular injury and Reuben Strayer on choicebo...

The post EM Quick Hits 11 Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury, Physostigmine, TEE in Cardiac Arrest, Understanding Nystagmus, Subtle Inferior MI, Choicebo appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Anand Swaminathan on Lemierre's syndrome, Emily Austin on clonidine toxicity, Brit Long on myths of routine coagulation panel testing, Hans Rosenberg and Michael Ho on reversal of anticoagulation, Sheldon Cheskes on mechanical CPR...

The post EM Quick Hits 8 Lemierre’s Syndrome, Clonidine Toxicity, Routine Coag Panel, Anticoagulation Reversal, Mechanical CPR appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this Rapid Reviews Video Nick Clarridge covers an approach to the bradycardic and hypotensive patient as well as the recognition, management and controversies of digoxin overdose...

The post Rapid Reviews Video – Low and Slow Poisoning Part 2: Digoxin Overdose 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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Dr. Nick Clarridge reviews the "low and slow" overdoses: calcium channel blocker and b-blocker toxicity recognition and management in this EM Cases Rapid Reviews Video...

The post Rapid Reviews Video – Low and Slow Part 1: Calcium Channel Blocker and B-blocker Overdose 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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On this EM Quick Hits podcast we have Emily Austin on organophosphate poisoning, Arun Sayal on malrotation of metacarpal fractures, Andrew Petrosoniak on pitfalls in abdominal stab wound management, Anand Swaminathan on tranexamic acid for non-massive hemoptysis, and Natalie May on pediatric IV cannulation tips and tricks...

The post EM Quick Hits 2 Organophosphate Poisoning, TXA for Hemoptysis, Metacarpal Fracture Rotation, Abdominal Stab Wounds, Pediatric IV Cannulation 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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In this EMU 65 video, Dr. Emily Austin discusses appropriate circumstances where you might consider gastric lavage, critical bupropion overdose and when to use intralipid emulsion therapy, types of inhalant exposures, and more...

The post EMU 365 Toxicology Cases from the ED 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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In anticipation of EM Cases Episode 116 on Opioid Misuse, Overdose and Withdrawal, Dr. Michelle Klaiman, Addictions and Emergency Medicine specialist, tells her Best Case Ever exemplifying how we can positively impact the lives of ED patients for years to come - even when they present with simple, run-of-the-mill diagnoses - by thinking outside the box and doing brief screening and interventions for patients with opioid use disorder. She discusses alternative pain control options as well as the use of suboxone to treat opioid withdrawal and opioid addiction.Best Case Ever exemplifying how we can positively impact the lives of ED patients for years to come, even when they present with simple, run-of-the-mill diagnoses, by thinking outside the box and doing brief screening and interventions for patients with opioid use disorder.

The post BCE 76 Opioid 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 Episode 115 Management of the Agitated Patient, Dr. Reuben Strayer tells the story of the case that got him interested in developing an expertise around management of the agitated patient that includes an important simple pitfall and pearl about physical restraint. It that could prevent a death in your ED...

The post BCE 75 Reuben Strayer’s Agitated Patient appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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We see patients with toxic alcohol poisoning most commonly in three clinical scenarios. One, after an intentional suicide attempt where they tell you exactly what they took; two, when they come in agitated and won’t give you a history and the three, the inebriated patient found down. Alcohol is everywhere, and inevitably inebriated people show up at your ED with a myriad of medical and psychiatric problems. It’s our job as ED professionals, not only to identify traumatic, medical and psychiatric catastrophes in these patients but also to identify and manage the relatively rare but potentially life and sight threatening toxicologic diagnoses in the inebriated or agitated patient. And that isn’t so easy - especially when it comes to toxic alcohols. In this episode we help give you the knowledge of toxic alcohol poisoning recognition, clinical and lab clues, limitations of the osmolar gap, goals of management, time sensitive treatments and more...

The post Ep 106 Toxic Alcohols – Minding the Gaps appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this EM Cases Best Case Ever Hans Rosenberg and Rajiv Thavanathan discuss recognition and management pearls and pitfalls in salicylate poisoning. They answer question such as: What are the most important diagnostic clues of salicylate poisoning in the patient who presents with undifferentiated fever and altered level of awareness? What is the best timing and ventilation strategy for intubation? Which electrolyte abnormalities do you need to be on the lookout for? and many more...

The post BCE 64 Salicylate Poisoning appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In this month's Best Case Ever on EM Cases Dr. Ross Claybo and Dr. Keerat Grewal tell the story of a patient with a complicated anion gap metabolic acidosis. We discuss how to sort through the differential diagnosis with a better mnemonic than MUDPILES, the controversy around administering sodium bicarbonate for metabolic acidosis, the indications for fomepizole and the value of taking time to to build a therapeutic relationship with your ED patients...

The post Best Case Ever 56 Anion Gap Metabolic Acidosis appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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One of the things we need to think about whenever we see a patient who’s going low and slow with hypotension and bradycardia is an overdose. B-blockers, calcium channel blockers (CCB) and digoxin are some of the most frequently prescribed cardiovascular drugs. And inevitably we’re gonna be faced with both intentional and unintentional overdoses from these drugs in the ED. If we can recognize these overdoses early and manage them appropriately, well - we’ll save some lives...

The post Episode 90 – Low and Slow Poisoning appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Alcohol withdrawal is everywhere. We see over half a million patients in U.S. EDs for alcohol withdrawal every year. Despite these huge volumes of patients and the diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal seeming relatively straightforward, it’s actually missed more often than we’d like to admit, being confused with things like drug intoxication or sepsis. Or it’s not even on our radar when an older patient presents with delirium. What’s even more surprising is that even if we do nail the diagnosis, observational studies show that in general, alcohol withdrawal is poorly treated. So, to help you become masters of alcohol withdrawal management, our guest experts on this podcast are Dr. Bjug Borgundvaag, an ED doc and researcher with a special interest in emergency alcohol related illness and the director of Schwartz-Reismann Emergency Medicine Institute, Dr. Mel Kahan, an addictions specialist for more than 20 years who’s written hundreds of papers and books on alcohol related illness, and the medical director of the substance use service at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, and Dr. Sara Gray, ED-intensivist at St. Michael's Hospital...

The post Episode 87 – Alcohol Withdrawal and Delirium Tremens: Diagnosis and Management appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In anticipation of EM Cases Episode 87 on Alcohol Withdrawal Dr. Sara Gray describes her Best Case Ever of severe alcohol withdrawal and Delirium Tremens from Janus General.

Also on this podcast Dr. Anand Swaminathan reacts to Episode 86 Emergency Management of Hyperkalemia and discusses the use of calcium in the setting of digoxin toxicity.

Early recognition and treatment of Delirium Tremens - a rapid onset of severe alcohol withdrawal accompanied by delirium and autonomic instability about 3-10 days after the appearance of withdrawal symptoms - is key to preventing long term morbidity and mortality...

The post Best Case Ever 50 – Delirium Tremens appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Psychiatric chief complaints comprise about 6 or 7% of all ED visits, with the numbers of psychiatric patients we see increasing every year. The ED serves as both the lifeline and the gateway to psychiatric care for millions of patients suffering from acute behavioural or psychiatric emergencies. As ED docs, besides assessing the risk of suicide and homicide, one of the most important jobs we have is to determine whether the patient’s psychiatric or behavioral emergency is the result of an organic disease process, as opposed to a psychological one. There is no standard process for this. With the main objective in mind of picking up and appropriately managing organic disease while improving flow, decreasing cost and maintaining good relationships with our psychiatry colleagues, we have Dr. Howard Ovens, Dr. Brian Steinhart and Dr. Ian Dawe discuss this controversial topic...

The post Episode 85 – Medical Clearance of the Psychiatric Patient 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!

The post CritCases 1: Massive TCA Overdose appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Pain leads to suffering. Opioid misuse leads to suffering. We strive to avoid both for our patients. On the one hand, treating pain is one of the most important things we do in emergency medicine to help our patients and we need to be aggressive in getting our patients' pain under control in a timely, [...]

The post Episode 74 Opioid Misuse in Emergency Medicine appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Opiate misuse is everywhere.

Approximately 15-20% of ED patients in the US are prescribed outpatient opiates upon discharge. In Ontario, about 10 people die accidentally from prescription opiates every week. Between 1990 and 2010, drug overdose deaths in the US increased by almost four fold, eclipsing the rate of death from motor vehicle collisions in 2009. This was driven by deaths related to prescription opiates, which now kill more people than heroin and cocaine combined. Opiates are the most prescribed class of medication in the US. In 2010, one out of every eight deaths among persons aged 25 to 34 years was opiate-related. Four out of 5 new heroin users report that their initial drug was a prescription opiate. In Ontario, three times the people died from opiate overdose than from HIV in 2011.

Yet, we are expected to treat pain aggressively in the ED.

Dr. Reuben Strayer, the brains behind the fantastic blog EM Updates tells his Best Case Ever, in which he realizes the importance of physician compassion in approaching the challenging drug seekers and malingerers that we manage in the ED on a regular basis.

This Best Case Ever is in anticipation of an upcoming main episode in which Dr. Strayer and toxicologist Dr. David Juurlink discuss how to strike a balance between managing pain effectively and providing the seed for perpetuating a drug addiction or feeding a pre-existing drug addiction, and how we best take care of our patients who we suspect might have a drug misuse problem.

The post Best Case Ever 41 Opiate Misuse and Physician Compassion appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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On this EM Cases Best Case Ever Dr. Anthony Crocco, the Head and the Division Head of Pediatric EM at McMaster University and Medical Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Hamilton Health Sciences Hosptial, discusses an approach to the neonatal lazy feeder and why we should abandon the use of codeine in pediatrics as well as in breastfeeding mothers. The approach to the neonatal lazy feeder should be considered as an approach to altered level of awareness with a wide differential diagnosis, and there is one question that should always be asked of the neontal lazy feeder....

The post Best Case Ever 37 Neonatal Lazy Feeder appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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Rapid over-correction of Hyponatremia can have devastating consequences: for one, osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) can result in destruction of the pons and a locked-in state. We don't see ODS very much as it's onset is delayed and usually sets in after the patient is admitted to hospital (or worse, sent home). Nonetheless, we need to know how to manage Hyponatremia in the ED so that we prevent ODS from ever happening. In this Best Case Ever, Dr. Melanie Baimel describes the case of a young woman who came in to the ED after drinking alcohol and taking Ecstasy, wanted to leave AMA after her Hyponatremia had inadvertently been corrected too rapidly, and the conundrum that ensues.

In the upcoming episode, Dr. Baimel and the first ever Internal Medicine specialist on EM Cases, Dr. Ed Etchels, discuss a rational step-wise approach to managing Hyponatremia, tailored for the EM practitioner; when you might consider giving DDAVP in the ED, the best way to correct Hyponatremia, how to manage the patient who's Hyponatremia has been corrected too quickly, and an easy approach to the differential diagnosis. Get a sneak peak at the algorithm that will be explained and reviewed in the upcoming episode......

The post Best Case Ever 33: Over-correction of Hyponatremia appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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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.

The post Best Case Ever 26: Chloral Hydrate Poisoning and Cardiac Arrest appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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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....

The post Episode 27: Drugs of Abuse – Stimulants and Opiates 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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The post Best Case Ever 12: Drugs of Abuse appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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In part 2 of this episode Dr. Helman presents two more cases to Dr. Carr and Dr. Steinhart, who give us their insights into the common conundrums when it comes to the intoxicated ED patient, and some key clues to the not-so-common life threatening toxicological emergencies that we need to be on the look out for.

The post Episode 13 Part 2: Killer Coma Cases – The Intoxicated Patient appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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This Episode is a potpourri of topics - Renal Colic, Toxicology Update & Body Packers. Dr. Lisa Thurgur and Dr. Paul Rosenberg discuss the common presentation of Renal Colic, with perspectives on the mixed evidence for medical expulsive therapy, the overuse of imaging studies and when we need to worry about the patient who presents with excruciating flank pain. Next, Dr. Thurgur gives us an update on the three most important recent advances in Toxicology for emergency physicians - Lipid Emulsion Therapy, Hydroxocobalamin and Insulin therapy for Calcium Channel Blocker toxicity. Finally, Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Thurgur discuss the 'ins and outs' of body packers. They review the management of both asymptomatic and symptomatic body backers, highlighting common errors and key therapeutic moves to prevent death.

The post Episode 5: Renal Colic, Toxicology Update & Body Packers appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

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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.

The post Episode 2: Excited Delirium appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.