There is a phenomenal amount of cardiology content in the FOAMsphere. Accordingly, the CORD testing schedule and our cardiology module has been divided into two parts – Part 1 (ACS) and Part 2 (CHF, Vascular Dissection, and Other). Below we have listed our selection of the 14 highest quality blog posts within the past 12 months (as of July 2015) related to acute coronary syndromes, curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. In this module we have 6 AIRs and 8 Honorable Mentions. We strive for comprehensiveness by selecting from a broad spectrum of blogs from the top 50 listing per the Social Media Index.

AIR Stamp of Approval and Honorable Mentions

In an effort to truly emphasize the highest quality posts, we have two subsets of recommended resources. The AIR stamp of approval will only be given to posts scoring above a strict scoring cut-off of ≥30 points (out of 35 total), based on our scoring instrument. The other subset is for “Honorable Mention” posts. These posts have been flagged by and agreed upon by AIR Board members as worthwhile, accurate, unbiased, and appropriately referenced despite an average score <30. All posts will still be part of the quiz needed to obtain III credit.

For this module, we did find 3 posts that met Honorable Mention criteria but covered similar information as higher scoring posts. Thus we did not create additional multiple choice questions for these. To review these posts, please see the second table.

After reading, please take the quiz. Feel free to ask questions in the blog comment section below. The AIR Board faculty will answer them within 48 hours of posting. Be sure to include your email or contact information where requested in the Disqus blog comment area, so that you will be notified when we reply. We recommend programs give 5 hours (20 minutes per article) of III credit for this module.

Take the quiz at ALiEMU
ALiEMU AIR Cardiology Part 1 block quiz

Interested in taking the quiz for fun or asynchronous (Individualized Interactive Instruction) credit? Please go to the above link. You will need to create a one-time login account if you haven’t already.

Highlighted quality posts

Article TitleAuthorDateLinkTitle
EMCrit Podcast 146 – Who Needs an Acute PCI with Steve Smith (Part I)Scott Weingart, MD, and Steve Smith, MDApril 12, 2015EMCrit: PCI 1Approved Instructional Resource
EMCrit Podcast 147 – Who Needs an Acute PCI with Steve Smith (Part II)Scott Weingart, MD, and Steve Smith, MDMarch 29, 2015EMCrit: PCI 2Approved Instructional Resource
Shock, syncope, sweating… and severe chest pain!Edward Burns, MDAugust 8, 2014LITFL: Severe Chest PainApproved Instructional Resource
Is it Time to Start Using the HEART Pathway in the Emergency Department?Salim Rezaie, MDApril 30, 2015RebelEM: HEART ScoreApproved Instructional Resource
ECG of the Week: Wellens’ Syndrome or STEMISalim Rezaie, MDAugust 14, 2014RebelEM: WellensApproved Instructional Resource
EBM Chest Pain Adjunctive TherapiesMike Cadogan, MDDecember 3, 2014LITFL: Chest Pain TherapyApproved Instructional Resource
JC: Are typical chest pain symptoms predictive of outcome?Simon CarleyMay 18, 2015St.Emlyn’s: Chest Pain SymptomsHonorable Mention
Low Risk Chest Pain and Clinically Relevant Adverse Cardiac Events (CRACE)Salim Rezaie, MDJune 4, 2015RebelEM: CRACEHonorable Mention
The 2014 AHA NSTE-ACS GuidelinesRyan Radecki, MDSeptember 29, 2014EMLitofNote: AHA GuidelinesHonorable Mention
High Sensitive Troponin with RickRick Body, PhDAugust 7, 2014St.Emlyn’s: High Sensitive TropHonorable Mention
Is Coronary CT worth it?Rob Orman, MDJanuary 6, 2015ERCast: Coronary CTA 1Honorable Mention
Revenge of the Nerd: Coronary CT? Ehhh, noRob Orman, MDFebruary 15, 2015ERCast: Coronary CTA 2Honorable Mention
Amal Mattu on Low Risk Chest PainRob Orman, MD, and Amal Mattu, MDFebruary 19, 2015ERCast: Low Risk Chest PainHonorable Mention
All this teaching makes a difference! And a new paper on subtle ST ElevationSteve Smith, MDDecember 29, 2014Dr. Smith’s ECG: Subtle STEHonorable Mention

Table 2: Honorable mentions with repeat content

Article TitleAuthorDateLinkCategory
Why Do We Still Admit Chest Pain?Ryan Radecki , MDJune 1, 2015EMLitofNote: Admit Chest Pain?Honorable Mention
More Discharges With HEARTRyan Radecki , MD3/27/2015EMLitofNote: HEART ScoreHonorable Mention
The HEART Score for sorting Low Risk Chest Pain PatientsAuthor UnknownJanuary 26, 2015Resus: HEART ScoreHonorable Mention

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us!

Background Information About the AIR Series

The ALiEM Approved Instructional Resources (AIR) Series is an effort to reward our residents for the reading and learning they are already doing online. We have created an Individual Interactive Instruction (III) opportunity utilizing FOAM resources for U.S. Emergency Medicine residents. For each module, the AIR board curates and scores a list of blogs and podcasts. A quiz is available to complete after each module to obtain residency conference credit. Once completed, your name and institution will be logged into our private database, which participating residency program directors can access to provide proof of completion.

Do you belong to a residency program that is not currently participating? No problem! Any one can read the AIR series curated post and complete the quiz for educational value!

If a residency program is interested in participating, please contact us!

Andrew Grock, MD

Andrew Grock, MD

Lead Editor/Co-Founder of ALiEM Approved Instructional Resources (AIR)
Faculty Physician, Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
UCLA Emergency Medicine Department