I recently re-read a book “Made to Stick” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath which discusses why some ideas stick and others are completely forgettable. The concepts discussed have helped me design lectures.
Here’s something that I have incorporated into my talks: Memorable ideas share common attributes, which can be summarized by the acronym SUCCESs.
Many patients present to the Emergency Department for low back pain. Determining whether these patients have a red-flag diagnosis can be difficult. Red flag diagnoses include:
Almost all patients presenting with back pain, whether it be a muscle spasm or a spinal epidural abscess, will have back tenderness to some extent. So, how can you better differentiate benign from dangerous etiologies?
There are so many amazing things that we get to see and do as emergency physicians.
However, one major down side is that almost all of us work some night shifts.
This article in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medical Care reviews the EM literature on mentoring. The authors specifically do a great job summarizing practical tips.
It is a person who supports and guides a junior colleague (junior faculty member, residents, or medical student) in his/her professional development.
The treatment of shock should focus on correcting the underlying pathophysiology. With persistent hemodynamic instability, a vasopressor and/or inotrope should be selected. Reviewing receptor physiology can help you select the best-fit agent for the patient’s clinical condition. There is an especially useful table on medication selection in the reviewed 2008 EM Clinics of North America article.
This installment of the Paucis Verbis (In a Few Words) e-card series reviews Vasopressors and Inotropes for the Treatment of Shock.
Adapted from [1]
Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources.
Edit 3/28/14: Dopamine removed as second-tier agent for septic shock (mainly reserved for rare cases of inappropriate bradycardia at low risk for arrhythmias)
How do you splint 2nd or 3rd metacarpal fractures? A short arm volar splint is usually applied, because a fracture should be immobilized one joint distal and proximal to the injury. This splint, however, unnecessarily immobilizes the 4th and 5th fingers. It makes gripping things with your hand difficult.
With increasing awareness of CT’s irradiation risk, I thought I would review a classic 2001 article from the New England Journal of Medicine. Head CT’s previously were commonly performed prior to all lumbar punctures (LP) to rule-out meningitis. When can you safely go straight to an LP without imaging?
Caveat: This review only applies to those patients in whom you suspect meningitis. This does not apply to those being worked up for subarachnoid hemorrhage.