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Trick of the Trade: Pre-Charge the Defibrillator

Pre-Charge the Defibrillator CPRIn cardiac arrest care it is well accepted that time to defibrillation is closely correlated with survival and outcome.1 There has also been a lot of focus over the years on limiting interruptions in chest compressions during CPR. In fact, this concept has become a major focus of the current AHA Guidelines. Why? Because we know interruptions are bad.2,3 One particular aspect of CPR that has gotten a lot of attention in this regard is the peri-shock period. It has been well established that longer pre- and peri-shock pauses are independently associated with decreased chance of survival.4,5 Can we do better to shock sooner and minimize these pauses?

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2016-12-16T16:05:59-07:00
May 16th, 2016 | CME, Critical Care/ Resus, Expert Peer Reviewed (Clinical), Tricks of the Trade
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Trick of the Trade: Ultrasound for Pedal Pulse Identification and ABI

ultrasound for pedal pulse PT The Problem: A patient is rolled in to your ED by EMS with extremity trauma. You’re rightfully concerned about possible vascular injury to an upper or lower extremity, but you can’t palpate a dorsalis pedis (DP) or posterior tibialis (PT) pulse! You spend minutes, whisking the doppler probe, attempting to hear a waveform in a busy ED. Unfortunately you can’t seem to hear the “whoosh,” making accurate it nearly impossible for you to measure ankle-brachial indices (ABI). 1–3

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2016-11-11T19:35:47-07:00
May 4th, 2016 | Cardiovascular, Trauma, Tricks of the Trade
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Trick of the Trade: Securing the intraosseous needle

So much attention is appropriately focused on the anatomy and technique for intraosseous needle placement. In contrast, very little attention is paid to securing the needle. Often this involves a make-shift setup which involves gauze, wraps, and/or tape. This becomes especially important in the prehospital setting where these can be easily dislodged. The following trick stems from a Twitter discussion in 2015 amongst prehospital providers, lamenting this fact.

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2019-01-28T21:40:34-07:00
May 3rd, 2016 | Critical Care/ Resus, Tricks of the Trade
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Trick of Trade: Build-it-yourself IV Fluid and Drug Administration Trainer

iv fluid and drug administration trainer IV simulatorSimulation equipment can be rather expensive and wanting to practice fluid and drug administration does not always warrant the purchase of specialized equipment. Luckily, a simple administration trainer can be made in less than 10 minutes and only costs a few dollars (or even nothing). This is an ideal option for resuscitation training if you are already using a manikin without IV arms or an IO option. Learners can practice preparing infusions and administering fluid or preparing an injection and administering it via the syringe port. This trainer can have multiple IV cannulas in one lid and can even include an intraosseous cannula, such as an EZ-IO.

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2016-10-26T17:04:20-07:00
April 14th, 2016 | Expert Peer Reviewed (Clinical), Tox & Medications, Tricks of the Trade
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Trick of the Trade: Topical Tranexamic Acid Paste for Hemostasis

Traneamic-newTranexamic acid (TXA) can be used in a wide variety of settings in the Emergency Department for its hemostatic effects. Topical applications of TXA are commonly utilized to control minor bleeding from epistaxis, lacerations, or dental extractions.1–3 More in-depth reviews of topical TXA can be found on R.E.B.E.L EM4 and The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.5

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2016-11-11T19:40:06-07:00
February 17th, 2016 | Heme-Oncology, Trauma, Tricks of the Trade
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Trick of the Trade: Extra-oral reduction technique of anterior mandible dislocation

mandible dislocation

Anterior dislocation of the mandible is a clinical scenario that is not infrequently encountered by the ED provider and requires prompt intervention. The classic technique for reduction of the mandible requires the provider to place his/her thumbs or fingers into the patient’s mouth along the lower molars and apply force inferiorly and posteriorly. However, this technique is fraught with difficulties and inefficiencies including the following:

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2019-04-06T00:45:15-07:00
January 26th, 2016 | ENT, Tricks of the Trade
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Trick of the Trade: Patient positioning for ultrasound-guided ulnar nerve block

Ultrasound ForearmPatients with 5th metacarpal fractures (commonly termed “boxer’s fracture”) are frequently treated in the emergency department (ED) with closed reduction and splinting. Obtaining analgesia and a successful closed reduction can often be challenging without procedural sedation. Severe swelling can make a hematoma block difficult, often resulting in inadequate analgesia. An ultrasound-guided ulnar nerve block provides a simple method to facilitate pain relief and allow for improved fracture site manipulation.

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2018-10-28T21:25:09-07:00
January 20th, 2016 | Tricks of the Trade, Ultrasound
By: and
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