One of the more common indications for the use of bedside ultrasound (US) is to evaluate patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with pain or bleeding during the first trimester of pregnancy. When performing this study, providers should be aware of several potential pitfalls that pose significant risk to both the patient and the provider.
Based on the successes of our 2014-15 ALiEM-EMRA (for medical students), ALiEM-CORD (for residents), and ALiEM-AAEM Young Physicians fellowships, we are thrilled to be launching the 2015 ALiEM-AgileMD Educational Design Fellowship! The application process for this virtual fellowship is now open.
Patients with acute salicylate toxicity can rapidly decompensate and require clinicians to understand the pathophysiology of what is going on. First a respiratory alkalosis occurs with non-specific symptoms of vomiting and dizziness. Then an anion-gap metabolic acidosis also occurs with headache, tinnitus, and confusion. Below lists the core set of labs to obtain and treatment strategies by our stellar ALiEM-CORD Social Media and Digital Scholarship Fellow, Dr. Sam Shaikh.
Welcome to another ultrasound-based case, part of the “Ultrasound For The Win” (#US4TW) Case Series. In this peer-reviewed case series, we focus on real clinical cases where bedside ultrasound changed management or aided in diagnoses. In this case, a 46-year-old woman presents with history of right-sided abdominal pain and vomiting.
Though lipid rescue sounds like something from a junk food detox regimen, it’s one of the most exciting developments in emergency management of drug overdose in the last 20 years. Unlike charcoal which can lead to aspiration and has relatively little data showing improved outcomes, or dialysis which relies on convincing your nephrologist to come in at 3 am, lipid rescue is a readily available, cheap, safe therapeutic that we’ve been using in TPN for adults and children for decades. And it seems to work, but why aren’t we using it?
We all know the population of the United States is aging. We know emergency physicians need to be prepared and trained to care for older adults. But how can you dive into the world of geriatric EM to learn more, to research, to gain additional training? In this post, we have gathered the wisdom of leaders in geriatric EM across the country, to share their recommendations, inspiration, and motivation.
A 44-year old woman presents via EMS with a chief complaint of a racing heartbeat. She is placed on a cardiac monitor, which displays a heart rate of 192, and a subsequent EKG reveals she is in SVT. She also complains of chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Her blood pressure is stable, and you decide to treat her with adenosine. As you take a more thorough past medical history, you learn your patient has a history of asthma. One of the EM residents mentions that he thought adenosine should not be given to patients with reactive airway disease.