Trick of the Trade: Toe paronychia splinting

Ingrown toenails, or paronychias, are usually exquisitely painful and a bit gnarly when they present to you in the Emergency Department. Dr. Stella Yiu described toenail splinting techniques using steristrips or dental floss. The purpose of splinting is to prevent the toenail from growing back into the lateral nail fold.

This assumes a relatively mild-to-moderate case. Often simple elevation of the nail out of the lateral nail fold (under digital block anesthesia) is all that is needed to treat a paronychia. Pus is often released with this maneuver.

What do you do for more severe cases when you have to excise the lateral edge of the nail?

There’s no toenail to slide the steristrip/ cotton/ dental floss material under.

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2019-01-28T23:16:45-08:00Nov 17, 2010|Tricks of the Trade|

Trick of the Trade: Ultrasound-guided supraclavicular central line

Emergency physicians are procedural experts in central venous access. The subclavian vein is the best site for such access, because it has been shown to have the lowest rate of iatrogenic infections and deep venous clots

Bedside ultrasonography has really revolutionized how we obtain vascular access over the past 10 years. Identifying the subclavian vein using ultrasonography, however, is still technically challenging. The vein is located just posterior to the clavicle, which often gets in the way of the linear transducer.

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2016-11-11T19:00:20-08:00Nov 10, 2010|Tricks of the Trade, Ultrasound|

Paucis Verbis: Sgarbossa’s Criteria with LBBB

It is difficult to determine if a patient with a left bundle branch block (LBBB) has an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) because ST segments are “appropriately discordant” with the terminal portion of the QRS. That means if the QRS complex is negative (or downgoing), the ST segment normally will be positive (or elevated). Similarly if the QRS complex is positive (or upgoing), the ST segment will be negative (or depressed).

PV Card: Sgarbossa’s Criteria

In 1996, Sgarbossa et al looked through the GUSTO-1 trial patients with LBBB and AMI. They derived 3 criteria which may help diagnose the “hidden” AMI. The criteria are:

1. ST elevation ≥ 1 mm concordant with QRS complex (most predictive of AMI of the 3 criteria)
2. ST depression ≥ 1 mm in lead V1, V2, or V3
3. ST elevation ≥ 5 mm where discordant with QRS complex

Use these criteria with caution though. None of these criteria are perfect. They are to help you risk-stratify. For instance, criteria #3 (ST elevation ≥ 5 mm) can exist in asymptomatic patients with LBBB because of concurrent left ventricular hypertrophy and high voltages.

Thanks to Tom Bouthillet at ems12lead.com for the useful illustration above.

Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources.

By Michelle Lin, MD|2021-10-17T09:25:38-07:00Nov 5, 2010|ALiEM Cards, Cardiovascular, ECG|

Trick of the Trade: Legg Maneuever for shoulder dislocation

There are many ways to relocate a shoulder dislocation. Most of these ways require procedural sedation. What if the risks of procedural sedation outweigh the risks? What alternative maneuver can you try, which only requires parenteral pain medications +/- an intra-articular lidocaine?

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2016-11-11T19:00:23-08:00Nov 3, 2010|Orthopedic, Tricks of the Trade|

Paucis Verbis card: Algorithm for suspected pertussis in pediatrics

To treat for pertussis or not?

In the setting of the current pertussis epidemic in California, each kid with a cough sparks constant debate about whether to treat with azithromycin or not. Finally, thanks to my friends Dr. Andi Marmor and Dr. Shon Agarwal Jain (UCSF Pediatrics faculty), there’s a great algorithm to help you answer the question. I have found this algorithm extremely helpful.

You basically start by risk-stratifying by age and pertussis immunization status. For instance, if the patient is 6 months of age AND unimmunized), then follow the algorithm listed as “High Risk for Pertussis”.

PV Card: Suspected Pertussis in Pediatric Patients

Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources.

By Michelle Lin, MD|2021-10-17T09:28:20-07:00Oct 29, 2010|ALiEM Cards, Infectious Disease, Pediatrics|

Tricks of the trade: Intranasal fentanyl for pediatric patients

Pediatric patients often receive inadequate pain control in the setting of orthopedic injuries. Because the child experiences fear, anxiety, and pain with needles, practitioners often shy away from ordering IV or IM pain medications. Oral agents, while easier to administer, usually provide inadequate pain control.

Trick of the Trade

Intranasal (IN) fentanyl

Thanks to my friend Dr. Ron Dieckmann (Editor-in-Chief for PEMSoft, Chairman of Board for KidsCareEverywhere, and Pediatric Director for Valley Emergency Physicians) for his tip about intranasal fentanyl:

It is imperative that the drug be administered in a nebulized form using an atomizer device — one half the volume in each nostril. Attach a 1 cc syringe to the end of the atomizer to administer fentanyl intranasally.

It is rapidly absorbed and provides excellent analgesia within minutes. It works just as well as IV morphine (1). If you just drop the liquid in the nose without using the atomizer, the child will swallow some of the drug, and onset and effect will be blunted significantly and titration is not possible.

The starting dose of 1.5 microgram/kg can be repeated in a dose of 0.5-1.5 microgram/kg IN in 5 minutes. Be sure to use extreme caution in younger patients who are more susceptible to the respiratory depressant effects of all opiates; it has not been tested in children < 3 years of age at all, so I would not use in this age group. Put patients on a pulse oximeter. In the event that a child receives the drug and starts to desaturate, bag the patient, then just give naloxone 0.1 mg/kg/dose to a maximum of 2 mg intramuscularly, and the respiratory effects will be rapidly reversed.

Do you use intranasal fentanyl at your practice?

Reference
1. Borland M, Jacobs I, King B, O’Brien D. A randomized controlled trial comparing intranasal fentanyl to intravenous morphine for managing acute pain in children in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med. 2007 Mar;49(3):335-40.

By Michelle Lin, MD|2016-11-11T19:00:24-08:00Oct 27, 2010|Pediatrics, Tricks of the Trade|

Paucis Verbis card: Pediatric weight-based reference (5-34 kg)

The foundation in any pediatric resuscitation is the length-based estimation of the patient’s lean body weight. Once determined, equipments and medications are sized and dosed, respectively, according to that weight. You can use electronic resources such as PEMSoft (Pediatric Emergency Medicine Software) or the more traditional paper-based Broselow tape.

If you have neither of these at your easy disposal, I thought I would create a multi-card reference which works best in electronic pdf form on your mobile device. Even if you DO have other available references, it’s still nice to have some redundant back-up sources just in case.

This data was collected by merging data from the Broselow tape and PEMSoft.

I created 30 individual cards for patients weighing between 5 kg and 34 kg.
I didn’t include whether endotracheal tubes should be cuffed or uncuffed. This is controversial currently. The traditional teaching is that patients younger than 8 years old should receive UNcuffed tubes.
D10W glucose should be given in patients younger than 1 year old. D25W glucose should be given for patients 1-2 years old. D50W glucose can be given to patients 2 years and older.
Please use these cards with caution. I’ve proof-read these cards multiple times, but there still may be some typos. Please let me know if you see any discrepancies.

PV Card: Pediatric Weight-Based Resuscitation Reference

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Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources.

By Michelle Lin, MD|2021-10-17T09:30:51-07:00Oct 22, 2010|ALiEM Cards, Pediatrics|