ALiEM-Annals of EM Journal Club: Spontaneous pneumothorax, pigtail catheters, and outpatient management

We are very excited this month to bring you another installment of the ALiEM-Annals of EM Global Journal Club. The highlighted article is Voison et al. on the “Ambulatory Management of Large Spontaneous Pneumothorax With Pigtail Catheters.” We hope you will participate in an online discussion based on the clinical vignette and questions below from now until Nov 17, 2014. Respond by commenting below or tweeting using the hashtag #ALiEMJC. In a few months, a summary of this journal club will be published in Annals of EM.

On Fri, Nov 14, 2014, we hosted a live Google Hangout with Dr. Stéphane Jouneau, the senior author of the Annals of EM publication who resides in France.

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2026-06-16T16:06:30-07:00Nov 10, 2014|Journal Club, Pulmonary|

AIR Series: Peripheral Vascular Disease Module 2014

Welcome to the fourth ALiEM Approved Instructional Resources (AIR) Module! In 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.

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By Andrew Grock, MD|2026-06-16T16:06:17-07:00Nov 8, 2014|Approved Instructional Resources (AIR series), Cardiovascular|

Trick of the Trade: Mix Ceftriaxone IM with Lidocaine for Less Pain

Ceftriaxone is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is frequently administered intramuscularly (IM) in emergency medicine. However, these injections hurt — A LOT! Can we do anything to minimize the pain?

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By Zlatan Coralic, PharmD|2026-08-26T10:46:20-07:00Nov 6, 2014|Tox & Medications|

Mythbusting the Banana Bag

We’re all pretty familiar with the banana bag: intravenous (IV) fluids with the addition of thiamine, folic acid, multivitamins, and sometimes magnesium. Banana bags are commonly utilized in patients at risk for alcohol withdrawal symptoms or those who present to the emergency department (ED) acutely intoxicated.

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By Meghan Groth, PharmD, BCPS|2019-04-05T17:18:28-07:00Nov 5, 2014|Endocrine-Metabolic, Expert Peer Reviewed (Clinical), Pre Publication Critique (Clinical), Tox & Medications|

US4TW Case: 30M with Blunt Abdominal Trauma

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 today’s case, a 30-year-old male is brought in after blunt trauma from a high-speed MVC.

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By Jeffrey Shih, MD, RDMS|2017-07-19T00:09:05-07:00Oct 28, 2014|Expert Peer Reviewed (Clinical), Pre Publication Critique (Clinical), Trauma, Ultrasound, Ultrasound for the Win|

Diagnose on Sight: 6 year old with elbow pain

Case: A previously healthy 6 year old male presents with left elbow pain after wrestling with a friend. What is the diagnosis? Click on image for a larger view.

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By Jeff Riddell, MD|2016-12-22T20:05:33-08:00Oct 22, 2014|Diagnose on Sight, Orthopedic, Pediatrics|

Antibiotics, Myasthenia Gravis, and Risk of Weakness

A 71 year old female presents to the ED with lethargy, fever (39.5 C), and tachypnea (RR 28 rpm). She has a long-standing history of myasthenia gravis (MG) for which she receives periodic IVIG infusions. She is accompanied by her son, who informs you that she had a recent 10-day hospital stay for weakness. A CXR reveals an infiltrate in the left lower lobe.

The decision is made to initiate antimicrobial therapy for presumed healthcare-associated pneumonia. But, which antibiotics are safe to use in a patient with severe MG?

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By Bryan D. Hayes, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT, FASHP|2026-06-16T16:06:23-07:00Oct 20, 2014|Rheumatology, Tox & Medications|