AIR Series: HEENT Module 2014

Welcome to the second ALiEM Approved Instructional Resources (AIR) Module! In an effort to reward our readers for the reading and learning they are already doing online, we have created an Individual Interactive Instruction (III) opportunity utilizing FOAM resources for US Emergency Medicine residents. For each module, the 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 Google Drive database, which participating residency program directors can access to provide proof of completion.

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By Andrew Grock, MD|2017-03-05T14:14:15-08:00Sep 1, 2014|Approved Instructional Resources (AIR series), ENT, Ophthalmology|

ADJUST-PE Study: ALiEM-Annals of EM Journal Club

We are very excited this month to bring you our fourth ALiEM-Annals of EM Global Journal Club on the use of age-adjusted D-dimer levels to help exclude the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). We hope you will participate in an online discussion of the four posted questions below from now until August 29th. Respond by commenting below or tweeting (#ALiEMJC). Mark your calendars: On Thursday, August 28th at 16:30 CST (17:30 EST), we will be hosting a 30-minute live Google Hangout with Drs. Jeff Kline and Jonathan Kirschner, the authors of the Annals of Emergency Medicine Journal Club for the ADJUST-PE Trial, that is informed by the discussion. Later this year, a summary of this journal club will hopefully be published in Annals of EM.

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By Salim Rezaie, MD|2026-06-16T16:05:36-07:00Aug 25, 2014|Cardiovascular, Journal Club, Pulmonary|

Diagnose on Sight: Palmar Rash

Case: A 41 year old male with one week of non-pruritic palmar rash that started on his trunk and spread to his hands. He has no history of travel, fever, joint pains, or medication use. What is your diagnosis for this palmar rash? Click on the image for a larger view.

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By Jeff Riddell, MD|2026-06-16T16:05:51-07:00Aug 19, 2014|Dermatology, Diagnose on Sight, Infectious Disease|

Trick of the Trade: V-to-Y flap laceration repair for tension wounds

You see a patient with a large V-shaped laceration under tension requiring suture repair. Resist the temptation to simply pull the edges together and close the laceration with simple interrupted or running sutures. Excessive tension on a flap edge during the healing process can compromise its blood supply. This causes ischemia to the healing tissue, which in turn makes that flap edge more likely to dehisce, necrose, and become infected.

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By Brian Lin, MD|2026-06-16T16:05:57-07:00Aug 16, 2014|Trauma, Tricks of the Trade|

The Opioid Prescription Epidemic: Annals of EM Resident Perspectives article

Misuse of prescription opioids is one of the defining health problems of our generation. The dramatic rise of opioid analgesic prescriptions in the US and Canada has been well documented, and opioids represent the most common cause of fatal prescription overdoses. On every shift, in every emergency department in the country, physicians struggle with the concerns of patients presenting with common pain complaints. Seeking to manage their patients’ symptoms in the face of dramatically rising prescription opioid misuse and fatal overdose, emergency physicians are challenged to distinguish those who are simply seeking pain relief, those who are seeking opioid prescriptions due to addiction, and those who fit both categories. Emergency care providers are also charged with balancing the pressures of meeting clinical care and patient satisfaction goals while fulfilling our moral obligation to provide primary and secondary prevention of opioid misuse.

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By Esther Choo, MD MPH|2026-06-16T16:05:40-07:00Aug 11, 2014|Tox & Medications|

Management of Iron Toxicity

Iron toxicity is determined by the amount of elemental iron (Fe) ingested. Examples of Fe formulations and the amount of elemental Fe contained in each formulation are listed in the table below (adapted from ¹).

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By David Manthey, MD|2016-12-19T10:46:00-08:00Aug 6, 2014|Expert Peer Reviewed (Clinical), Pre Publication Critique (Clinical), Tox & Medications|

SimLIFE-EM Challenge: Add to the conversation

Debriefings in medical simulation are meant to be the bow on top of the gift that is medical simulation. It is the ultimate delicious dessert, served after a grueling dinner course. All analogies aside, debriefings are meant to drive home the teaching points, to gain a deeper understanding of medical resuscitation as a group, and create mental frameworks of the approach to various patients. But this is often easier described than actually done. We here at ALiEM paired with Dr. Henry Curtis to come up with a creative way of developing debriefing skills and gain deeper understanding of mental frameworks.

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By Nikita Joshi, MD|2016-11-07T12:40:10-08:00Aug 4, 2014|Medical Education, Simulation, Tox & Medications|