The Post-ROSC Checklist: Standardizing Clinical Practices

post-ROSC checklist return of spontaneous circulationIn emergency medicine, we are so heavily trained in resuscitation that any senior resident could recite the ACLS algorithm to you after being woken up at 3 am. However, the real work begins after the pulse return. Up to two-thirds of patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) will not survive to discharge.1,2 This approach, modeled after the 2015 American Heart Association Guidelines3 and an excellent review article by Dr. Jacob Jentzer et al,4 can help guide you through the chaos to stabilize your next post-ROSC patient.

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By |2021-01-25T12:52:39-08:00Apr 10, 2017|Cardiovascular|

Trick of the Trade: Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block for Treatment of Primary Headaches

It is thought that the autonomic nervous system is likely involved in migraines and other primary headache disorders given commonly associated symptoms such as nausea, lacrimation, emesis, and rhinorrhea. The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) is an extracranial parasympathetic ganglion with both sensory and autonomic fibers. It has therefore been hypothesized that blockade of the sphenopalatine ganglion may produce relief from primary headaches by modulating the autonomic fibers involved in headache disorders.1

While in our anecdotal experience with SPG blocks has been overall very positive, thus far there have been only a few small studies that have investigated it’s use in the Emergency Department. The currently available evidence has been mixed.

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By |2022-03-26T11:22:02-07:00Mar 22, 2017|Neurology, Tricks of the Trade|

PEM Pearls: 2017 AAP Section of EM’s Guide to Pediatric Community Acquired Pneumonia

Pediatric community acquired pneumonia left side - image courtesy of Dr. Rob CooneyPediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an acute, common, and potentially serious infection of the pulmonary parenchyma in children. In November 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed “The management of community-acquired pneumonia in infants and children older than 3 months of age: clinical practice guidelines by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.” [PDF]1Based on this guideline, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Emergency Medicine’s Committee on Quality Transformation developed a clinical algorithm for CAP in the ED setting.

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By |2019-09-05T17:28:22-07:00Mar 16, 2017|Pediatrics, PEM Pearls, Pulmonary|

AIR Series: Trauma Module (2017)

Welcome to the Trauma Module! After carefully reviewing all relevant posts from the top 50 sites of the Social Media Index the ALiEM AIR Team is proud to present the highest quality procedure content. Below we have listed our selection of the 21 highest quality blog posts within the past 12 months (as of September 2016) related to Trauma emergencies, curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. More specifically in this module, we identified 5 AIRs and 16 Honorable Mentions. We recommend programs give 7 hours (about 20 minutes per article) of III credit for this module.

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PV Card: Laceration Repair and Sutures – A cheat sheet guide

laceration repair and suturesLaceration repair and suturing are foundational skills for the Emergency Department. This pocket card serves as a quick reference guide for clinicians, and provides a much-needed update and design upgrade from the 2011 PV card on Sutures. This card covers suture/staple removal times, suture sizes, suture material characteristics, special laceration considerations, and suture techniques.

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By |2021-10-02T18:58:50-07:00Mar 6, 2017|ALiEM Cards, Orthopedic, Trauma|
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