Renal Colic & Pulmonary Embolism CT | Reducing Imaging: ACEP E-QUAL Network Podcast

Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly available across U.S. Emergency Departments and has changed the practice of medicine. However, it is coupled with potential side-effects from radiation and contrast media. Emergency Medicine is beginning to make a concerted effort to identify clinical scenarios in which CT may be unnecessary, producing outcomes research and validated clinical decision rules. Renal colic and pulmonary embolism, in particular, seem amenable to this area of investigation. The ACEP E-QUAL Network podcast, a partnership with ALiEM to promote clinical practice improvements, reviewed this topic with experts Dr. Chris Moore (Emory University) and Dr. Jeffrey Kline (Indiana University). We present highlights from their discussion with Dr. Jason Woods.

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By Derek Monette, MD|2026-06-16T16:12:55-07:00Mar 5, 2018|Genitourinary, Podcasts, Pulmonary, Radiology|

Troubleshooting the Crashing Patient with a Tracheostomy

Patients presenting to the ED with respiratory distress and a tracheostomy can unnerve almost any provider, and management is often fraught with preventable errors.^1,2 This recognition has led to the development of treatment algorithms from groups including the U.K. National Tracheostomy Safety Project to improve the safety and quality of care for patients with tracheostomies.³ Use the ABC-Ts mnemonic to help you perform a focused tracheostomy evaluation and troubleshoot in a stepwise, systematic manner while waiting for your ENT consultant to arrive.

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By Puja Gopal, MD|2019-02-19T18:38:06-08:00Jan 31, 2018|Critical Care/ Resus, Pulmonary|

ALiEMU Capsules Module 9: Hospital Acquired Pneumonia

We are proud to present CAPSULES Module 9: Hospital Acquired Pneumonia (HAP), now published on ALiEMU. Here is a summary of the key points from a stellar module by Drs. Jamie Rosini and Matt Stanton. When you’re finished, head over to the Capsules page for even more practical pharmacology for the EM provider.
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By Bryan D. Hayes, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT, FASHP|2018-01-17T14:15:43-08:00Oct 2, 2017|Capsules, Infectious Disease, Pulmonary|

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

Pediatric 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 Shabnam Jain, MD, MPH|2019-09-05T17:28:22-07:00Mar 16, 2017|Pediatrics, PEM Pearls, Pulmonary|

AIR Series: Respiratory Module (2017)

Welcome to the Respiratory 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 12 highest quality blog posts within the past 12 months (as of August 2016) related to Respiratory emergencies, curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. More specifically in this module, we identified 4 AIRs and 8 Honorable Mentions. We recommend programs give 4 hours (about 20 minutes per article) of III credit for this module.

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By Andrew Grock, MD|2020-09-04T10:59:39-07:00Feb 6, 2017|Approved Instructional Resources (AIR series), Pulmonary|

PV Card: Algorithm for acute bronchiolitis management

Bronchiolitis is a common lower respiratory tract infection in children less than 2 years old, and especially in those 3-6 months old. In a collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Section on Emergency Medicine Committee on Quality Transformation, we present a PV card summarizing the Section’s “Clinical Algorithm for Bronchiolitis in the Emergency Department Setting” (reproduced with permission).¹ Dr. Shabnam Jain sums it up best in her expert peer review below: “In bronchiolitis, less is more.”
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By Michelle Lin, MD|2021-10-04T09:31:54-07:00Nov 7, 2016|ALiEM Cards, Expert Peer Reviewed (Clinical), Pediatrics, Pulmonary|

AIR Series: Respiratory Part 2 (2015)

We found an enormous amount of respiratory content and thus have divided the respiratory module into two modules. While the first module focused on general respiratory issues, this second module is focused on airway and pulmonary embolism. Below we have listed our selection of the 15 highest quality blog posts within the past 12 months (current as of March 2015) related to respiratory, curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. In this module we have 4 AIRs and 11 Honorable Mentions. We strive for comprehensiveness by selecting from a broad spectrum of blogs from the top 50 listing per the Social Media Index.

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By Andrew Grock, MD|2017-03-05T14:18:42-08:00Jul 28, 2015|Approved Instructional Resources (AIR series), Pulmonary|