ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearl: Breathtaking Emergencies
What toxic gas is created by mixing these two household products? Chloramine gas Chlorine gas Chloroform Peracetic acid [Author’s own image] [+]
Teresa Crow, MD
Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC
Latest posts by Teresa Crow, MD (see all)
Who Gets Mistriaged? Disparities in Pediatric Behavioral Health ED Triage | A PECARN multicenter analysis
A 14-year-old Hispanic girl presents to the Emergency Department with her mother for suicidal ideation after a conflict at home. The girl is quiet and cooperative. Her mother, who speaks primarily Spanish, is trying to explain the situation. The nurse assigns an ESI level 2, the same score given to nearly every child who walks through the door with a behavioral health complaint. But does that score accurately capture this patient's needs? A new multicenter PECARN study published this week in JAMA Network Open takes a close look at triage accuracy for pediatric behavioral health ED visits. The findings: [+]
Dump the Myths, Not the Milk: Medication and Imaging Considerations for Lactating Patients in the Emergency Department
The challenges in lactation are often compounded by outdated beliefs held by clinicians. Most of the medications we administer in the emergency department (ED) do not warrant any interruption in expression or feeding of breastmilk. Most imaging we perform in the ED is safe in the lactating patient and likewise does not need interruption. Let us convince you to trash the phrase, “Pump and Dump” in the ED. Most medications commonly given in the ED are safe in lactation Evidence suggests medication transfer through breast milk is frequently overestimated, with actual infant exposure typically minimal for most medications commonly [+]
ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearl: Blue to the Rescue
The medication shown in the image is used to treat which type of toxic exposure? Beryllium Cadmium Cesium Iron [Image from Saalebaer via Wikimedia Commons] [+]
Victoria Soewarna, MD
Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC
Latest posts by Victoria Soewarna, MD (see [+]
SAEM Clinical Images Series: Painful Red Eye
The patient is a 60-year-old male with a history of insulin-dependent diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia who presents to the Emergency Department after one day of sudden onset right eye pain associated with nausea and vomiting. He notes progressively blurring vision and vision loss in his right eye since the onset of the pain. His wife noted redness of his sclera and urged him to go the emergency department. He can now only sense light and shadows with his right eye. He denies traumatic injury or any history of serious ophthalmological pathology. [+]
Trick of Trade: Using Sterile Lubricating Gel to Manage Bloody Scalp Lacerations | A Simple Gel, a Big Fix
One of the classic scenarios encountered in the emergency department involves an elderly patient with medium to long hair who sustains a scalp laceration after a ground-level fall. They often arrive hemodynamically stable and without bony crepitus, yet the wound itself is challenging to evaluate. During transport, clotted blood frequently becomes entangled in their hair, forming a dense mat that obscures the laceration. The care team—technicians, nurses, residents, and physicians alike—may spend several minutes painstakingly separating hair and pressing on a tender scalp in an effort to expose the wound. This process is uncomfortable for the patient, time-consuming for [+]
SAEM Clinical Images Series: Perioral Facial Swelling
The patient is a 40-year-old male with no significant past medical history who presents to the Emergency Department with perioral rash and swelling. He had been in his normal state of health the day before and woke up in the morning with an itchy rash around his mouth. He denies lip, tongue, or intraoral swelling, throat itching or sensation of throat swelling, trouble swallowing, or swelling or itching of any other part of his face. The rash has not changed locations nor has it spread beyond the perioral area. He noted [+]
ALiEM AIR Series | Endocrine Module (2026)
Welcome to the AIR ENDOCRINE Module! After carefully reviewing all relevant posts in the past 12 months from the top 50 sites of the Digital Impact Factor [1], the ALiEM AIR Team is proud to present the highest quality online content related to endocrine emergencies in the Emergency Department. 11 blog posts met our standard of online excellence and were approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. More specifically, we identified 6 AIR and 5 Honorable Mentions. We recommend programs give 5.5 hours of III credit for this module. AIR Stamp of Approval and Honorable [+]
SAEM Clinical Images Series: Green Foot
The patient is a 59-year-old male with a history of prior DVT, atrial fibrillation, HTN, alcohol use and COPD who presents to the Emergency Department with chest pain, dyspnea, and left lower extremity swelling and pain. He had a prior hospital admission two weeks ago for leg swelling and cellulitis. He was previously prescribed oral gentamicin and topical mupirocin for concerns of foot infection, which he has been compliant with taking. He has been working long hours as a construction worker, but knows of no chemical exposure to his feet and [+]
ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearl – Master of Deceit
What venomous marine animal is pictured? Fire coral Lionfish Sea urchin Stonefish [Image from Rapheal Duprat via Wikimedia] [+]
Andrew Scott, MD
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center
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Director of Growth, Strategic Alliance Initiative, Center for Innovation and Digital Health
Massachusetts General Hospital;
Chief Scientific Officer, Conductscience.com
Latest posts by Shuhan He, MD (see all)
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- Suboxone and the Emergency Physician: Get Waivered Training - August 12, 2022
- A Tale of Two Epidemics: COVID-19 and the Opioid Crisis - April 23, 2020