4 Pitfalls of Bedside Ultrasonography During First Trimester Pregnancy
One of the more common indications for the use of bedside ultrasound (US) is to evaluate patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with pain or bleeding during the first trimester of pregnancy. When performing this study, providers should be aware of several potential pitfalls that pose significant risk to both the patient and the provider. [+]
Brian Bauerband, MD
I am Dr. Minh Le Cong, Royal Flying Doc and Author of the PHARM blog and podcast: How I Work Smarter
We are back from our break with more How I Work Smarter. We hope you enjoyed our new sister series Healthy in EM! Today we have a FOAM and Twitter staple weighing in: Dr. Minh Le Cong (@ketaminh). He is a senior officer with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia. He holds quite a few degrees/certifications. In fact, we should really publish his full title: Dr. Minh Le Cong MBBS, FRACGP, FACRRM, FARGP, FACAsM, GDRGP, GEM, CertIVTAA, PGDAeroRT. He is the driving force behind the PHARM blog and podcast which focuses on out of hospital and retrieval medicine. Dr. [+]
ALiEM Bookclub: The Art of Choosing
“Choice is how we go from who we are today to who we want to be tomorrow.” Most people likely do not know Sheena Iyengar. However it is likely that you know about her famed “jam study.” In this study she had a tasting table at a grocery store with either 24 varieties of jam, 6 varieties, or only gourmet jam. Although the larger display was able to attract more customers, the customers from the smaller selection were 10 times more likely to purchase jam. This study stood in contrast to the assumption of retailers that more choice is better. [+]
Announcing the ALiEM-AgileMD Educational Design Fellowship
Based on the successes of our 2014-15 ALiEM-EMRA (for medical students), ALiEM-CORD (for residents), and ALiEM-AAEM Young Physicians fellowships, we are thrilled to be launching the 2015 ALiEM-AgileMD Educational Design Fellowship! The application process for this virtual fellowship is now open. [+]
PV Card: Acute Salicylate Toxicity
Patients with acute salicylate toxicity can rapidly decompensate and require clinicians to understand the pathophysiology of what is going on. First a respiratory alkalosis occurs with non-specific symptoms of vomiting and dizziness. Then an anion-gap metabolic acidosis also occurs with headache, tinnitus, and confusion. Below lists the core set of labs to obtain and treatment strategies by our stellar ALiEM-CORD Social Media and Digital Scholarship Fellow, Dr. Sam Shaikh. [+]
Ultrasound For The Win Case – 46F with Abdominal Pain #US4TW
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 this case, a 46-year-old woman presents with history of right-sided abdominal pain and vomiting. [+]
I am Dr. Zafrina Poonja: How I Stay Healthy In EM
Staying healthy should not be an option. As emergency physicians, it should be our mandate to stay healthy so that we can promote healthy living, optimize our ability to care for our patients, extend our careers, and be there for our families. However, modern life can be hectic and unpredictable. While we all desire an active and healthy lifestyle, maintaining one in practice can be difficult for physicians despite our extensive education and resources. 1 As emergency physicians we face the additional challenge of working a schedule that has been shown to have negative health implications. 2 [+]
MEdIC Series | The Case of the Financial Fiasco – Expert Review and Curated Commentary
The Case of the Financial Fiasco has stimulated interesting discussion over the past week. We are now proud to present to you the Curated Community Commentary and our two expert opinions. Thank-you again to all our experts and participants for contributing again this week to the ALiEM MEdIC series. [+]
Lipid Rescue: Why Aren’t We Using It?
Though lipid rescue sounds like something from a junk food detox regimen, it’s one of the most exciting developments in emergency management of drug overdose in the last 20 years. Unlike charcoal which can lead to aspiration and has relatively little data showing improved outcomes, or dialysis which relies on convincing your nephrologist to come in at 3 am, lipid rescue is a readily available, cheap, safe therapeutic that we’ve been using in TPN for adults and children for decades. And it seems to work, but why aren’t we using it? [+]
Geriatric Emergency Medicine for Students, Residents, and Physicians
We all know the population of the United States is aging. We know emergency physicians need to be prepared and trained to care for older adults. But how can you dive into the world of geriatric EM to learn more, to research, to gain additional training? In this post, we have gathered the wisdom of leaders in geriatric EM across the country, to share their recommendations, inspiration, and motivation. [+]