SAEM Clinical Images Series: An Interesting Case of Ocular Trauma
A 27-year-old male with no past medical history presents to the Emergency Department with right eye pain. He states that approximately one week prior, he was working on a wire fence when he lost hold of a wire under tension, and it subsequently hit him in his right eye. He had immediate pain in his affected eye and was unable to see anything but light for the next three days. His vision slowly improved though it never normalized. He continued to have pain, so he presented for evaluation. He also reported seeing floaters and denied [+]
EM Match Advice 45: 2025 ERAS Updates– What EM Applicants Need to Know
Dr. Sara Krzyzaniak, EM Match Advice Podcast Host and Stanford University PD, discusses key changes in the 2025 ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) application that all EM applicants should know about. Take a listen to this short 14-minute, high-yield episode before submitting your application. Podcast 45: Key 2025 ERAS updates Highlights Hometown preferences are now limited to 3 (no longer 5). A new section allows you to explaining any unplanned training extensions and interruptions. A PD-perspective on what to put in the Impactful Experiences section Program signals are now limited to 5 (no longer 7). KEY: Do NOT signal [+]
ALiEM AIR Series | Immune Module (2024)
Welcome to the AIR Immune 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 related to immune emergencies in the Emergency Department. 7 blog posts met our standard of online excellence and were approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. More specifically, we identified 2 AIR and 5 Honorable Mentions. We recommend programs give 4 hours of III credit for this module. AIR Stamp of [+]
ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearl: A “Purplexing” Finding
What is most likely responsible for this urinary discoloration seen in a critically ill patient in the ICU?Beet consumptionMedication effectPorphyriaRhabdomyolysis[Authors own image] [+]
ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearl: Household Plant Gone Wrong
What toxic substance found in common houseplants (such as this one pictured) causes intense irritation of skin and mucous membranes? Calcium oxalate Lycorine Oxalic acid Terpene [Left image from Dr. Bryant Allen, MD, and right image from AJ West -Wikimedia Commons] [+]
Deryan Smith, MD
Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC
ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearl: Skin Lesions
Which of the following chronic exposures could produce lesions such as this on the hands, feet, and trunk? Inorganic arsenic Iron Lead Mercury [Image from Wikimedia Commons] [+]
Mark Baumgarten, MD
Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC
Latest posts by Mark Baumgarten, MD [+]
ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearl – Along Comes a Spider
What is this pictured spider that can inflict a deadly bite? Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus mactans) Brown Recluse Spider (Loxosceles reclusa) Redback Spider (Latrodectus hasselti) Sydney Funnel Web Spider (Atrax robustus) [Image from thebeachcomber, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia] [+]
Doug Maslowski MD
Department of Emergency Medicine
Carolinas Medical Center
EM Match Advice 44: Approaching your EM sub-internship clerkship – “Just gotta roll with it”
Dr. Sara Krzyzaniak (podcast host and Stanford University PD) and Dr. Michelle Lin (ALiEM Founder/UCSF) are joined by Dr. Jessica Bod (Yale University Clerkship Director and 2024 CDEM Clerkship Director of the Year award winner) in this episode to discuss how one might approach their emergency medicine sub-internship. Dr. Bod shares her her wealth of experience and wisdom to provide not only general advice but also answers more detailed questions like: What are some things NOT to do on a rotation? How do I judge my own competitiveness in the residency application process? What if I have decided late [+]
Trick of the Trade: Ultrarapid adenosine push for SVT with a pressure bag
With some things in life, speed is everything. Adenosine is one of those things. With an ultrafast half-life estimated to be between 0.6 to 10 seconds [1], parenterally administered adenosine needs to reach the cells of the AV-node and cardiac pacemaker cells in an expedited fashion to facilitate the termination of supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs). Known Techniques of Adenosine Administration Currently, there are 2-syringe and 1-syringe methods that are widely accepted for the administration of adenosine. Recent data suggests that they are non-inferior to each other [2]. Classic 2-syringe method: Benefit = undiluted adenosine to the heart; Limitation = [+]
PEM Pearls: Approach to Spontaneous Intracranial Hemorrhage in Pediatric Patients
Case: A 6-year-old female with a past medical history of immune thrombocytopenia presents to the Emergency Department (ED) for concerns of dysarthria that started the day prior to arrival. The patient’s mother denies any recent trauma, including head injury. Vitals and Physical Exam Blood pressure 109/80 Pulse 121 beats/minute Respiratory rate 22 breaths/minute Oxygen saturation 100% on room air Temperature 36.8ºC Her physical exam is remarkable for a mild right-sided facial droop with forehead sparing and dysarthria. Initial Work-Up The patient’s ED workup shows the following: Point-of-care glucose: Normal Platelet count: 0 platelets/liter Hemoglobin: 9.8 g/dL Head CT: Frontal [+]