ALiEM Year In Review 2013
Dear ALiEM Supporters: Happy Holidays from the ALiEM team! During this time of year, it is always good to take stock of your life. At Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM), we decided to reflect of the life of the blog by generating our Year in Review 2013. First, thank you to each of you. Your time, comments, tweets, and feedback are what make this blog successful and dynamic as an educational resource.We appreciate your continued readership and engagement. Many exciting things have transpired over the past 12 months. We wish to review some of the highlights, as well as give a [+]
Thank You ALiEM Expert Peer Reviewers
We would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who took the time to take part in our exciting new Expert Peer Review series over the last 4 months of 2013. Your contributions helped us roll out this ground breaking process, and we hope you all will continue to contribute to our peer review in the future. [+]
MEdIC Series: The Case of the Magnificent Mentor
© woodleywonderworks None of us would be where we are today, if it weren’t for the people that have helped us along the way. During this holiday season we thought it would be appropriate to discuss a happy topic: how to thank your mentors. The fine people who have taught and guided us over the years – helping us become the physicians we have become. This month in the MEdIC series, we present the case of Kara and Sundeep, two residents who are not sure how to go about thanking their mentors. [+]
Why the Holidays Can Be Deadly
The winter holiday season is a busy time in most EDs. Colder weather, respiratory infections, and many factors contribute to this. However Christmas Day and New Year’s Day in particular are two of the deadliest days of the year. Missed medications due to travel, delayed presentations because of a desire to stay home for family gatherings, increased stress, alcohol and substance abuse, travel, and drunk driving, are just a few of the things that can contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients of all ages, and particularly in older adults. If you are working this holiday season, here is a [+]
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Common Questions and Dilemmas
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas and is one of the most common causes of unintentional poisoning deaths in the United States. It is also one of the most common poisoning presentations to Emergency Departments. Because CO is produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels, the incidence of accidental exposure peaks during the winter months due to increased use of in-door heating sources and reduced ventilation. 1–3 Several management dilemmas commonly arise when dealing with patients with potential CO poisoning. [+]
Skeptics Guide to EM: Year in Review of 42 podcasts
Dr. Ken Milne of The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine series has kindly summarized his 42 podcasts from this year and is releasing the summary [download PDF] as a free holiday gift! He also lists the best podcast picks for the year in his year-end blog post. [+]
ALiEM Bookclub: Hanging Out with author Sheri Fink
This past week, we’ve hosted a discussion for our book club on “Five Days at Memorial”. First off, thank-you to everyone who has contributed! But now we have a special surprise. Two months ago we had Shawn Achor tweeting with us… and now we have a Google Hangout On Air with Sheri Fink MD PhD (@SheriFink), the author of the ALiEM Book Club selection this month! Not only is Sheri an award winning journalist, who has written an amazing book – she’s also a really nice lady who was happy to chat with us for 40 minutes about her latest work [+]
Online Educational Resources from Residencies
Residency provides clinical training to new physicians. Many programs have started offering online educational content to their residents. These are great resources to learn from some of the leading educators in EM from the comfort of your home. Below is a list of some of my favorites. [+]
Lactic Acidosis and Beta Agonist Therapy in Asthma
A 45 y/o male with moderate persistent asthma presents with wheezing and cough following a viral URI. He is tachypneic and has diffuse wheezing. PEFR is 250 (>50% below his normal). Initial ABG is 7.46/33/70 on room air with a lactate of 2.0 mmol/L. He receives IV steroids and 4 rounds of albuterol nebulizers. On repeat evaluation, his work of breathing and wheezing have improved and his PEFR is now >300. He is completed alert and oriented with a BP of 118/70 and a HR of 110. Repeat ABG shows 7.35/35/100 on room air; however, his lactate is now 7 [+]
Policy Change: A Brief Primer for Emergency Physicians
Like it or not, many things that determine our daily satisfaction with our work are determined by policy. QI measures, the implementation of EMRs, the availability of cigarettes, the funding of GME positions, the strength of drunk driving laws, the availability of mental health care: these are all legislative decisions, with an intimate relationship to our work. Yet, only half of the practicing physicians in the U.S. report that they are actively involved in policy change/advocacy. [+]