Paucis Verbis card: Pediatric weight-based reference (5-34 kg)
The foundation in any pediatric resuscitation is the length-based estimation of the patient's lean body weight. Once determined, equipments and medications are sized and dosed, respectively, according to that weight. You can use electronic resources such as PEMSoft (Pediatric Emergency Medicine Software) or the more traditional paper-based Broselow tape. If you have neither of these at your easy disposal, I thought I would create a multi-card reference which works best in electronic pdf form on your mobile device. Even if you DO have other available references, it's still nice to have some redundant back-up sources just in case. This data [+]
Practicing Judo in the ED: Secret to success
OK, you don’t actually practice Judo in the Emergency Department, but the principles in Judo are interestingly relevant in approaching our work in the ED. Thanks to Garr Reynolds of Presentation Zen fame for introducing me to the 7 rules of judo practice by the great Judo master Kyuzo Mifune. In his blog post, Garr specifically talks about how these rules are relevant in the realms of leadership and public speaking. These rules in fact are extremely relevant when you are a senior EM resident or an EM attending. These 7 simple rules really are the heart of maintaining respect, [+]
Trick of the trade: Face mask ventilation in edentulous patients
Can you imagine trying to bag-valve-mask ventilating this patient without teeth? Edentulous patients can cause BVM problems because air tends to leak out the sides of the mouth, because the cheeks don’t contact the mask as well. You can do a jaw-thrust and/or place an oropharyngeal airway to help. What else can you do? [+]
Retinal detachment on ultrasound
I just wanted to revisit the Trick of using bedside ultrasonography to diagnose retinal detachments. Be sure to use plenty of ultrasound gel and use the linear tranducer. [+]
Director of Growth, Strategic Alliance Initiative, Center for [+]
Paucis Verbis card: C3-C7 spinal fractures
This is the second Paucis Verbis card on cervical spine fractures. Part 1 covered C1 and C2 fractures. This card covers the lower cervical spine fractures. These two tables are part of my chapter on "Spine and Spinal Cord Injury" in the textbook Emergency Medicine by Dr. Jim Adams (Northwestern EM Chair). PV Card: C3-C7 Fractures and Injuries Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources.
Life of an Attending: Is this or will this be you?
Thanks to one of our residents, Hangyul, I just recently learned about a hilarious comic strip series called Scutmonkey Comics in the blog The Underwear Drawer. It is side-splitting funny. [+]
Director of Growth, Strategic Alliance Initiative, Center for [+]
Trick of the trade: Discounted medications at pharmacies
Many times, patients who we deem as “noncompliant” with medications may actually be financially unable to afford medications that we prescribe them. Thanks to Amy Kinard, I just learned about this great new website where you can find pharmacies with amazing discounts for common medications. [+]
EMS officially recognized as an EM subspecialty
EMS was officially recognized as an EM subspecialty by the American Board of Medical Specialities on September 23, 2010! Residency programs have already implemented EMS Fellowship Training Programs to provide physicians with specialty training in prehospital care, medical direction, and research in the prehospital arena. The development of this new subspecialty was a collaborative effort between the National Association of EMS Physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine. The first certification exam is tentatively scheduled to be administered in 2013. Click here to see the announcement. [+]
Article review: Importance of first clinical clerkship
What was your first clinical clerkship rotation? Oddly, I started my third year with a sub-internship rotation on the Burn/Plastics service as my first rotation. Not sure how that happened… I managed my own patients like a 4th year student, did lots of wound care, and even got to harvest a few skin grafts. It was trial by fire.In a recent JAMA article, 3rd year medical students who started their clinical experiences in an Internal Medicine rotation overall did better on overall clerkship grades, when compared those who started their rotations on the Ob/Gyn, Psychiatry, or Family Medicine service. [+]
Paucis Verbis card: C1-C2 injuries
I'm starting to work on co-authoring the next edition of my chapter on "Spine and Spinal Cord Injury" within the textbook "Emergency Medicine" by Dr. Jim Adams (Northwestern EM Chair). There are some useful tables that I created that I thought you might find helpful. This is the first installment covering C1-C2 fractures. The next PV card will cover the lower cervical fractures. I always forget which are stable and unstable. For instance, the above extension teardrop fracture looks innocuous but is an unstable fracture because the anterior longitudinal ligament is ruptured. PV Card: C1 and C2 Fractures and Injuries [+]