Purple Urine Bag Syndrome: A visual diagnosis and what it means for your patient
A 78-year-old male is brought in from his nursing home for evaluation of hypotension. He has a prior history of multiple strokes and is bed bound. He arrives febrile, tachycardic, and hypotensive. On your physical exam, you notice that he has an indwelling foley catheter. The catheter tubing and bag have a vibrant purple color. You wonder if this unusual urine color could be caused by something insidious. Could this be related to a toxin, medication, or infection? [+]
SAEM Clinical Image Series: Distended Abdomen after ROSC
A 64-year-old female presented to the emergency department (ED) in cardiac arrest. Her family members heard her fall in the bathroom and started CPR. EMS intubated the patient and 20 minutes of CPR was done en route. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved after fifteen minutes of resuscitation in the ED. At baseline, the patient ambulated with her walker and was conversant. She was having abdominal pain and nausea for the past three days after recently being diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. On arrival to the ED, the patient was pulseless with ventricular [+]
How I Work Smarter: Meenal Sharkey, MD
One word that best describes how you work? Thoroughly Current mobile device iPhone 11 -- my whole life runs because of this phone! Computer MacBook Pro -- thank goodness for the iCloud that syncs my calendars, notes, and texts What is something you are working on now? Just finished the Grounded in EM curriculum and am now creating a Grand Rounds for Evidence-Based Medicine for Sepsis. One of my weaknesses is public speaking and also evidence-based medicine presentations. I like the concept of sepsis in general, so I picked this topic on purpose. It combined a topic I enjoy and [+]
IDEA Series: 3D-printed pediatric lumbar puncture trainer
Pediatric lumbar puncture trainers are less available than adult trainers; most are the newborn size and quite expensive. Due to age-based practice patterns for fever diagnostic testing, most pediatric lumbar punctures are performed on young infants, and residents have fewer opportunities to perform lumbar punctures on older children.1 Adult lumbar puncture trainers have been created using a 3D-printed spine and ballistics gel, which allows for ultrasound guidance.2 No previous model has been described for pediatric lumbar puncture. [+]
ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearls: Awake Seizures?
Which of the following rodenticides, often used to kill the rodent pictured, causes seizure-like activity without altered mental status or a postictal period? Barium Brodifacoum Carbamate Strychnine Zinc phosphide [+]
Kregg Laundon, MD
Memorial Hospital
Savannah, GA
Latest posts by Kregg Laundon, MD [+]
Announcing ERLI and the Education Research Consult Service: Education scholarship is hard, so let us help you
Are you a medical education fellow or budding educator-scholar struggling with ideating, designing, or conducting your education research study? Conducting and publishing education scholarship is incredibly challenging with unique considerations that are different from other forms of research. We are thrilled to announce the ALiEM Education Research Lab and Incubator (ERLI), led by the ERLI Chief Academic Officer Dr. Simiao Li-Sauerwine from The Ohio State University. [+]
Announcing ALiEMU SplintER Course: Approach to Splinting
We are so thrilled to announce that we created an ALiEMU Course on the Approach to Splinting, using one of our most popular series, the SplintER Series, as the learning foundation. We have created a custom quiz assessing the learning objectives. Are you a medical student getting ready for your EM rotation or internship? Or an EM resident needing to brush up on your splinting knowledge? Take this free course for 2 hours of ALiEMU course credit, and receive your “Approach to Splinting” badge. [+]
SAEM Clinical Image Series: Juvenile Snake Bite
A 62-year-old male presented thirty minutes after being bitten by a snake in his garden. He stated that he thinks his finger was bitten twice. The patient presented with pain and swelling of his right hand and forearm. [+]
Keegan McNally, MD
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
SAEM Clinical Image Series: Atraumatic Proptosis
An 85-year-old female with a past history of hypertension presents with acute right-eye pain, redness, and proptosis/bulging for the past two months that has been worsening over the past two days. She endorses blurry vision that began two days prior. She does not use contacts or glasses. No trauma, headache, or loss of consciousness are reported. She reports a “whooshing” sound in her right ear for two to three months. [+]
EM Match Advice: Administration Fellowship
The EM Administration Fellowship serves to train residents desiring to pursue a leadership position in departments and hospital systems. Many graduates become department chairs and medical directors. Hosted by Dr. Michael Gisondi (Stanford) and Dr. Michelle Lin (UCSF), this podcast features fellowship directors from around the country discussing the who, what, when, and why of the fellowship. [+]