SplintER Series: One Big Bounce
A 5-year-old boy presents with right leg pain and a limp. His parents report it started after he was bouncing on the trampoline with his older sibling but they did not notice any specific trauma. He has tenderness over his proximal shin with no obvious injury. You suspect a fracture and obtain x-rays of the right knee (Figure 1). Figure 1. AP and Lateral x-rays of the right [+]
Troubleshooting the Crashing Patient with a Tracheostomy
Patients presenting to the ED with respiratory distress and a tracheostomy can unnerve almost any provider, and management is often fraught with preventable errors.1,2 This recognition has led to the development of treatment [+]
I am Dr. Evelyn Kim, EM Physician & Assistant Professor: How I Stay Healthy in EM
Dr. Evelyn Kim is an emergency physician from Portland, Oregon. When she is not busy in the ED, she can be found spending time outdoors, getting in a run or bike ride. For [+]
EM Match Advice: County Residency Programs
EM Match Advice is back with its last installment before the Rank Order List deadline (February 21), and puts the focus on county residency programs! In this episode, an esteemed panel peels back the [+]
ACMT Toxicology Visual Pearls – A Poke in the Belly
Which component of the pictured plant is the cause of gastrointestinal symptoms when ingested? Histamine Lectins Oxalates Ribosomal inhibiting proteins Saponin glycosides [+]
Ketamine for Excited Delirium Syndrome
Excited delirium syndrome is defined as “a syndrome of uncertain etiology characterized by delirium, agitation, and hyperadrenergic autonomic dysfunction”.1 You may have encountered a patient like this in the ED or prehospital setting. [+]
Trick of the Trade: IV-Push Antibiotics in the ED
Limited intravenous access is a common conundrum in the Emergency Department, with heavy implications for medication administration. Of particular concern, are the profoundly septic patients that necessitate multiple timely therapies, which require tying [+]
Vancomycin Loading Doses in Pediatric Patients: A Missed Opportunity?
In January 2014, ALiEM featured a must-read post by Bryan Hayes regarding proper dosing of vancomycin in the emergency department, including a special note related to the recommendations regarding consideration of loading doses [+]
EM Match Advice: County Residency Programs
EM Match Advice is back with its last installment before the Rank Order List deadline (February 21), and puts the focus on county residency programs! In this episode, an esteemed panel peels back the curtain on what it means to work and train in some of the busiest public Emergency Departments in the United States. These programs share a special brand of team-centered training, and residents learn how to make the most of limited resources while [+]
Tips to building authenticity into your talk
For lecturers, much focus is placed on improving the visual display and factual content of your talk. Keep slides simple Add relevant, non-extraneous images Avoid cramming too much information into your talk [+]
5 rules for creating great Powerpoint presentations
As much as people talk about “Death by Powerpoint”, many of us still use Powerpoint despite its many shortcomings. So how can we make our Powerpoint talks better? This video reviews 5 great [+]
What is "contextualizing" patient care?
Medicine is as much about Science as it is about Art. This is no better illustrated than an educational intervention study about “contextualizing” patient care, published in JAMA. What is contextualization? It is [+]
I am Dr. Ben Smith, Director of Emergency Ultrasound at University of Tennessee, Chattanooga: How I Work Smarter
If anyone in this series deserves the title of true “life hacker”, it’s Dr. Ben Smith (@UltrasoundJelly). A nuclear engineer turned emergency physician, you’ll see it is apparent he takes an engineer’s approach to productivity. In the clinical/education world, he is the Director of Emergency Ultrasound and the Associate Residency Director at University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. He’s a contributing member of FOAM via several websites, including ultrasoundoftheweek.com and 5minsono.com. Although we may not all have [+]