January, 2024

article thumbnail

The evolution of ambulances: is the future autonomous?

Emergency Live

The Advent of Driverless Ambulances and Their Implications for the Healthcare System Innovation and Development in Driverless Ambulances Driverless ambulances represent a groundbreaking innovation in the field of healthcare. Autonomous driving technology is already finding applications in the transportation of medications and supplies within hospital complexes.

article thumbnail

EM Cases Best of 2023 Top 10

Emergency Medicine Cases

Based on a blend of number of listens, feedback from listeners, website visits and personal faves, EM Cases Best of 2023 Top 10. The post EM Cases Best of 2023 Top 10 appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

EMS 114
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

SGEM #425: Are You Ready for This? Pediatric Readiness of Emergency Departments

The Skeptics' Guide to EM

Reference: Remick KE, et al. National Assessment of Pediatric Readiness of US Emergency Departments during the Covid-19 Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. July 2023 Date: Dec 11, 2023 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Rachel Hatcliffe is a pediatric emergency medicine attending at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Her research focuses on prehospital care of children with anaphylaxis. […] The post SGEM #425: Are You Ready for This?

article thumbnail

ECG Blog #411 — Is it Wenckebach?

Ken Grauer, MD

How would YOU interpret the tracing in Figure-1 — that was sent to me without additional information? QUESTIONS: What is the rhythm? Is there AV dissociation? If so — WHY? Clinically — HOW would you approach interpretation of this tracing in optimal time -efficient fashion? Figure-1: The initial ECG in today's case. KEY Clinical Point: If I was the medical provider charged with the care of the patient whose ECG is shown in Figure-1 — I would approach this tracing in the following sequential stag

EKG/ECG 444
article thumbnail

Bridging Innovation & Patient Care: The Growing Role of AI

Speaker: Simran Kaur, Co-founder & CEO at Tattva.Health

AI is transforming clinical trials—accelerating drug discovery, optimizing patient recruitment, and improving data analysis. But its impact goes far beyond research. As AI-driven innovation reshapes the clinical trial process, it’s also influencing broader healthcare trends, from personalized medicine to patient outcomes. Join this new webinar featuring Simran Kaur for an insightful discussion on what all of this means for the future of healthcare!

article thumbnail

Pseudoparalysis of Parrot

Pediatric EM Morsels

If you have ever talked with a pediatric emergency medicine physician about some basic tenets of their practice, one of them will inevitably be, “ Never trust a neonate. ” The first few months of life outside the womb can elucidate a myriad of problems that were previously hidden during the prenatal state. We have previously touched on congenital issues like Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia , Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation , Neonatal Leukemia , and of course there is always the Inconso

article thumbnail

Best Of EAST 2024 #8: Whole Blood And VTE

The Trauma Pro

The pendulum has swung from the use of whole blood in the early 20th century, to component therapy in the 1960s, and now a gradual move toward incorporating whole blood again. More and more papers are being published, and many trauma centers are looking for ways to integrate whole blood into their massive transfusion protocols. Much of the literature has been dedicated to safety and effectiveness, but little has examined thrombotic complications from its use.

More Trending

article thumbnail

Mechanical Ventilation Basics

EM Ottawa

Mechanical ventilation has a lot of nuance associated with it, but a lot of reference guides focus on care in the ICU. There is certainly a need for more practical application for the ED doc or initial setup of patients on the vent. With both ER and ICU experience, this post acts as a quick […] The post Mechanical Ventilation Basics appeared first on EMOttawa Blog.

EMS 143
article thumbnail

Cardiopulmonary Point of Care Ultrasound – Book Review

Critical Care North Hampton

Many thanks to Dr Manoj Wickramsinghe for his review of this fabulous POCUS textbook. He is a trainee in Anaesthesia and ICM, based in Leeds, and one of the CCN editorial team. About the book authors Editors; Hatem Soliman-Aboumarie, Marcelo Haertel Miglioranza, Luna Gargani, Giovanni Volpicelli. The authors and editors of this book include some.

article thumbnail

ECG Blog #412 — Is Cardiac Cath Indicated?

Ken Grauer, MD

The ECG in Figure-1 was obtained from a middle-aged man with known hypertension — who presented to the ED ( E mergency D epartment ) for CP ( C hest P ain ) over the preceding 2-3 days. QUESTIONS: How would YOU interpret the ECG in Figure-1 ? Should you activate the cath lab? If not — What next? Figure-1: The initial ECG in today's case — obtained from a middle-aged man with CP for the past 2-3 days.

EKG/ECG 399
article thumbnail

EPs Are Getting Crushed Under the Collapsing Health System

Emergency Medicine News

An abstract is unavailable.

140
140
article thumbnail

Best of EAST 2024 #1: MAP And Spinal Cord Injury

The Trauma Pro

The use of elevated mean arterial pressure (MAP) to help manage spinal cord injury has been a mainstay of treatment for years. The concept is similar to that used for management of severe traumatic brain injury. The theory is that there may be areas of the brain that are damaged, but not irretrievably so. Increasing MAP should improve perfusion and may protect areas in jeopardy from secondary injury.

Outcomes 264
article thumbnail

Not the Way to Pull Vaccines Back from a “Dangerous Tipping Point”

Sensible Medicine

Peter Marks, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the FDA, and Robert Califf, the commissioner of the FDA published a “Viewpoint” article in JAMA on January 5th: Is Vaccination Approaching a Dangerous Tipping Point. The Viewpoint is short and certainly worth a read – probably before getting further in this essay.

Research 139
article thumbnail

REBEL Cast Ep123: Reduced-Dose Systemic Peripheral Alteplase in Massive PE?

RebelEM

Background: Massive pulmonary embolism defined as sustained hypotension (SBP <90mmHg) has a high mortality which is why early recognition and thrombolytic therapy is typically recommended (AHA Class IIA; ESC Class IB) [1]. However, full-dose thrombolytic therapy (Alteplase 100mg (IV) is associated with an increase in bleeding [2]. Because the lungs receive 100% of cardiac output, it has been hypothesized that a lower dose of thrombolytic therapy may still be effective with a better safety

Stroke 136
article thumbnail

Paxlovid evidence: still very little reason to prescribe

First 10 EM

We are once again buried in a wave of viral respiratory illnesses, and much of the burden of illness is still COVID. I did a pretty thorough review of all COVID antiviral therapies in 2022, both on First10EM and on the EMCases Journal Jam, but that was 2 years ago. I think most of us […] The post Paxlovid evidence: still very little reason to prescribe appeared first on First10EM.

135
135
article thumbnail

ECG Blog #414 — What Kind of AV Block?

Ken Grauer, MD

I was sent the ECG in Figure-1 — without the benefit of any history. QUESTION: What kind of AV block is present in Figure-1 ? Figure-1: The initial ECG in today's case. ( To improve visualization — I've digitized the original ECG using PMcardio ). MY Approach to Today’s Tracing: As always — I favor beginning assessment with a quick look at the long lead rhythm strips at the bottom of the tracing.

EKG/ECG 266
article thumbnail

Thank You, Night Nurses

Emergency Medicine News

An abstract is unavailable.

137
137
article thumbnail

Best Of EAST 2024 #9: The Burden Of Transferred TBI Patients

The Trauma Pro

In theory, tiered trauma centers should allow patients with lesser injuries to be treated at lower levels and more severe trauma at higher-level centers. This parallels the resource availability at those centers. In reality, many patients with injuries that seem complex (solid organ, children, and TBI) are transferred due to a “lack of comfort” in taking care of them or the perception that they may deteriorate quickly.

EMS 214
article thumbnail

EMCrit 366 – Should Delayed Sequence Intubation (DSI) become the Standard for Critical Care Intubations?

EMCrit

Should DSI become the new standard? EMCrit Project by Scott Weingart, MD FCCM.

135
135
article thumbnail

Pre-Hospital Antibiotics in Sepsis?

RebelEM

Background: Sepsis remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. It is well-established that earlier recognition and treatment can lead to better outcome for these patients . Time to antibiotic therapy (from triage, not from onset of infection) has become a quality metric to improve the time to administration of these medications. In an effort to administer antibiotics earlier, many studies have attempted to give antibiotics in the prehospital setting but the benefit of this int

Sepsis 132
article thumbnail

A Surprising Look at the Evidence for Beta-Blockers After MI

Sensible Medicine

Let’s go back in time and look at the evidence behind one of cardiology’s most accepted practices. You might be surprised. I surely was. The practice is the use of beta-blockers after myocardial infarction (MI). I can’t recall seeing a recent post-MI patient who was not on a beta-blocker. It’s a quality measure now. Doctors and hospitals incur penalties if a patient with an MI is not on a beta-blocker—unless there is a darn good reason put down in the chart.

Hospitals 131
article thumbnail

ECG #413 — A Pre-Op ECG in an ASx Patient

Ken Grauer, MD

I was sent the tracing shown in Figure-1 — told only that this was a preoperative ECG obtained from an asymptomatic older woman scheduled for non-cardiac surgery. How would YOU interpret this ECG? Would you approve her for surgery if the procedure was nonemergent? Figure-1: Preoperative ECG from an asymptomatic older woman scheduled for non-cardiac surgery.

EKG/ECG 238
article thumbnail

Real-World Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

Life in the Fast Lane

Sheralyn Guilleminot and Mike Cadogan Real-World Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Interview with critical care clinician, and AI enthusiast, Dr Sameer Shaikh on the many ways to use AI to save time and increase efficiency in healthcare

126
126
article thumbnail

Best of EAST 2024 #3: VTE Prophylaxis For Pediatric Trauma

The Trauma Pro

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) after trauma in adults has generated a considerable body of literature for guidance. However, there is much less information available regarding pediatric trauma. High-risk criteria for pediatric VTE after trauma have recently been released. These criteria have not yet been evaluated prospectively or coupled with the administration of chemoprophylaxis.

article thumbnail

PulmCrit hot take: VAP prophylaxis (PROPHY-VAP trial)

EMCrit

background: ANTHARTIC trial Prophylaxis against VAP (ventilator associated pneumonia) has is already supported by a few studies in the literature, perhaps most notably the ANTHARTIC trial. That was a multi-center RCT evaluating 48 hours of therapy with ampicillin-sulbactam for patients intubated following cardiac arrest. Antibiotic therapy reduced early-onset VAP, with a trend towards more ventilator-free […] EMCrit Project by Josh Farkas.

131
131
article thumbnail

Serial PoCUS for ED Patients with Acute Dyspnea: Is More Actually Better?

RebelEM

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) is a valuable clinical tool in the assessment of acute dyspnea. It can be used to distinguish between various conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation, acute heart failure (AHF), pleural effusion, pulmonary edema, pericardial effusion, pneumothorax, and pneumonia [2,3].

article thumbnail

What happens when doctors run unethical trials? They get promoted

Sensible Medicine

What happens to doctors who run unethical clinical trials? Ans: they get praised and promoted In this essay, I am going to explain to you why the recent study CONTACT-2— presented now at a cancer conference— is a problematic trial. Next, I am going to discuss why these trials persist. The reason is that the investigators are rewarded not punished.

article thumbnail

JC: Intubation for the low GCS tox patient. St Emlyn’s

St. Emlyn

St.Emlyn's - Emergency Medicine #FOAMed Virchester (the home of St Emlyn’s) is a large conurbation that suffers from many of the issues that affect large urban populations in the western world. One part of that […] The post JC: Intubation for the low GCS tox patient. St Emlyn’s appeared first on St.Emlyn's.

126
126
article thumbnail

Coronary Artery Calcium Scans Are Not the Answer

Stop and Think

Since Andrew Foy and I wrote our Case Against Coronary Artery Scans in an academic journal, the test has only increased in popularity. Grin. The imaging test measures the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries. It’s not covered by health insurers, but smart businesspeople have placed the cost at a manageable $100—which is only a fraction of what you’d be billed for a medical grade CT scan.

Academics 125
article thumbnail

The Lowly Blood Pressure Cuff: Is It Accurate?

The Trauma Pro

Yesterday, I described how the typical automated oscillometric blood pressure cuff works. We rely on this workhorse piece of equipment for nearly all pressure determinations outside of the intensive care unit. So the obvious question is, “is it accurate?” Interestingly, there are not very many good papers that have ever looked at this! However, this simple question was addressed by a group at Harvard back in 2013.

Shock 147
article thumbnail

PulmCrit – Validation of my model for converting VBGs to ABGs

EMCrit

background and general concept My research project in fellowship was the construction of a mathematical model to convert VBG values into ABG values. The fundamental concept for the model was pretty simple: we can approximate the respiratory quotient (RQ) of tissue in the hand as being constant. This indicates that changes in oxygen content and […] EMCrit Project by Josh Farkas.

Research 128
article thumbnail

Cannabidiol in refractory status epilepticus

Don't Forget the Bubbles

A UK-based study found that 4% of admissions to a tertiary paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) over a 10-year period were due to refractory status epilepticus (RSE) – seizures which fail to terminate despite appropriate first and second-line treatments. Of those patients admitted with RSE, a subset will go on to develop super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE).

Seizures 122
article thumbnail

Small Trials vs Large Trials

Sensible Medicine

I got the idea of this story from our project over at Cardiology Trials , where we are cataloging the seminal trials in cardiology. Gosh, I am learning a ton about medical evidence. Please do head over there and join the learning. When I rounded in the coronary care units back at Indiana University in the early 1990s, there was momentum to use IV-magnesium (Mg) in patients after myocardial infarction.

Stroke 128
article thumbnail

Three normal high sensitivity troponins over 4 hours with a "normal ECG"

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

Written by Willy Frick A 46 year old man with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus presented to urgent care with complaint of "chest burning." The documentation does not describe any additional details of the history. The following ECG was obtained. ECG 1 What do you think? The ECG shows sinus bradycardia but is otherwise normal. There is TWI in lead III, but this can be seen in normal ECGs.

EKG/ECG 121
article thumbnail

The Latest in Critical Care, 1/29/24 (Issue #27)

PulmCCM

AHA Updates its Cardiac Arrest Guidelines In December 2023, the American Heart Association published a “focused update” to its landmark guidelines for the management of cardiac arrest. PulmCCM is not affiliated with the American Heart Association. Read the document for all the details (it’s not long). Here’s PulmCCM’s take on the new changes.

Seizures 115
article thumbnail

How Does It Work? The Lowly Blood Pressure Cuff

The Trauma Pro

The blood pressure cuff is one of those devices trauma professionals don’t give a second thought to. Old timers like me remember using the cuff with a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope to get manual blood pressures. I’ve had to do this twice in recent months on airplanes, and I had forgotten how much work this is. But technology makes things easier for us.

147
147
article thumbnail

EMCrit 367 – Panel: 4 Quadrant Hemodynamic Ultrasound Integration, IVC Ultrasound and Much More!

EMCrit

a ton of hemodynamic stuff. EMCrit Project by Scott Weingart, MD FCCM.