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practice updates

ED Management of Heart Failure: Pearls and Pitfalls

Heart failure is a common condition managed in the ED. The primary cause of heart failure is related to ischemic heart disease, but many other conditions can lead to heart failure. Patients can present in several ways. This post investigates the ED evaluation and management of patients with different types of heart failure.

practice updates

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Pearls and Pitfalls

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is an important complication of sexually transmitted diseases. Adequate treatment is important to prevent complications such as infertility and systemic disease. This is a brief overview of PID , its workup and management in the emergency department.

practice updates

Common ED Medication Errors: Antibiotics

Patients with infectious symptoms account for a large number of ED visits. Emergency providers prescribe significant numbers of antibiotics for these patients, leaving room for potential patient harm and error. How can you reduce these risks? Read on to find out!

practice updates

Thunderclap Headache – Pearls and Pitfalls

A thunderclap headache is defined by sudden, severe pain. The classic teaching in medical school is that a “thunderclap” headache is pathognomonic for subarachnoid hemorrhage. However, only 11-25% of TCHs are due to SAH. What else should you consider when a patient presents with a TCH?

practice updates

Management of Boarding Psychiatric Patients in the ED

A significant number of patients in the ED present with psychiatric complaints. Unfortunately, the resources available for these patients have not kept up with with the increase in psychiatric issues. Emergency medicine acts as a safety net for a large percentage of these patients. These patients present significant challenges to emergency providers. This post is full of pearls for providers managing the psychiatric patient.