A 65F presents to your ED with chest pain and shortness of breath. Her symptoms have been going on for several months and have been progressively worsening. She states that she has felt this way since she was diagnosed with a “blood clot in her lungs” several months ago. VS include T 37.5C, HR 103, RR 22, Pox 89% on RA. What should you consider, and what’s your next step in evaluation and treatment?

Tachypnea is defined as rapid breathing noted on clinical presentation. This finding can signify the presence of a dangerous condition, and this post evaluates the etiologies, evaluation, and management of the tachypneic patient in the ED. Are you missing something with tachypnea in the ED?

Hemoptysis is defined as expectoration of blood originating from the tracheobronchial tree or lung parenchyma. It may be massive or non-massive, but the majority of patients with hemoptysis will have non-massive hemoptysis. This is a brief overview of the causes, evaluation and management of hemoptysis in the emergency department.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a relatively rare disease but may present to the emergency department with severe complications including intestinal and pulmonary complications. This is a brief review of CF and the management of a few complications that can be associated with CF.

Bi-level ventilation is commonly used in patients with respiratory failure in the emergency department. This is a brief review of the indications for bi-level ventilation as well as a review of the complications of this popular ventilation/oxygenation method.

We are masters of the airway, often managing life-threatening scenarios and conditions. However, the patient who decompensates around the time of intubation, or directly after the procedure, can be frightening. What can you do to mimize these events?

DAH is a medical emergency characterized by bleeding of pulmonary microvasculature into the alveoli. Symptoms are non-specific and clinicians should keep a high clinical suspicion for the disorder. Protecting the airway takes precedence. Immunosuppressive medications are the mainstay of medical therapy.

Pneumonia is an illness frequently seen in our emergency departments. But, are all presentations actually pneumonia? Are we missing other illnesses that present similarly to pneumonia? Which ones pose significant morbidity and mortality risk to our patients? What clues are out there that will aid us in making an alternative and critical diagnosis?