Top emDocs Posts of 2018

Authors: Brit Long, MD (@long_brit – EM Attending Physician, San Antonio, TX), Manpreet Singh, MD (@MPrizzleER – Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine / Department of Emergency Medicine – Harbor-UCLA Medical Center), and Alex Koyfman, MD (@EMHighAK – EM Attending Physician, UT Southwestern Medical Center / Parkland Memorial Hospital) 

Thank you to our readers and our amazing contributing authors this past year!  You and your amazing support always keep us going and motivate us to continue providing great content. 2018 saw the further development of several great emDocs series and the addition of Pain Profiles by Dr. David Cisewski and artwork from Dr. Katy Hanson, and 2019 holds even greater promise. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Now, without further ado, here is our list of our top posts from 2018 based on viewership from you the readers:

2018 AHA/ASA Ischemic Stroke Updates

The AHA/ASA 2018 guidelines for early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke provided some important updates. This post will provides several of these emergency medicine-focused updates for your next shift.

 

An Evidence-Based Approach to Pressors in Shock: Part I

We use vasopressor agents almost daily in the ED, but what’s the evidence behind these medications? Can we fine-tune our utilization of pressor agents? This post evaluated vasopressors in shock.

 

 

Are you ready for the ATLS 10th Edition Updates?

Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) has formed the backbone of trauma evaluation and management. However, in recent years, literature has outpaced the ability of ATLS to remain current with best practice. This post evaluated the 10th edition of ATLS updates.

 

 

Sodium Bicarbonate Therapy Does Not Work in Cardiac Arrest

What’s the evidence behind sodium bicarbonate in cardiac arrest? Is it effective? This post from Charles Murchison evaluated these questions and questioned why we use sodium bicarbonate in cardiac arrest.

 

 

Ketamine continuous infusion: a reasonable alternative to traditional sedatives and analgesics?

Emergency medicine loves ketamine for a variety of conditions, but what about continuous infusions? This post from Kayvan Moussavi evaluated ketamine infusions in the ED.

 

 

US Probe: E-Point Septal Separation (EPSS) in the CHF Patient

EPSS is a simple, easy to learn tool that allows a quick estimation of left ventricular function. This post in the US Probe Series from David Cisewski and Stephen Alerhand provides you with keys in how to acquire the EPSS, the evidence behind its use, and its utility.

 

Low Risk Syncope – Pearls and Pitfalls

We evaluate and treat syncope frequently. How do you evaluate the patient with syncope? Do we need a head CT? Are orthostatic vital signs useful? Are labs needed? This post investigates what we do in the ED.

 

 

Choosing Wisely: Non-invasive ventilation in patients with acute respiratory failure from pneumonia

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) has a variety of uses. We know it works in COPD and CHF, but what about respiratory failure in pneumonia? This post from Skyler Lentz examines pearls and pitfalls in NIPPV in pneumonia.

 

An Evidence-Based Approach to Pressors in Shock: Part II

Part II of the series on vasopressors discuss “pure inotropes” (dobutamine and milrinone) and “pure vasopressors” (vasopressin and phenylephrine). This series provides you with the essentials when using these medications.

 

 

ECG Pointers: Posterior MI

ECG Pointers was a new series introduced in 2018, evaluating tough ECGs. This ECG Pointers discussed how to identify a posterior STEMI, which can commonly be mistaken as a NSTEMI.

 

Thanks again for reading! If you’re interested in writing or have an idea, please contact us at editors@emdocs.net

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