UTI is a common condition managed in the ED. What mistakes can you make with the urinalysis and urine dipstick? Is a urine culture needed for every patient?
UTI – Pearls and Pitfalls in Urine Testing Read More »
A 28-year-old female presents with right lower leg swelling and redness. She just returned from an overseas flight. She denies chest pain or shortness of breath. VS are normal, and her right lower leg is swollen, with diameter > 3 cm compared to her left. What’s the next step in your evaluation and treatment?
A 28-year-old male presents with abdominal pain, diarrhea, distension, and fever. He has a history of ulcerative colitis. Vital signs include BP 97/58, HR 121, T 100.9 Oral, RR 24, SpO2 98% on RA. Exam reveals a patient who appears systemically ill, and his abdomen is diffusely tender. His bowel sounds are decreased, but he has no peritoneal findings. KUB shows markedly dilated loops of bowel. What’s the next step in your evaluation and treatment?
EM@3AM: Toxic Megacolon Read More »
A 63-year-old female presents with abdominal pain, decreased bowel movements, nausea, three episodes of vomiting, and abdominal distension. She has a history multiple abdominal surgeries. Exam shows abdominal distension and generalized tenderness, but no peritoneal signs. What are your next steps?
EM@3AM: Small Bowel Obstruction Read More »
A 58-year-old male presents with severe shortness of breath, productive cough, and decreased ability to ambulate at home. He has COPD and is on oxygen at home. Several days ago he noted worsening congestion, myalgias, and cough. He is now severely short of breath and unable to complete his activities of daily living.
He is hypoxemic and tachypneic. You hear decreased air movement bilaterally and distal wheezes. What’s the next step in your evaluation and treatment?
EM@3AM: Acute COPD Exacerbation Read More »
With all the new stroke literature, how can you keep track of everything? Fortunately, the AHA/ASA recently published the 2018 ischemic strokes guidelines. This post provides emergency medicine-focused highlights of the updated guidelines.
2018 AHA/ASA Ischemic Stroke Updates Read More »
A 18-year-old male presents with chest pain and shortness of breath for several days. Approximately one week prior he was suffering from myalgia, congestion, sore throat, and fever and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. Today his vitals are HR 132, RR 28, BP 92/48, T 37.8 C, and Sats 95% on RA. What should you consider, and what are your next steps?
EM@3AM: Myocarditis Read More »
A 62-year-old female patient presents with dysuria and frequency. You quickly order a urine dipstick. What do you need to consider when interpreting the urine dipstick/urinalysis?
EM@3AM: Urinalysis/Urine Dipstick Components Read More »
Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) was created to improve evaluation and management of traumatic injuries. Unfortunately, the literature often outpaces guidelines. This 10th edition provides several important updates for clinicians managing trauma.
Are you ready for the ATLS 10th Edition Updates? Read More »
Welcome to this edition of emDocs Cases. This will be a case-based discussion of EM topics, ranging from core to cutting edge and controversial. This post evaluates something all-too-common in emergency medicine: the agitated patient.
emDocs Cases: ED Approach to Agitation Read More »
