To kick off your weekend reading pleasure, here’s another batch of our monthly excellent write-ups from the EM interns at UT Southwestern (@DallasEMed) courtesy of Alex Koyfman (@EMHighAK) . Our ongoing intern report series is the product of first-year residents exploring clinical questions they have found to be particularly intriguing, with an intended audience of med students & junior residents. Enjoy!
Intern Report Collection Read More »
Our ongoing intern report series is the product of first-year EM residents at UT Southwestern exploring clinical questions they have found to be particularly intriguing. For med students & junior residents – if you haven’t encountered these issues yet, you will! We had been posting these individually, but moving forward will release them in groups for your reading convenience. Enjoy.
Intern Report Collection Read More »
On my first month in the Parkland ED, I saw multiple patients with post-lumbar puncture headaches and even iatrogenically caused one myself. Often I found myself wondering what proven preventative measures during an LP decrease the incidence of such headaches, what could I have done better, and what literature supports treatment of post-lumbar puncture headaches in the emergency department. […]
Why is it important to aggressively and appropriately manage rib fractures in elderly trauma patients?
Recently, an 82 year-old male suffered a fall from standing, striking his left posterior flank against a cinder block, sustaining fractures of the left 7th-11th ribs with displacement of the 8th-11th ribs, causing a moderate L hemopneumothorax. After placement of a chest tube, drainage of the hemothorax, and reinflation of the L lung, the patient was then transferred to our facility “for management of his rib fractures”. Given that this patient was going to be managed non-operatively, I found myself wondering why would this patient require transfer for such a seemingly common problem among trauma patients. Rib fractures are present in 10% of all traumas, and in 30% of chest trauma specifically. After assuming care of the patient, I quickly began to realize why this patient was given such a high level of attention. […]
Rib Fractures in the Elderly Read More »
