Alcohol use is extremely widespread throughout developed countries. It is estimated that 8 million people in the US are alcohol dependent. Approximately 20% of men and 10% of women will at some point in their lives have an alcohol-use disorder. About half of people with alcohol-use disorders will...
A 59 year-old male presented to the emergency department with a chief complaint of difficulty concentrating and loss of vision. He had presented to the same facility the day prior for chest pain, chills, and a cough. During his prior visit, the patient underwent a chest x-ray which demonstrated a co...
The pregnant patient with nausea and vomiting is something most providers want to avoid. A wide range of conditions can cause these symptoms in the pregnant patient, and these conditions can range from the benign morning sickness to life-threatening preeclampsia and acute fatty liver of pregnancy. What can you do to manage these patients while diagnosing severe disease?
Airway management is a vital component to caring for critically-ill patients in the emergency department. The peri-intubation time can be chaotic. Planning for the difficult airway and preparing for all possible scenarios is best done before the arrival of a crashing patient. The following post expl...
How do you care for the crashing trauma patient? This post takes you through the critical resuscitation step-by-step.
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a disease process associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The benefits of thrombolytics for massive PE has been established in the literature. But what does the evidence say about the use of thrombolytics for submassive PE? What are the current guidelines and ...
Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) has come to the forefront of emergency medicine, critical care, and resuscitation literature. Why does this condition occur, how is it diagnosed, and what can you do if you suspect ACS? This post provides a comprehensive review of ACS.
A commonly ordered test in the ED is the coagulation panel. What does this panel entail? Is there any evidence behind it for ED use? When should it be ordered? This post provides these answers and more.
