FOAMed

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.

Does your ED have an observation unit? Thinking of creating one? What patients are appropriate for the obs unit? This post is filled with pearls and pitfalls for observation unit use for the ED.

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.

Emergency physicians frequently use procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) to ensure a more comfortable procedure for both the patient and the physician. However, errors are also frequent. This article addresses the most frequent PSA errors them and provides solutions to improve patient care.

Many active adults are interesting in boosting their athletic performance with supplements. While there have been a few proven benefits, there are many drawbacks of these supplements that may actually impair performance and compromise health. This article reviews a number of supplements, their benefits, their drawbacks and their potential for toxic adverse effects.

A post filled with management pearls for atrial fibrillation. What are potential etiologies? What medications should you use, when should you use them, and what are potential problems with these medications? What about anticoagulation?

Several agents, both legal and illegal, can cause significantly elevated heart rates. This article reviews the most common causes of drug-induced tachycardia. Diagnosis and management of these conditions are also discussed.

The pediatric and gravid populations have special needs regarding imaging for abdominal pain. This article reviews the more common causes of abdominal pain in children and pregnant women and how to approach imaging in these populations.

The patient with facial pain/injury can present significant challenges for analgesia. Facial nerve blocks present an avenue for great analgesia without compromising wound appearance/repair. What are the pearls and pitfalls for these blocks?

Bacteremia affects 200,000 patients per year, with the potential of causing significant mortality. Blood cultures are considered the most sensitive method for detecting bacteremia and are commonly obtained in patients with fever, chills, leukocytosis, focal infections, sepsis, or suspected endocarditis. However, what is the literature behind obtaining cultures in the ED?