meningitis

When is a head CT needed before LP in patients with suspected meningitis? This post looks at the literature surrounding this topic and more.

There are certain diseases we see every day in the ED, including pneumonia, UTI, and cellulitis. A variety of antimicrobials exists, but what are the regimens that you must know for treating common infections in the ED? This post evaluates your “must know” regimens for treatment.

A thunderclap headache is defined by sudden, severe pain. The classic teaching in medical school is that a “thunderclap” headache is pathognomonic for subarachnoid hemorrhage. However, only 11-25% of TCHs are due to SAH. What else should you consider when a patient presents with a TCH?

A wide range of benign and dangerous pathology can present with a rash. It is wise to develop a systematic approach to rashes in the ED, one that helps you recognize the deadly causes of rash while narrowing the differential diagnosis. Any patient with a fever plus a rash could potentially have one of many deadly diseases. In order to narrow it down further, we are going to use a morphology-based approach.

A few of the questions in your mind should at least be: what is most likely to kill this patient, do I need to get a CT of the head, does he need a lumbar puncture, does he need any urgent medications, and what labs should I order?