orthopedics

How do you characterize fractures? This post from Brian Sumner provides a review of fracture terminology.

40-year-old male is brought by EMS after being struck on his left side while crossing the street by a vehicle at 20 mph. He is visibly uncomfortable, laying on his right side, and refusing to move his left leg. His left lower extremity has an obvious effusion along with localized swelling and tenderness over the lateral aspect of his knee joint. Ligament and meniscal evaluation cannot be completed due to pain on knee exam. There are no signs of neurovascular compromise on exam. What’s the next step in your evaluation and treatment?

A 35-year-old male presents with right shoulder pain. He was playing football with some friends, and as he was in the midst of throwing the football, a friend hit his throwing arm. He is holding his arm in an internally rotated and abducted position. You are able to detect an ulnar and radial pulse in the hand of the affected arm, and his median, ulnar, and radial motor and sensory function is normal in the right hand.  What’s the next step in your evaluation and treatment?

This week’s EM Educator brings you the can’t-miss ankle and foot diagnoses.

Welcome to this week’s edition of EMin5 by Dr. Anna Pickens.  Today we’ll review a few tips on how to do a rapid neurology exam of the hand, and the great thing is you can complete the whole thing with one swift motion!

Welcome to this week’s edition of EMin5 by Dr. Anna Pickens.  Today we’ll review elbow xrays in kids!  

This month’s case is another reminder to think of spinal epidural abscess in back pain patients. Doing the right thing, while not always keeping one from getting sued, will (almost always) keep a jury on your side. We are not responsible for foreseeing the future.

The EM Educator series is back with the high-risk condition, compartment syndrome.

This month’s medical malpractice insights brings you a tough case of a combined hip dislocation with fracture.

Sometimes wounds and lacerations aren’t straightforward. This post from Jenna Bryant brings you pearls and pitfalls for the evaluation and management of wounds and lacerations.