Monday, July 7, 2014

How I Navigate Online Emergency Medicine Resources

This may seem a bit cryptic without actually hearing me give the lecture, but you get the idea...


Choosing Wisely Campaign

Last October, ACEP joined ABIM's "Choosing Wisely" campaign.  5 measures were agreed upon.  They're pretty soft, but it's a start:

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Aggressive BP Management in Patients with ICH

Check out my guest post at EMDocs.net here: http://www.emdocs.net/aggressive-bp-management-patients-ich/

Bottom Line:
Early BP reduction in ICH is safe and probably efficacious, although the data doesn’t definitively say so yet.  The AHA still recommends “modest” reduction if SBP>180 or MAP>130 to a goal of 160/90 or MAP of 110, but the ATACH results may prompt a change in the guidelines…we shall see.  Also worth noting, the ADAPT trial confirms that perihematoma blood flow is maintained even in those with aggressive BP lowering.  So, if you’re feeling rather aggressive, lower away!  BP lowering will not harm your patient with ICH, and may help.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Bugs & Drugs - Antibiotic QuickCard

Antibiotic selection has been identified as a potential weak spot for our residents. So, I created the below table to serve as a quick reference while on shift. My hope is to condense it to the size of a badge (front and back) so that it can be worn on one's badge holder.  Please note the disclaimer below.  This has not been peer reviewed yet.  References are listed below.

SourceBugsDrugsComments
PNA
CAPS. pneumonia, H. influenza, Moraxella
Atypicals - Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Legionella
OP - azithro x 5d OR doxy 100mg bid x 7d
IP - ceftriaxone 1g + azithro 500mg
consider moxifloxacin for comorbidities (i.e COPD, DM, CHF)
HCAPPsA, MRSA, E. Coli, Acinetobacter, SerratiaIP - vanc 20mg/kg + pip/tazo 4.5g + azithro 500mgPen allergic - substitute aztreonam or cefepime for pip/tazo

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Mini Intern Bootcamp

Every July, a countless number of bright-eyed Emergency Medicine interns will exit their 4th year slumber and wake up to a sobering shower of utter confusion. I know this because I remember well the day I forgot 4 years of medical education. It wasn't that long ago for me. Allow me to introduce a project that may ease the interns’ hemorrhage of medical knowledge. You may think of it as tranexamic acid for the traumatized and bleeding intern – it just may reduce your interns’ ED mortality rate.

Small Bowel Obstruction


55M c h/o colon ca p/w abd pain x 3d.  Rebound on exam.  3/6/9 Rule: small bowel dilated if > 3 cm, large bowel if > 6 cm, cecum if > 9 cm.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

52 Articles 2014

Here's my attempt at 52 articles in 52 weeks.  Our residency will be reading all of these over the next year.  Disclaimer: subject to change.

AirwayPreoxygenation and prevention of desaturation during emergency airway management.Weingart SD2012Ann Emerg MedPubMed
AirwayThe importance of first pass success when performing orotracheal intubation in the emergency department.Sakles JC2013Acad Emerg MedPubMed
AirwayDoes end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring detect respiratory events prior to current sedation monitoring practices?Burton JH2006Acad Emerg MedPubMed