Emergency Medicine Cases

Ep156 ED Approach to Acute Motor Weakness

In this Part 1 of our 2-part podcast on Acute Motor Weakness we introduce a five step approach to acute motor weakness with Dr. Roy Baskind Dr. George Porfiris: 1. Does the complaint of weakness represent a true loss of motor power? 2. The geography of weakness - patterns of motor power loss 3. Timing, course and fatigability of acute motor weakness 4. Distinguish upper versus lower motor neuron weakness by degree and speed of movement 5. Differentiate the types of lower motor neuron lesions - peripheral neuropathy vs neuromuscular junction vs myopathy, as well as review the indication for endotracheal intubation for the patient with neuromuscular weakness...

By Anton Helman|2024-07-17T18:35:49-04:00May 18th, 2021|Categories: EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Episodes, Medical Specialty, Neurology|Tags: Dr. George Porfiris, Dr. Roy Baskind, myopathy, neuromuscular disease, neuropathy|11 Comments

EM Quick Hits 28 Cardiogenic Shock, Radiation Dose in Pregnancy, PoCUS in Airway Management, VIPIT, Angiotensin II, Short-Term Steroid Safety

In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Anand Swaminathan on the approach to cardiogenic shock, Hania Bielawska on the myths of radiation dose in pregnant patients, Hans Rosenberg & Michael Gottlieb on PoCUS in airway management, Menaka Pai on VIPIT following AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination, Brit Long & Michael Gottlieb on Angiotensin II for emergency clinicians, Michael Schull on tips on the safety of short-term steroid use....

By Anton Helman|2024-11-30T13:34:51-05:00May 4th, 2021|Categories: Cardiology, COVID-19, EM Cases, EM Quick Hits, Emergency Medicine, Hematology, Medical Specialty, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Resuscitation, Ultrasound|Tags: airway, angiotensin, cardiogenic, COVID-19, POCUS, pregnancy, radiation, shock, steroids, VIPIT|1 Comment

ECG Cases 21: Hyperacute T-waves and Occlusion MI

In this month's ECG Cases blog, Dr. Jesse MacLaren guides us through 10 cases of patients whose ECGs show tall T-waves and gives us the tools to distinguish the hyperacute T-waves of occlusion MI from other causes of tall T-waves....

By Jesse McLaren|2021-05-04T13:35:44-04:00May 4th, 2021|Categories: Cardiology, ECG Cases, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty|Tags: ECG, hyperacute T wave, hyperkalemia, occlusion MI, STEMI, tall T wave|0 Comments

Ep 155 Treatment of Bradycardia and Bradydysrhythmias

In Part 1 of our 2-part series on bradycardia and bradydysrhythmias we discussed a practical approach with electrophysiologist Paul Dorian and EM doc Tarlan Hedayati. In this, part 2, we discuss details of treatment. We answer questions such as: When should pacing be prioritized over medications and vice versa? What are the latest recommendations about dosing of atropine and when is atropine likely to be detrimental? How is the treatment of bradycardia different in the patient with hypothermia? Cardiac ischemia? Myxedema coma? AV nodal blocker overdose? What are the most common pitfalls in utilizing transcutaneous and transvenous pacing? and many more...

By Anton Helman|2024-07-18T10:59:21-04:00April 20th, 2021|Categories: Cardiology, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Episodes, Medical Specialty|Tags: atropine, dopamine, epinephrine, isoproterenol, transvenous pacer, transvenous pacing|2 Comments

Ep 154: 4-Step Approach to Bradycardia and Bradydysrhythmias

How do we figure out when bradycardia is due to a medical illness and when it is a primary cardiac problem? What are the 4 immediate life threatening diagnosis that we have to entertain and address in the first few minutes of the sick bradycardic patients? What are some key ECG patterns that are sometimes missed by ED docs that can have devastating consequences? How can we better understand Torsades de Pointes by understanding AV blocks? How can we better understand Mobitz l and ll using 'The Dorian' approach? What is BRASH syndrome and how can we recognize it? In this main episode podcast 4-step Approach to Bradycardia and Bradydysrhythmias with electrophysiologist, educator and researcher Dr. Paul Dorian and Chair of Education for the ED at Cook County Hospital Dr. Tarlan Hedayati, we dig deep into bradycardia...

By Anton Helman|2024-07-18T10:59:21-04:00April 6th, 2021|Categories: Cardiology, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Episodes, Medical Specialty, Resuscitation|Tags: AV block, BRASH syndrome, junctional bradycardia, tachy-brady syndrome, Torsades|1 Comment

ECG Cases 20 – Approach to Bradycardia and the BRADI Mnemonic

In this ECG Cases we review 10 patients who presented with bradycardia, introduce an approach to reversible causes using the BRADI mnemonic and guide you through how to use the ECG to guide management...

By Jesse McLaren|2021-04-06T14:42:58-04:00April 6th, 2021|Categories: Cardiology, ECG Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty|Tags: BRADI mnemonic, bradycardia, BRASH syndrome, ECG, hyperkalemia, occlusion MI|0 Comments

EM Quick Hits 27 Colchicine for COVID, Bicarb in Cardiac Arrest, Troponin in CKD, GHB Withdrawal, Iloprost for Frostbite, Patient Complaints

In this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Justin Morgenstern on colchicine for COVID pneumonia, Victoria Myers on sodium bicarbonate in cardiac arrest, Brit Long on troponin in chronic kidney disease, Michelle Klaiman on GHB overdose, Ian Walker on iloprost for frostbite, Sarah Reid on tips on avoiding patient and parent complaints....

By Anton Helman|2024-11-30T13:36:46-05:00March 23rd, 2021|Categories: Cardiology, EM Cases, EM Quick Hits, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty, Resuscitation, Toxicology|Tags: colchicine, COVID-19, frostbite, GHB, iloprost, patient complaints, troponin|0 Comments

WTBS 26 COVID-19 Pandemic Lessons on Designing a Better Health Care System: What Does it Mean for Emergency Medicine?

Thomas Friedman’s book The World Is Flat is an exploration of how globalization and modern communications technology have changed the world. Our emergency care systems entered the pandemic on decidedly bumpy terrain; can we use technology and innovation to flatten and protect them—to make them more resilient?

By Dr. Howard Ovens|2021-03-09T12:45:30-05:00March 9th, 2021|Categories: EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty, Waiting to be Seen|Tags: access block, COVID, ED crowding, patient flow|0 Comments

WTBS 27 What Emergency Medicine Network Connections and Coverage Look Like in a Resilient Health Care System

When you apply the same principles of a resilient system (integration, adaptation, self-regulation, diversity, and situational awareness) to stabilizing and innovating emergency medicine care networks, this could also have a broad reach and positive effect on improving outcomes for the populations we serve. Reframing service delivery redesign in a resilient systems context opens a wider spectrum of potential solutions and should seed some more creative and yet pragmatic approaches to closing the large FTE gap in emergency medicine. As COVID-19 has demonstrated, we cannot afford not to....

By Dr. Howard Ovens|2021-03-09T12:36:26-05:00March 9th, 2021|Categories: EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty, Waiting to be Seen|Tags: access block, emergency medicine administration, health care design, overcrowding|0 Comments

Ep 153 Pediatric Minor Head Injury and Concussion

Recent literature suggests that pediatric patients take longer to recover from mild traumatic brain injury compared to adults, and persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) after 1 month occur in up to 30% of children after minor head injury. These children can and should be identified in the ED based on the PPCS clinical risk score. In this EM Cases main episode podcast "Pediatric Minor Head Injury and Concussion" Dr. Sarah Reid and Dr. Roger Zemek discuss how best to incorporate the PECARN and CRASH2 decision tools into your practice, the role of Fast MRI, how to identify children who are at risk for long term sequelae after a minor head injury and how to manage persistent concussion symptoms when a child returns to the ED after a minor head injury...

By Anton Helman|2023-02-06T12:40:37-05:00March 9th, 2021|Categories: EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Episodes, Medical Specialty, Pediatrics|Tags: CATCH2, consussion, PECARN, PPCS risk score, return to sport, VOMS|0 Comments