Might elderly patients, with a higher risk of undiagnosed hypertension and higher rates of vascular disease, require higher blood pressure targets in sepsis? Or might this just be yet another example of medicine doing harm in the quest of better numbers on a monitor?
The First10EM monthly wrap up is a place for me to share updates about the website, about my academic life, and also interesting content, such as books, podcasts, and other FOAMed, that I have encountered in the prior month. First, I have obviously been on a bit of a hiatus. […]
I have seen a few patients with cutaneous botfly larvae (proper medical terminology being furuncular myiasis) in my career. They are extremely gross, but relatively easy to deal with. However, I had never seen (or even heard of) their much nastier cousins: the New World Screwworm. The scientific name of […]
I took a few months off. (Well, not so much off, but as stuck in other EBM rabbit holes.) I am sure some were happy for the empty inbox, but if you enjoy nerdy conversation about subpar medical research, this is your luck day.
There appears to be wide agreement that we are not good at providing feedback in medicine. I have attended many seminars and read many papers on this topic, and despite believing this is an essential role in medical education, I still fail routinely. I have received a lot of advice. […]
Case It is the scenario of nightmares: a young child with an airway obstruction. They came in with stridor, and although you were initially thinking severe croup, the story doesn’t quite fit, there is no response to medical therapy, and this patient is incredibly sick. There is significant hypoxemia despite […]
Pulmonary embolism is probably discussed far more than is truly necessary. It receives more attention than almost any other pathology. We endlessly debate the best algorithms for diagnosis. We add new decision tools almost yearly. However, if there is one aspect of pulmonary embolism that might be under-discussed it is […]
The First10EM monthly wrap up is a place for me to share updates about the website, about my academic life, and also interesting content, such as books, podcasts, and other FOAMed, that I have encountered in the prior month. Obviously the format means the focus is mostly on content I […]
Are patients allowed to eat in your department? Do you field endless phone calls from nurses asking whether a patient is allowed to eat? Have you ever witnessed a confrontation between a nurse and a patient or family member over NPO status? The concept of forcing emergency patients to remain […]