Most Recent
Ep 221 EM-Primary Care Health Systems Strategies, Myths, Misperceptions and Solutions
There are few things more frustrating for an Emergency Physician than caring for patient after patient who lands in the ED not because it’s necessarily the best place for their care, but because every other door in the health care system was closed, confusing or impossible to find. Emergency Medicine and Primary Care often operate in different worlds—one built around rapid diagnosis and uncertainty, the other around continuity and prevention—but our patients move constantly between the two. In this special EM Cases podcast, EM–Primary Care Health Systems Strategies, we step outside the usual ED lens with Dr. Tara Kiran (host of the Primary Focus podcast) and Dr. Danielle Martin to ask how we can deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time. We challenge assumptions about what drives ED use and explore team-based primary care, after-hours cooperatives, call-first triage, virtual care, information sharing and warm handoffs. Drawing on models from Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark and elsewhere, we finish with practical strategies to reduce fragmentation, improve continuity and make the system work better for patients and providers. Please consider a donation to EM Cases to support our mission of providing high quality free open access medical education here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/. Disclaimer: This episode was recorded in October 2025, prior to Dr. Danielle Martin becoming a candidate for government office. The views and opinions expressed by Dr. Martin in this discussion were her own at the time of recording and do not represent or reflect the views, policies, or positions of the Government of Canada.
ECG Cases 63 – WPW, Tachyarrhythmias and Ischemic Mimics
Five patients present with possible Wolff-Parkinson-White—but the ECGs tell five very different stories. From palpitations mislabeled as anxiety to narrow- and wide-complex tachyarrhythmias, pseudo-infarction patterns, and a true occlusion MI hidden by pre-excitation, these cases highlight the many faces of WPW. Learn how to recognize intermittent pre-excitation, distinguish AVRT from AF with WPW, choose the right treatment—and avoid potentially dangerous AV nodal blockers...
EM Quick Hits 72 EMC²: Peds Neurocritical Care, Pulmonary Hypertension, Cytokine Release Syndrome, Peds Wrist Fracture, Bradycardia ECG Interpretation, Coaching the EM Mind Part 2
In this month’s EM Quick Hits Podcast, Amna Karabegovic joins us for an EMC² case of pediatric altered LOA and neurocritical care, Anand Swaminathan simplifies the high-risk management of pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure, and Brit Long reviews how to recognize and treat Cytokine Release Syndrome. Plus, Andrew Tagg on whether uncomplicated pediatric distal radius fractures need reduction, Jesse McLaren on a systematic approach to ECG interpretation in the bradycardic patient, and Sara Gray and Katie Lin return for Part 2 of “Coaching the EM Mind,” with practical strategies for managing stress and optimizing psychological safety on shift… Please consider a donation to ensure EM Cases continues to be high quality Free Open Access Medical Education here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/
Ep 220 Facial Injuries: Assessment, Management and Disposition
Facial trauma is common in emergency medicine, but the biggest pitfalls are often not the fractures themselves—they're the threatened airway, vision-threatening ocular injuries, missed septal hematomas, and subtle soft tissue injuries hiding beneath the skin. Which facial fracture is most likely to cause delayed airway obstruction? Why does the physical examination often matter more than the CT scan? Which injuries require urgent consultation or transfer, and which can safely go home? In this episode of EM Cases, Anton is joined by Dr. Jeff Fialkov and Dr. Andrew Petrosoniak for a practical, top-down approach to facial trauma covering airway, bleeding, vision-threatening injuries, fracture assessment, soft tissue injuries, and disposition. Please consider a donation to EM Cases to ensure ongoing high quality Free Open Access Medical Education here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/
Ep 219 Hip Emergencies: Recognition and Management
Hip complaints are bread-and-butter emergency medicine—but every so often they are anything but straightforward. The obvious shortened, externally rotated leg after a fall is one thing; the patient with acute hip pain, a normal x-ray, unremarkable blood work, and no clear diagnosis is another. Hip fractures are also far from benign, carrying a 30-day mortality of 6–7% and a 1-year mortality of about 20%, often triggering a cascade of pain, immobility, delirium, deconditioning, and death. But hip fractures are only the tip of the iceberg. In this EM Cases episode, Dr. Arun Sayal and Dr. Matt DiStefano go beyond “get an x-ray and call ortho” to tackle hip fractures, occult injuries, atraumatic hip pain, and hip dislocations. We answer questions like: Why do so many patients never return to baseline after a hip fracture? What can we do in the ED to avoid delaying surgery? What are the best pain management and delirium prevention strategies? Which physical exam findings help diagnose an occult hip fracture? How do we distinguish hip from pelvic fractures clinically? When is a normal x-ray not enough, and when should we proceed to CT or MRI? What is POCUS useful for in the painful hip? How should hip fractures be classified to change ED management? How should we approach atraumatic hip pain? How do native and prosthetic hip dislocations differ? What clinical position suggests posterior versus anterior dislocation? Which reduction technique should we choose? What is the Whistler technique? What are the nuances of post-reduction management? And much more. Please consider a donation to EM Cases to support ongoing high-quality Free Open Access Medical Education: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/
ECG Cases 62 – ACLS Arrhythmia Pitfalls, Part 5: Stable Narrow Complex Tachycardias
Stable narrow complex tachycardias are not always what they seem. In this ECG Cases, Dr. Jesse McLaren explores the key pitfalls in distinguishing sinus tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and SVT, with 8 real-world cases highlighting common ECG interpretation errors, secondary causes, and the crucial management decisions that can prevent patient harm... Please consider a donation to EM Cases to ensure continued Free Open Access Medical Education here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/
