Special Populations
Ep 218 Substance Use Disorder in the ED – Stigma, Compassion and System Change
Emergency physicians pride themselves on recognizing and treating life-threatening illness under pressure. Yet one of the most lethal, common, and treatable conditions presenting to our EDs still often receives fragmented, stigmatized care: substance use disorder. The opioid crisis has evolved into an era of increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supplies, including ultra-potent synthetic opioids such as nitazenes. Between 2016 and 2021, more than 27,000 Canadians died from opioid toxicity, while opioid-related ED visits continue to rise sharply. Patients discharged with untreated opioid use disorder face mortality rates approaching 5% within 12 months. Despite this, substance use disorder is still not consistently approached with the same urgency and systems-based care as other chronic high-risk illnesses. In this episode, Dr. Bjug Borgundvaag, Tish Mizon and Kari Herbert discuss how stigma affects care in the ED and how trauma-informed communication, person-first language, compassionate care, peer navigators and Bridge-style addiction programs can improve outcomes for both patients and clinicians. Please support EM Cases ongoing Free Open Access Medical Education learning platform with a donation here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/
Global EM 11 – Global Emergency Medicine Fellowships: More than Just Stamps in Your Passport
Global Emergency Medicine fellowships are far more than humanitarian deployments. In this personal reflection, Dr. Julianna Deutscher explores how GEM training combines mentorship, education, systems strengthening, advocacy, and global partnerships to broaden an emergency medicine career. From Ethiopia to Moldova to the local ED in Calgary, she shares how GEM shaped her approach to patient care, resource stewardship, trauma systems, and caring for underserved populations at home and abroad...
Ep 217 Pediatric Agitation: Assessment and Management
Pediatric agitation in the Emergency Department is one of those presentations that can escalate quickly and leave even experienced clinicians feeling on edge. It is high-risk, resource-intensive, and often unfolds in an already overstimulating environment where small missteps can make things worse. At the same time, agitation is not a diagnosis, it is a clinical presentation that may reflect anything from psychiatric illness to delirium, intoxication, trauma, or simply a child overwhelmed by the ED itself. So how do we approach these patients in a way that is safe, systematic, and effective? In this episode with guest experts, Dr. Susan Duffy and Dr. Thomas Chun, we tackle the questions that come up at the bedside: How do we rapidly distinguish mild, moderate, and severe agitation in a way that actually changes what we do next? Which patients are most likely to escalate, and how can we intervene early to prevent that? When should we be worried about a medical or toxicologic cause rather than assuming this is “behavioural”? What does effective verbal de-escalation actually look like in a busy ED, and why does it so often fail? When is a "code white" for emergency security measures truly indicated, and how do we avoid turning it into an escalation trigger? How should we be thinking about medications: what to choose, when to give them, and how to avoid over-sedation? And once the patient is finally calm, how do we make sure we aren't missing the underlying diagnosis? and many more... Please consider a donation to EM Cases to support ongoing high quality Free Open Access Medical Education https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/
Global EM 10 – A Thousand Metres Above: Bringing Medical Care to the High Himalayas
In the remote high-altitude regions of Ladakh, access to healthcare is often seasonal, fragile, and sometimes nonexistent. This EM Cases guest post by Dr. Indy Sahota explores how the nonprofit A Thousand Metres Above delivers longitudinal, locally partnered medical care in one of the world’s most challenging environments—and what emergency providers can learn from practicing with limited resources, uncertain follow-up, and a deep reliance on clinical judgment...
EM Quick Hits 63 S-TEC and HUS, IM Epinephrine in OHCA, Dengue, Geriatric Trauma Imaging, TTP
On this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Stephen Freedman on pediatric bloody diarrhea, S-TEC and hemolytic uremic syndrome, Justin Morgenstern on the evidence for IM epinephrine in out of hospital cardiac arrest, Matthew McArther on recognition and ED management of dengue fever, Andrew Petrosoniak on imaging decision making in trauma in older patients, Brit Long & Michael Gotlieb on recognition and management of TTP...Please consider a donation to EM Cases to help ensure continued Free Open Access Medical Education here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/
EM Quick Hits 62 Optimizing RSI Medication Timing, ED Boarding of Older Patients, Prolonged Tourniquet Use, Rural Peer Support Programs, ECG Reciprocal Changes, Nutrition Tips for Shift Workers
On this month's EM Quick Hits podcast: Anand Swaminathan on optimizing RSI medication timing, Brittany Ellis on ED boarding challenges in older patients and solutions to ED crowding and flow, Dave Jerome on managing prolonged tourniquet application, Nour Khatib and Phil Gillick on a rural peer support case, Jesse McLaren on ECG reciprocal changes in acute coronary occlusion, and Melody Ng on practical nutrition tips for shift workers...
