Emergency Medicine Cases | Online medical education podcast

Best Case Ever 51 – Anticoagulants and GI Bleed with Walter Himmel

In anticipation of Episode 88 and 89: DOACs Use, Misuse and Reversal with the president of Thrombosis Canada and world renowned thrombosis researcher Dr. Jim Douketis, internist and thrombosis expert Dr. Benjamin Bell and 'The Walking Encyclopedia of EM' Dr. Walter Himmel, we have Dr. Himmel telling us the story of his Best Case Ever on anticoagulants and GI bleed. He discusses the most important contraindication to DOACs, the importance of not only attempting to reverse the effects of anticoagulants in a bleeding patient but managing the bleed itself as well as more great pearls. In the upcoming episodes we'll run through 6 cases and cover the clinical use of DOACs, how they work, safety, indications, contraindications, management of minor, moderate and severe bleeding, the new DOAC reversal agents, management of DVT with DOAC anticoagulants, stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation with DOACs and much more...

By Anton Helman|2017-02-05T14:59:19-05:00November 8th, 2016|Categories: Best Case Ever, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Medical Specialty, Resuscitation|Tags: dabigitran, DOACs, massive GI bleed, upper GI bleed, Walter HImmel|0 Comments

CritCases 5 – Pediatric Drowning and Hypothermia

In this CritCases blog - a collaboration between STARS Air Ambulance Service, Mike Betzner and EM Cases, Dr. Michael Misch discusses the management controversies around a challenging pediatric drowning and hypothermia case, including the nuances of rewarming, oxygenation, CPR or no CPR, the role of ECMO, dosing of epinephrine and more...

By Michael Misch|2017-02-05T14:57:18-05:00November 8th, 2016|Categories: CritCases, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty, Pediatrics, Resuscitation|Tags: Allan De Caen, bradycardia, CPR, ECMO, epinephrine, Michael Misch, rewarming|0 Comments

Episode 87 – Alcohol Withdrawal and Delirium Tremens: Diagnosis and Management

Alcohol withdrawal is everywhere. We see over half a million patients in U.S. EDs for alcohol withdrawal every year. Despite these huge volumes of patients and the diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal seeming relatively straightforward, it’s actually missed more often than we’d like to admit, being confused with things like drug intoxication or sepsis. Or it’s not even on our radar when an older patient presents with delirium. What’s even more surprising is that even if we do nail the diagnosis, observational studies show that in general, alcohol withdrawal is poorly treated. So, to help you become masters of alcohol withdrawal management, our guest experts on this podcast are Dr. Bjug Borgundvaag, an ED doc and researcher with a special interest in emergency alcohol related illness and the director of Schwartz-Reismann Emergency Medicine Institute, Dr. Mel Kahan, an addictions specialist for more than 20 years who’s written hundreds of papers and books on alcohol related illness, and the medical director of the substance use service at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, and Dr. Sara Gray, ED-intensivist at St. Michael's Hospital...

By Anton Helman|2024-05-21T02:01:40-04:00October 25th, 2016|Categories: EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Episodes, Medical Specialty, Special Populations, Toxicology|Tags: benzodiazepine, Bjug Borgundvaag, CIWA, dexmeditomidine, Mel Kahan, phenobarbital, Sara Gray, SHOT, thiamine|9 Comments

WTBS 10 – EM Quality Assurance Part 2: Individual Responsibilities

Last month in introducing part one of our guest blog on quality assurance I told a story about a missed opportunity with follow-up care. This month I’d like to share a story with a happier ending. Recently, a patient presented at our emergency department (ED) with a non-specific fever. After discharge the patient’s blood cultures were reported positive, but attempts to reach this person over the ensuing 36 hours at the contact numbers provided were unsuccessful. An enterprising colleague googled the patient and found contact information online that eventually led to a call to the patient in a hotel room in another city, but when reached the patient was ill and confused...

By Dr. Lucas Chartier|2016-10-25T13:00:32-04:00October 25th, 2016|Categories: Clinical Practice, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty, Waiting to be Seen|Tags: Lucas Chartier, QA, QI, quality improvement|0 Comments

Best Case Ever 50 – Delirium Tremens

In anticipation of EM Cases Episode 87 on Alcohol Withdrawal Dr. Sara Gray describes her Best Case Ever of severe alcohol withdrawal and Delirium Tremens from Janus General. Also on this podcast Dr. Anand Swaminathan reacts to Episode 86 Emergency Management of Hyperkalemia and discusses the use of calcium in the setting of digoxin toxicity. Early recognition and treatment of Delirium Tremens - a rapid onset of severe alcohol withdrawal accompanied by delirium and autonomic instability about 3-10 days after the appearance of withdrawal symptoms - is key to preventing long term morbidity and mortality...

By Anton Helman|2016-10-17T11:36:05-04:00October 11th, 2016|Categories: Best Case Ever, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty, Neurology, Psychiatry, Special Populations, Toxicology|Tags: alcohol withdrawal, benzodiazepine, Sara Gray|0 Comments

Episode 86 – Emergency Management of Hyperkalemia

This is 'A Nuanced Approach to Emergency Management of Hyperkalemia' on EM Cases. Of all the electrolyte emergencies, hyperkalemia is the one that has the greatest potential to lead to cardiac arrest. And so, early in my EM training I learned to get the patient on a monitor, ensure IV access, order up an ECG, bombard the patient with a cocktail of kayexalate, calcium, insulin, B-agonists, bicarb, fluids and furosemide, and get the patient admitted, maybe with some dialysis to boot. Little did I know that some of these therapies were based on theory alone while others were based on a few small poorly done studies. It turns out that some of these therapies may cause more harm than good, and that precisely when and how to give these therapies to optimize patient outcomes is still not really known...

By Anton Helman|2022-02-17T13:42:30-05:00September 27th, 2016|Categories: Cardiology, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Episodes, Medical Specialty, Resuscitation|Tags: calcium chloride, digoxin toxicity, Ed Etchells, kayexelate, Melanie Baimel|13 Comments

WTBS 9 – EM Quality Assurance Part One: Improving Follow up from the ED

This is Waiting to Be Seen 9 on EM Cases - Improving Follow up From the ED, Quality Assurance Part 1. We all face the challenge of how to manage final reports that arrive after the patient has been admitted or discharged, but some EDs are more organized and diligent than others in systematically addressing their obligations in this area. In this two-part guest blog, Dr. Lucas Chartier, an emergency physician in Toronto, will discuss best practices in departmental organization in part one and the obligations of the individual physician in part two. No ED will ever be perfect, but there are some positive lessons to share and we likely all can do better in reducing risks related to test result follow-up.

By Dr. Lucas Chartier|2016-10-17T11:36:04-04:00September 27th, 2016|Categories: EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Waiting to be Seen|Tags: Howard Ovens, Lucas Chartier, QA, quality assurance|0 Comments

BEEM Cases 3 – Acute Respiratory Failure: NIPPV & POCUS

Shortness of breath is a very common chief complaint in the emergency department, but despite our familiarity with this symptom, management is not always straightforward. The differential diagnosis is extensive, including the common cardiorespiratory conditions, but extending to toxicologic, hematologic, neuromuscular, metabolic, and psychiatric causes. Over the past decade, we have seen the widespread adoption of new technologies to help us manage these patients. This post will look at some new evidence on two of those technologies: noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) and ultrasound (POCUS). We will answer 3 questions based on 3 systematic reviews using the BEEM critical appraisal framework...

By Anton Helman|2016-12-19T16:41:25-05:00September 13th, 2016|Categories: BEEM Cases, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty, Respirology, Resuscitation|Tags: CHF, COPD, heterogeneity, Justin Morgenstern, lung ultrasound, NIPPV, POCUS|2 Comments

Best Case Ever 49 – Post-Arrest Hyperkalemia

Melanie Baimel's Best Case Ever on Post-Arrest Hyperkalemia on EM Cases. Post arrest patients can sometimes be challenging. We need to think of a variety of underlying causes of the arrest, antiarrhythmics, possible cath lab activation, targeted temperature management, sedation and more. To add to this, many post arrest patients do not have ideal vital signs that require attention. In this Best Case Ever, in anticipation of our upcoming episode on A Rational Approach to Hyperkalemia Dr. Melanie Baimel describes a post arrest patient who remains bradycardic and hypotensive despite multiple pressors....

By Anton Helman|2017-02-03T11:57:58-05:00September 13th, 2016|Categories: Best Case Ever, Cardiology, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty, Resuscitation|Tags: bradycardia, calcium chloride, Melanie Baimel, post arrest care|1 Comment

Episode 85 – Medical Clearance of the Psychiatric Patient

Psychiatric chief complaints comprise about 6 or 7% of all ED visits, with the numbers of psychiatric patients we see increasing every year. The ED serves as both the lifeline and the gateway to psychiatric care for millions of patients suffering from acute behavioural or psychiatric emergencies. As ED docs, besides assessing the risk of suicide and homicide, one of the most important jobs we have is to determine whether the patient’s psychiatric or behavioral emergency is the result of an organic disease process, as opposed to a psychological one. There is no standard process for this. With the main objective in mind of picking up and appropriately managing organic disease while improving flow, decreasing cost and maintaining good relationships with our psychiatry colleagues, we have Dr. Howard Ovens, Dr. Brian Steinhart and Dr. Ian Dawe discuss this controversial topic...

By Anton Helman|2021-03-30T14:44:30-04:00August 29th, 2016|Categories: EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Episodes, Medical Specialty, Neurology, Psychiatry, Special Populations, Toxicology|Tags: Brian Steinhart, CT head, Howard Ovens, Ian Dawe, urine drug screen|1 Comment