EM Cases Main Episodes are round table in-depth discussions with 2 or more EM Cases guest experts, inherently peer reviewed, and edited for a podcast.

Ep 201 How EM Experts Think Part 2: Data Gathering, Diagnostic and Treatment Decision Making, Test Ordering and Interpretation, Documentation, Emotional Resilience

In this Part 2 of our 2-part podcast series on How EM Experts Think with Dr. Reuben Strayer, Dr. Mike Betzner and Dr. Scott Weingart we dive deep into the nuances of practicing smarter, faster, and better in the ED. We answer questions like: How should we employ hypothetico-deductive reasoning in our daily practice of Emergency Medicine? How can we best streamline thorough data gathering for each case so that we don't miss key data points? How do the master EM clinicians perform an efficient and targeted history and physical exam? How can the concept of heuristic cycling help you avoid outdated or faulty thinking? How can we document our clinical encounter in a way that considers a differential diagnosis that prioritizes dangerous conditions and improve our thinking around cases? How can we use the 2-10% rule for pre-test probabilities and the concept of preferred error to guide our decision making for tests and treatments in the ED? What strategies can we use to avoid anchoring bias and keep your mind open to all possibilities? What’s the role of shared decision-making when navigating diagnostic uncertainty? How does understanding the vigilance pendulum help us assess our risk tolerance better? How can post-shift decision journaling, conducting pre-mortems and meditation improve our decision making and boost our emotional resilience on shift? and many more...The accompanying blog An EM Expert Mindset - A Female Perspective is recommended reading with this podcast https://emergencymedicinecases.com/the-em-expert-mindset-a-female-perspective/ Please consider a small donation to EM Cases to ensure ongoing high quality FOAMed: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

Ep 200 How EM Experts Think: Strategies for Pre-Shift, Arrival Ritual, Staying Focused, Managing Interruptions, Cognitive Load & Negative Emotions, Resuscitation Mindset, Post-Resuscitation Recovery

Which elements of your current pre-shift preparation contribute most to your mental clarity and performance, and what new practices might further optimize your readiness? With interruptions shown to increase task errors and decision fatigue, how can you strike a balance between being approachable to colleagues and safeguarding your focus for patient care? When confronted with a particularly challenging or emotionally charged case, what strategies have you found most effective for maintaining professionalism and clear decision-making under pressure? How often do you debrief after high-stakes scenarios, and what impact has debriefing—whether formal or informal—had on your team’s learning, emotional recovery, and future preparedness? What strategies do you use to foster open communication and ensure all team members feel empowered to provide input during high-stakes situations? How do you mentally and emotionally shift from managing a critical resuscitation to treating lower-acuity patients without compromising your focus or energy? When faced with a complex case where diagnostic clarity is elusive, how do you prioritize your next steps while maintaining confidence in your decision-making process? How can apps, personalized workflows, or EMR tools be better utilized to minimize cognitive load and enhance clinical decision-making during shifts? These are just some of the questions we pose in this 2-part podcast series on How the Experts Think with Dr. Reuben Strayer, Dr. Scott Weingart and Dr. Mike Betzner...The accompanying blog An EM Expert Mindset - A Female Perspective is recommended reading with this podcast https://emergencymedicinecases.com/the-em-expert-mindset-a-female-perspective/ Please consider a donation to ensure EM Cases continues to provide you high quality Free Open Access Medical Education here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

Ep 199 Trauma Airway and Airway Trauma

In this EM Cases main episode podcast, we tackle the complexities of trauma airway management, including direct trauma to the airway. We discuss indications and timing of intubation, penetrating neck trauma, the head injured patient, the agitated patients and the soiled airway. The critical question is: when should we deviate from, delay or modify RSI, and how do we navigate the unique challenges presented by trauma airways and airway trauma? Dr. George Kovacs and Dr. Andrew Petroniak answer this and other questions such as: how should we re-sequence the trauma resuscitation depending on immediate life-threats? When is immediate vs delayed intubation recommended? How useful are the Zones of the neck in penetrating neck trauma? What is the optimal dosing of airway medications in the sick trauma patient? How should we modify our airway strategy for the severely head injured patient and/or agitated patient? When should we consider ketamine facilitated fiberoptic intubation in the trauma patient? and many more... Please consider a donation to EM Cases to ensure ongoing Free Open Access Medical Education here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

Ep 198 Understanding and Improving Culture in Emergency Medicine: Key Insights

In this EM Cases podcast Anton chats with Dr. Peter Brindley and Dr. Leon Byker who have a deep interest in the Culture of Medicine to explore what culture in medicine is, why culture is so important, and then drive home 10 strategies to improving the culture in our departments emphasizing the importance of human connection, empathy, open communication, and a willingness to learn from mistakes in creating a positive and fulfilling work environment, so that we love our work, we love our department, we love taking care of our patients and our patients have better outcomes... Support EM Cases and Free Open Access Medical Education by making a donation now: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

Ep 197 Acute Heart Failure Risk Stratification and Disposition

We over-admit low risk acute heart failure patients and under-admit high risk heart failure patients. In this podcast we discuss the diagnostic accuracy of various clinical features, lab tests and imaging modalities for acute heart failure, the 3 validated risk stratification tools and a simple approach to PoCUS for the diagnosis and prognostication of acute heart failure in the ED to improve our diagnostic accuracy and disposition decisions for patients with acute heart failure... Help Support EM Cases by Giving a Donation here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

Ep 196 Pediatric Meningitis Recognition, Workup and Management

In this episode: recognition, risk stratification, decision tools, indications for lumbar puncture in the febrile pediatric patient, tips and trick on performing LPs in children, and ED management of pediatric meningitis. We answer such questions as: what are the test characteristics of the various clinical features of meningitis across various ages? How does one differentiate between meningitis and retropharyngeal abscess on physical exam? How do the Canadian and American guidelines on work up of well-appearing febrile infants compare when to it comes to indications for lumbar puncture? Which patients with suspected meningitis require imaging prior to lumbar puncture? How do we best interpret the various CSF tests to help distinguish between viral and bacterial meningitis? What are the indications and timing of administering dexamethasone in the pediatric patient with suspected meningitis? and many more.... EM Cases is Free Open Access; please consider a donation to help ensure that EM Cases remains Free Open Access on our donation page https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

Ep 195 Management of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Once the diagnosis of nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has been made, our job is not done. Mortality in SAH patients can be up to 30% even without neurological deficit. Paying attention to the time-sensitive details of ED management of SAH patients can have a significant impact on their outcome. In this second part of our 2-part podcast series on subarachnoid hemorrhage with Dr. Katie Lin and Dr. Jeff Perry we answer questions such as: what are the 4 critical priorities in the initial stabilization of the patient with a suspected massive subarachnoid hemorrhage? When is a CT plus CTA of the head indicated up front in the management of patients with suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage? What is the evidence for oral nimodipine in improving outcomes in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and how does it work? What can we do in the ED to prevent rebleeding in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage? What are the simplest and best prognostic tools available for spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage to help counsel families and patients? and more...

Ep 194 Subarachnoid Hemorrhage – Recognition, Workup and Diagnosis Deep Dive

Anton is joined by the world's leading EM researcher in subarachnoid hemorrhage diagnosis Dr. Jeff Perry and EM-Stroke team clinician Dr. Katie Lin for a deep dive into why we still miss this life-threatening diagnosis, the key clinical clues, proper use of decision tools, indications for CT, indications for CTA, indications for LP and CSF interpretation for the sometimes elusive diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage... Help support EM Cases by making a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

Ep 193 The Crashing Asthmatic – Recognition and Management of Life Threatening Asthma

In this part 2 of our 2-part podcast on asthma with Dr. Sameer Mal and Dr. Leeor Sommer, we dig into the recognition and management of life-threatening asthma. We answer such questions as: what are the key elements in recognition of threatening asthma? What are the most time-sensitive interventions required to break the vicious cycle of asthma? What are the best options for dosing and administering magnesium sulphate, epinephrine, fentanyl and ketamine in the management of the crashing asthmatic? What is the role of NIPPV in the management of life-threatening asthma? What are the factors we should consider when it comes to indications for endotracheal intubation of the crashing asthmatic? What role do blood gases play in the decision to intubate? What are the most appropriate ventilation strategies in the intubated asthma patient? and many more... Please support EM Cases with a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

Ep 192 ED Adult Asthma Management Strategies For Improved Prognosis – A Stepwise Approach

In this part 1 of our 2-part podcast series on Asthma Management we explore a systematic approach to managing patients presenting to the ED with asthma exacerbations. Our discussion will emphasize the critical role of a thorough history and physical examination in effectively stratifying patient risk and guiding treatment/disposition decisions. Additionally, we'll examine the importance of providing comprehensive discharge medications and instructions to mitigate both mortality and morbidity associated with asthma exacerbations. We answer questions such as: which patients, if any, require peak expiratory flow measurements in the ED? Why is it so important to add steroid MDI therapy to oral steroid therapy in patients being discharged from the ED after an asthma exacerbation? What are the most predictive variables to risk stratify patients with asthma exacerbations to help guide treatment and disposition? and many more. Stay tuned for Part 2, where we'll delve deep into the management of the crashing asthmatic. Please support EM Cases FOAMed with a donation: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/

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