Medical Specialty Archives - Page 36 of 52

WTBS 11 – Keeping Score: Providing Physician Feedback

What does the evidence say about the true utility of physician performance feedback and scorecards? Do they meet a real need for information to guide self-improvement or just scratch our competitive itches? What do we know about the best way to provide feedback? In this month’s guest blog Dr. Amy Cheng, the Emergency Department Director of Quality Improvement at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto with an interest in physician performance feedback, reviews what’s known and comments on her own experiences...

By Dr. Howard Ovens|2016-12-22T16:36:22-05:00December 20th, 2016|Categories: Clinical Practice, Emergency Medicine, Waiting to be Seen|Tags: Amy Cheng, Howard Ovens, physician feedback, physician performance, QA, QI|2 Comments

Best Case Ever 53 – TTP

As EM Cases has grown and expanded over the past 7 years I've had the pleasure of working with a team of talented people. This Best Case Ever was produced by two all-star EM residents from Ottawa, podcaster Dr. Rajiv Vairavanathan and editor Dr. Richard Hoang. In this all-resident Best Case Ever we interview Dr. Chris Belcher from University of Kentucky about TTP - Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, that rare but often elusive clotting disorder that picks off multiple organs and has a near 100% mortality rate without treatment...

By Anton Helman|2020-05-15T09:16:45-04:00December 20th, 2016|Categories: Best Case Ever, EM Cases, Hematology, Medical Specialty, Resuscitation|Tags: altered mental status, anemia, Christopher Belcher, Rajiv Vairavanathan, schistocytes, thrombocytopenia|1 Comment

Best Case Ever 52 – Pediatric Hypothermia Cardiac Arrest

In anticipation of EM Cases Episode 90 on the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) guidelines with the lead author Dr. Allan DeCaen and Dr. Anthony Crocco, Dr. DeCaen tells his Best Case Ever showing us the value of orchestrated team work and a great example of the saying, "they're not dead until they're warm and dead"...

By Anton Helman|2016-12-06T16:45:45-05:00December 6th, 2016|Categories: Best Case Ever, Cardiology, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Medical Specialty, Pediatrics, Resuscitation|Tags: Allan DeCaen, CPR, ECMO, hypothermia, pediatric arrest|0 Comments

Episode 89 – DOACs Part 2: Bleeding and Reversal Agents

In this Part 2, DOACs Bleeding and Reversal we discuss the management of bleeding in patients taking DOACs with minor risk bleeds, like epistaxis where local control is easy to access, moderate risk bleeds, like stable GI bleeds and high risk bleeds, like intracranial hemorrhage. We answer questions such as: How do we weigh the risks and benefits of stopping the DOAC? When is reversal of the DOAC is advised? How best do we accomplish the reversal of DOACs? Is there any good evidence for the newest reversal agent? When should we stop DOACs for different procedures, and when should we delay the procedure?

By Anton Helman|2021-03-30T14:38:50-04:00December 6th, 2016|Categories: EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Episodes, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Medical Specialty, Neurology|Tags: abixiban, Andexanet Alfa, dabigitran, epistaxis, GI bleed, ICH, Idarucizumab, Jim Douketis, PCCs, rivaroxiban, Walter HImmel|4 Comments

Episode 88 – DOACs Part 1: Use and Misuse

As we get better at picking up thromboembolic disease, and the indications for Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) widen, we're faced with increasingly complex decisions about when to start these medications, how to start them, when to stop them and how to manage bleeding associated with them. There’s a lot that we need to know about these drugs to minimize the risk of thromboembolism in our patients while at the same time minimizing their risk of bleeding...

By Anton Helman|2024-08-06T22:19:17-04:00November 22nd, 2016|Categories: Cardiology, EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Episodes, Hematology, Medical Specialty|Tags: Abixaban, atrial fibrillation, CHADS65, dabigitran, DVT, Jim Douketis, rivaroxiban, Walter HImmel|1 Comment

Journal Jam 8 – Dilute Apple Juice for Pediatric Gastroenteritis

This is EM Cases Journal Jam podcast on a randomized control trial of dilute apple juice vs PediaLyte for mild pediatric gastroenteritis. While IV rehydration is required in cases of severe gastroenteritis (which we rarely see in North America) and oral rehydration with electrolyte maintenance solutions is still the mainstay in treating moderate gastroenteritis, could better-tasting, more cost-effective fluids such as diluted apple juice be just as effective as traditional electrolyte solutions in milder cases? Listen to Dr. Justin Morgenstern (@First10EM) interviewing Dr. Stephen Freedman, the world-renowned pediatric EM researcher who put ondansetron for pediatric gastroenteritis on the map and who was one of our guest experts on our main episode on Pediatric Gastroenteritis, Constipation and Bowel Obstruction, about this practice-changing paper. This is followed by a hilarious rant on the topic from Dr. Anthony Crocco ("Ranthony"), the Division head and medical director of pediatric EM at Hamilton Health Sciences.

By Anton Helman|2018-12-21T19:20:46-05:00November 8th, 2016|Categories: EM Cases, Emergency Medicine, Gastroenterology, Journal Jam, Medical Specialty, Pediatrics|Tags: Anthony Crocco, dehydration, gastroenteritis, Justin Morgenstern, pediatlyte, Stephen Freedman|1 Comment

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