Ep 134 Shift Preparation: Pre-gaming with Rob Orman
The question is: how do we best mentally and physically prepare for an ED shift? Dr. Rob Orman, master educator and fellow podcaster joins Anton to discuss a few options...
Ep 133 Emergency Management of Status Epilepticus
Among the presentations seen in the ED, few command the same respect as status epilepticus. It is, in itself, both a diagnostic dilemma and, at times, a therapeutic nightmare. There’s a reason it’s the very first domino to fall in the dreaded sequence “seizure, coma, death”. Status epilepticus can be nuanced to manage. Sure, most seizures self-abort or love an IV dose of lorazepam, but ask anyone who’s been down the propofol route, and they’re not likely to have forgotten the time they stared down a patient who just...would...not....stop...
Ep 132 Emergency Approach to Resolved Seizures
What is the essential list of immediate life threats with specific antidotes that we must know for the ED patient with a seizure? What are the key elements for distinguishing a true seizure from syncope? From Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizure (PNES)? From TIA? From migraine? How do you distinguish Todd's Paralysis from TIA or stroke? What are indications for lactate and troponins in patients who present with a seizure? Do all patients with first time unprovoked seizures require anti-seizure medication in the ED? What is the preferred anti-seizure medication and route for ED loading for the patient with a first time seizure? Which patients who present with seizure require a CT head in the ED? What are indications and ideal timing for EEG for patient who present to the ED with seizure? and many more...
Ep 131 PEA Arrest, PseudoPEA and PREM – With Simard and Weingart
Rob Simard of POCUS Cases fame and Scott Weingart go beyond ACLS and guide you through the complex world of PEA. We discuss that the palpation technique is poor at determining whether or not a patient has a pulse, that the POCUS pulse is more accurate and as rapid compared to the palpation technique at determining whether or not a patient has a pulse, the difference between true PEA arrest, PseudoPEA and PREM, why epinephrine may be harmful in PEA, Weingart's chain of survival approach from PEA arrest to ROSC, four tools to help differentiate true PEA arrest from PseudoPEA, how to prevent long pauses in chest compressions using POCUS, EM Cases PEA arrest and PseudoPEA suggested dynamic algorithm, vasopressor choices in PseudoPEA, whether the "QRS wide vs narrow width" approach to PEA arrest underlying cause is useful or not and much more...
Ep 130 Community Acquired Pneumonia: Emergency Management
While community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is 'bread and butter' emergency medicine, and the diagnosis is often a 'slam dunk', it turns out that up one third of the time, we are wrong about the diagnosis; that x-rays are not perfect; that blood work is seldom helpful; that not all antibiotics are created equal and that deciding who can go home and who needs to go to the ICU isn’t always so clear cut. With this in mind we are taking a deep dive into CAP, from diagnosis to disposition so that we can better achieve our EM goals of stabilizing sick patients, getting the right diagnosis, initiating the best treatment with the information at hand, prognosticating/appropriately deciding on disposition of patients, and being healthcare and antimicrobial stewards...
Ep 129 ED Overcrowding and Access Block – Causes and Solutions
Howard Ovens, Grant Innes, Sam Campbell and Anton discuss the root causes, challenges and some of the solutions of one of the defining characteristics of emergency medicine in the 21st century - overcrowding. It is absolutely in the interest of every single ED provider to understand how this problem came to be, and what we can do about it. As citizens of the medical community, becoming aware of the issues that drive ED overcrowding will be a powerful asset in the drive for change. We hope to equip you with the knowledge and actionable moves to effect change on your next shift at the individual level, at the ED level, and even at the hospital and government levels…
