Crash Cart Emergency Medicine

When patients present to the Emergency Department after experiencing sexual assault, violence, or abuse, they often feel unseen and unheard. In this episode, Kate Chesko, BSN, RN (Forensic Program Manager and Forensic Nurse at OSU), and Dr. Creagh Boulger (Medical Director of the Forensic Program at OSU) discuss the crucial roles of forensic nurses and emergency providers and provide guidance on delivering empathetic, trauma-informed care to survivors.

Guests: Kate Chesko, BSN, RN, and Creagh Boulger, MD
Host: Amanda Fawcett, MD
Editor: Kim Bambach, MD

Empathy should always be our top priority. If any of the information in this podcast is new to you, take this as an opportunity to educate yourself on caring for victims of abuse. Start by learning just one thing from the resources below.

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When caring for breastfeeding patients in the ED, it’s essential to understand the unique challenges they face. While the phrase “pump and dump” has been commonly used, it’s time to retire it and embrace practices that protect both the health of the parent and the breastfeeding relationship. Dr. Krystin Miller shares insights based on her experiences as both an emergency physician and a mother, provides practical tips for better supporting lactating patients in the ED, and answers which medications are safe for lactating patients.

Guest: Krystin Miller, MD. Host: Kim Bambach, MD. Editors: Jennah Morgan, MD and Kim Bambach, MD.

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In this episode we’re going down the rabbit hole and talking about something rather bizarre. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is a neurologic disorder causing perceptual disturbances. Dr. Zach Smith (EM/IM PGY-3) breaks down what we need to know.

Guest: Zach Smith, MD, MBA. Host: Kim Bambach, MD. Editors: Mike Prats, MD and Kim Bambach, MD.

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Abdominal compartment syndrome is an elusive diagnosis that can cause or worsen multi-organ failure in your sickest patients. How can we avoid missing it? It’s a classic case of “if you don’t think of it, you can’t diagnose it.” Dr. Ruben Geeraert, PGY-3 and future critical care fellow, breaks down how we can recognize and treat it.

Guest: Ruben Geeraert, MD
Host: Kim Bambach, MD
Editor: Kim Bambach, MD

What is it? Abdominal compartment syndrome is sustained pressures > 20 mm Hg in the abdomen with evidence of end-organ damage. End-organ damage can occur with abdominal hypertension > 16 mm Hg.

What’s the pathophysiology? Compressing structures in the abdomen ultimately leads to decreased cardiac output and multi-organ failure due to hypoperfusion.

Why is it so easy to miss? These patients can be easy to miss because they are already critically ill, and multi-organ failure might be attributed to a different cause. Consider it in patients receiving massive fluid resuscitation, massive transfusion protocols (MTP), polytrauma patients, septic patients, patients with an acute abdomen, and any mechanically ventilated patient. It is shockingly common in MICU and SICU patients.

Can’t I just tell based on abdominal exam? Unfortunately, you can’t. It’s important to recognize a tense abdomen, but the abdominal exam is unreliable—only 50% sensitive for this diagnosis!

How do you measure abdominal pressure? Assess for abdominal compartment syndrome by taking a bladder pressure, which you can do with a Foley catheter and arterial line setup.

How is it treated? Initial management is medical (treating the underlying disease process), but the patient may ultimately require decompressive laparotomy. Evidence is limited on the optimal timing of this procedure.

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In this peds airway pearls segment, we’ll walk through a case of a nine year old in status epilepticus. She’s hypoxic and you need to optimize pre-oxygenation and ultimately intubate her in the ED. Dr. Runkle gives her peds airway pearls as we walk through the case!

Guest: Anne Runkle, MD. Host: Lizzy Hellmann, MD and Kim Bambach, MD. Editor: Kim Bambach, MD and Ben Ostro, MD.

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Hypothermia can be deadly and as the weather turns colder, we need to be ready to treat it. In this episode, Dr. Close (PGY-3 Chief Resident) and Dr. Kaide (Professor of EM) teach us how to manage the spectrum of hypothermia from mild cases to cardiac arrest.

Guest: Colin Kaide, MD. Host: Alex Close, MD. Editor: Kim Bambach, MD.

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Those words are found on many university websites throughout the country. What does DEI mean and why is it important within medicine and specifically here within our residency? In this episode, Dr. James and Dr. Young discuss DEI at OSU- what it means, how the DEI committee is engaging with the community, and how you can get involved!

Guest: Henry Young, MD. Host: Edleda James, MD. Editor: Kim Bambach, MD.

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What does risk mean to you and how do you approach risky clinical scenarios? As EM docs, we encounter risk every day. In this episode, Dr. Scott Stuckey gives us a new perspective by breaking down several frameworks and vocabulary we can use to think about and mitigate risk.

Residents: Dr. Stuckey completed this podcast as part of his Kiehl Professional Development Grant. You can submit a Kiehl grant to support your professional passion too!

Guest: Scott Stuckey, MD. Host: Kim Bambach, MD. Editors: Kim Bambach, MD and Creagh Boulger, MD.

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Are you ready for the new certifying exam? The exam goes live in January of 2026, so if your graduation date is in 2025 or later, this episode is for you! Dr. Matt Wilson (PGY-5, EM/IM Chief Resident) and Dr. Diane Gorgas (Professor of Emergency Medicine and President of the American Board of Emergency Medicine) discuss what you need to know to ace the test. They also talk about why it’s important and the value of becoming a board certified EM physician.

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Host: Matt Wilson, MD. Guest: Diane Gorgas, MD. Editors: Kim Bambach, MD and Mike Prats, MD.

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In our first episode, Kim and Mike are excited to introduce you to Crash Cart EM. Crash Cart EM is the podcast for Emergency Medicine at The Ohio State University. We love to teach here, so our goal is to bring you a variety of episodes to fill your mental “Crash Cart”. You’ll learn a little bit about the history of the familiar set of red drawers too- the quintessential symbol of Emergency Medicine. A huge thank you to all of the residents and faculty who have made this project possible!

Hosts: Kim Bambach, MD and Mike Prats, MD. Editor: Kim Bambach, MD.

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