Take Home Points Look for the red flags – fever, drooling, neck stiffness, toxic ingestion, uvula deviation, voice changes Steroids help with swelling Obtain CT soft tissue neck for concerning presentations Don’t be a cowboy/cowgirl – get consultants involved early – ENT/Anes/OMFS Make sure you repeat vital signs prior to discharge – if patient remains ... Read more

Take Home Message Do not ignore abnormal vital signs – they can be the harbinger of badness Watch out for developing withdrawal, treat early and aggressively These patients are a major fall risk – keep rails up, place on safety observation Obtain a CT Head for anyone with external signs of trauma EtOH level not ... Read more

Take Home Points Walk in – decide sick/not sick Do I need help now? If so, call in the troops Stable – start asking questions – A LOT OF THEM Investigate – reach out to family, bystanders, EMS, PMD, pharmacy Perform a head to toe exam – check the jiblets and scan the bladder for ... Read more

Take Home Points Always check the vital signs of the eye – visual acuities, field of vision, ocular pressure Go in thinking whether you have to call Optho or not Get the story – was there trauma or did it just appear? Do the exam – Is it red or painful, are there changes in ... Read more

Take Home Points Patients >65 or suspected of intoxication are at high risk for bleeds – scan them!! Epidural has a lucent period – be wary of decompensation and perform frequent re-evals. Anti-coagulated patients must be reversed. FFP takes hours to work, PCC takes minutes. Nasal fractures – examine septum for hematoma – need to ... Read more

Take Home Points Hypertension rarely causes headache, it’s usually the other way around. Patients with headaches are in pain, and in turn, may have elevated blood pressures. Treat the underlying issue and you’ll treat the HTN at the same time. Get a pregnancy test on all female patients – you don’t want to miss a ... Read more

REBEL Core Cast – Basics of Emergency Medicine Podcast Welcome to the EMRA Basics of Emergency Medicine Podcast. I am your host EJ Wright, and the following series is an all encompassing approach to the most common chief complaints in the ED based on the well known EMRA Basics of Emergency Medicine, A Chief Complaint-Based ... Read more

Take Home Points Priapism is compartment syndrome of the penis. Ischemia and infarction can occur with prolonged priapism and rapid treatment and detumescence is critical Provide adequate analgesia early to facilitate necessary interventions. Dorsal block of the penis is the most effective analgesic approach Do not delay aspiration and irrigation if more conservative measures fail ... Read more

Background: Currently, trauma resuscitation focuses on immediate hemorrhage control, resuscitation with blood products (i.e. PRBCs, plasma) and early administration of tranexamic acid.  The evidence for the use of blood-based resuscitation in the pre-hospital system has been mixed (PAMPer and COMBAT trials). While early administration of blood products makes physiologic sense, proof of benefit is important ... Read more

Take Home Points Compartment syndrome is a life and limb threatening emergency that requires early recognition, prompt diagnosis and immediate management with fasciotomy While clinical evaluation is flawed, pain out of proportion to injury and pain with passive stretch of muscles within the compartment are the best screening tools. Do not wait for the development ... Read more