TOTAL EM - Tools Of the Trade and Academic Learning in Emergency Medicine

We are back to talk more about POCUS with COVID-19. This post covers the clinical course when using lung ultrasound, Q&A from someone who experienced it first hand, and how to disinfect your pocket ultrasound device. We are joined in this discussion by Dr. Yale Tung Chen.

We are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are still many unanswered questions. As mentioned in our previous post, we will not discuss in detail specific treatments yet as new data is constantly coming out and it is all very limited. However, one question that comes up frequently is the use of ibuprofen and if it is safe with COVID-19.

As we continue our discussion regarding COVID-19, we wanted to cover the point of care ultrasound (POCUS) findings that you should know. Much discussion surrounds this topic including some debates about if and how it should be used. We tackle when, why, and how to use POCUS for COVID-19 as well as what to look for in this video podcast ("vodcast"). In this vodcast we are joined by SPOCUS President, Fritz Fuller

Infectious disease can become intertwined with illicit drug use for a variety of reasons. HIV, hepatitis, and endocarditis are some of the common examples where drug use can lead someone to need help from an infectious disease specialist. However, Patrick Bafuma interviewed Dr. Michael Silverman regarding some interesting research he did regarding how certain drugs were increasing the risk of serious infections.

With our last podcast discussing some of the key facts of COVID-19, it is worth discussing another important component: resource utilization. One of the scarier projections with a large outbreak is how resources can be used to their maximum capacity very quickly. We break down how COVID-19 is one example that can have disastrous consequences.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a very popular topic over the last few months. However, there has been a great deal of misinformation and new information that has changed what we previously thought about this disease. While we discuss this topic, it is worth noting that this may continue to change further and that this post was last updated on 3/3/2020.

Blunt trauma in the pediatric patient is fairly common. Blunt trauma to the abdomen though is less common and provides some unique challenges. The patient's developmental stage, limitations in verbal and language skills, lack of prehospital information, and the potential for an unreliable exam creates a situation that can create additional stress for both the family and those taking care of the patient. We will break down a recent EB Medicine article and cover some of the key aspects that will help you provide better care to these patients.

Patients present with headaches frequently, but they do not all need imaging. However, the question becomes who does need the imaging? The American College of Radiology updated their guidelines from the ones previously made in 2014 and we provide a rapid review in this post.

Patrick Bafuma is back for the second part of his EM ID interview with Dr. Valerie Vaughn. She is internal medicine trained and a hospitalist with a special interest in infectious disease. Go back to Podcast #182 to hear her discussion with nudges as it comes back to play in this post.