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Approach to Asthma in the ED

In Medical Concepts by Kelly LienLeave a Comment

The Clinical Scenario A 35-year-old professor presents to the emergency department with marked dyspnea. He reports a history of asthma, for which he takes salbutamol, which is his only medication. Over the past 3 years, he has been coughing and wheezing with increasing severity. He has been using his inhaler every two hours with minimal effect. En route to the ED, EMS administered 10 mg of nebulised salbutamol. Upon arrival, the patient appears …

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A Basic, Practical Approach to Toxicology

In Medical Concepts by Kelly LienLeave a Comment

A 16-year-old girl is found in her bedroom unresponsive by her mother. The patient had texted her friends earlier in the day, telling them that she was going to “go away forever.” The mother reports that her daughter has a history of depression and several episodes of self-harm but no previous overdose attempts. Her mother believes that the patient is distraught as a result of a recent breakup with her boyfriend. EMS personnel …

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FAQ About Medical Student Electives

In Mentorship by Kelly Lien5 Comments

This is a topic for which the “how to” seems to be passed down from senior to junior medical students and never written down. I remember being pretty clueless about this process when I went through it. I was a relative late-comer to the Royal College EM sweepstakes, having decided to pursue that program only during the summer before fourth year. This was compounded by my inability to plan anything in advance, ever. I …