A 64 year old woman presents to the emergency department with dyspnea. On exam she is mildly tachypneic, has an oxygen saturation of 94% on 2L nasal prongs, and bilateral crackles to auscultation. You suspect acute heart failure and wonder about the role of lung ultrasound as you await her chest x-ray. Clinical question: What is the sensitivity and specificity of lung PoCUS compared to chest radiograph for diagnosis of acute decompensated …
Clinical Question: Can stable patients presenting to the emergency department with blunt abdominal trauma be managed safely without a CT scan?
You are working in a rural Emergency Department (ED). You assess a 25-year-old male patient who crashed his car into a tree. Vitals are normal and GCS is 15. Airway is patent and protected. There is bilateral chest rise, no abdominal tenderness or seatbelt sign. Pelvis is stable, and you notice some swelling over his right wrist. What is Blunt Abdominal Trauma? Blunt abdominal trauma is an injury to the abdomen without an …
ABCDE Approach
The ABCDE approach applies to the initial assessment of critically ill patients. For each step, appropriate treatment should be started regardless if there is a definitive diagnosis. Airway1–3 Fatal in minutes. Think of this separately from breathing! Consider what would you do if the airway became threatened, e.g. Have you assessed for predictors of difficult airway management? Assessment Management ● Determine if patient can speak.● Inspect for secretions or foreign bodies.● Check for …
Preprints: What you need to know
View PostPediatric Damage Control Resuscitation in the Game of Thrones
Bran Stark, a 10-year-old boy, was exploring Winterfell during King Robert Baratheon’s visit to Winterfell. This patient is the son of Ned Stark, Lord of the North, and heir of the powerful House Stark. As a curious young boy, he wanted to watch the festivities from the view of a tower. This was not unusual for Bran, who “had known ever stone of those buildings, inside and out; he had climbed them all, …
Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion Of The Aorta (REBOA): A Squid Game Case Report
Our patient for today’s case is Kang Sae-byeok, also known as Player 067. A North Korean defector struggling to make ends meet as a pickpocket in Seoul, Sae-byeok accepts an invitation to compete in the mysterious “Squid Game” for the chance to win millions of won and improve the lives of her and her family. She eventually comes to learn that the Squid Game competition pits hundreds of participants against one another in …