Lucas is a 26 year old male who presents to the ED by his parents for bizarre behaviour and increasing aggression at home. He has a history of IV drug use but is not forthcoming about which drugs he has used and how recently he has used them. There are two hospital security employees behind him. He is frequently looking behind and around him, and appears dishevelled and unkempt. Lucas appears quite anxious …
Bimanual technique to reduce pediatric inguinal hernia
A 7-week-old male infant named Johnny presents to the Emergency Department with a bulge in his right scrotum that the parents noticed today, worse when he is crying and upset. On exam you notice an inguinal hernia and try to reduce it but are unsuccessful. What technique could you try next? Incarcerated hernias can often be reduced using a bimanual (two-hand) technique and lots of patience. Place the fingers of your non-dominant hand …
Tiny Tips: PETMAC as a mnemonic for the 6 deadly causes of chest pain
An estimated 300,000-500,000 patients present to the emergency department (ED) every year inCanada with complaints of chest pain.1 In USA, the numbers are even more staggering at 8million per year.2 Given its prevalence, having a structured and rapid approach to chest pain isessential. Use the mnemonic PETMAC as an approach to these 6 cannot-miss causes of chestpain in the ED. Just think of your friendly neighbourhood pet, Mac! P: Pulmonary Embolism Classically presents …
PoCUS Previews 03: Intro to the FAST Scan
Welcome back to PoCUS Previews, your illustrated guide to the world of Point of Care Ultrasound (PoCUS)! In the hands of a skilled sonographer, PoCUS can serve as a valuable tool while assessing a patient in trauma. PoCUS can quickly and fairly accurately detect blood loss and signal the presence of internal organ damage. Thus, the Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) scan is one of the most celebrated uses of PoCUS …
A Study on Behalf of the CCEDRRN: Trends in COVID-19 ED management and outcomes, wave-by-wave.
In 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presented the largest public health crisis inover a century. Healthcare workers had to learn how to treat and manage patients withCOVID-2019 without overwhelming health systems. They were faced with both evidence-based and non-evidence-based treatment recommendations. Simultaneously, public healthinterventions aimed to reduce transmission in the population and protect those mostvulnerable. In this evolving context, we wanted to know whether clinicians were able toadapt their clinical practice. We also …
PoCUS Previews 02: Intro to Image Generation
Welcome back to PoCUS Previews, your illustrated guide to the world of Point of Care Ultrasound (PoCUS)! This month’s infographic will focus on image and probe orientation, different probe movements that can be used to generate these images, and some common artifacts (or abnormal alterations in ultrasound images). Ultrasound images can be challenging to interpret when we consider their dynamic nature and varying conventions that surround them. This infographic breaks down the orientation …