Preeclampsia is a common complication in pregnancy, affecting 3-5% of pregnant women in the general population, and up to 25% of pregnant patients with pre-existing chronic hypertension [1].
Tiny Tip: HELLP Syndrome
If you train in a tertiary care center with obstetrical triage, you may not assess many pregnant women beyond the first trimester of pregnancy. However, in community emergency departments without a primary obstetrics triage department, you will often encounter pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH; systolic pressure 140 mmHg, or diastolic pressure 90 mmHg), a common complication occurring in 7-9% of pregnancies. HELLP syndrome is an important subset of PIH that comes with its own built-in mnemonic …
Tiny Tips: Non-Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema / ARDS
When you see a pulmonary edema on chest x-ray (CXR), the knee jerk reaction is to attribute it to heart failure. But what might you be missing?
Tiny Tips: The Ottawa SAH Rule
This month’s ALiEM Journal Club discussed Perry et al’s 2013 paper Clinical Decision Rules to Rule Out Subarachnoid Hemorrhage for Acute Headache. If you haven’t already, check out the awesome collaborative vodcast featuring ALiEM Editors, Annals of EM Editors and the Authors! If you can’t spare 30 minutes, watch at double speed. I suspect the Ottawa SAH rule may be destined to join the ranks of Stiell et al’s other Canadian exports (the Canadian CT …
Counterpoint: Chunking theory and why medical mnemonics can be useful.
By Teresa Chan, MD | Peer-reviewed by Brent Thoma, MD Lately, I’ve been pondering about the role of mnemonics. Join me as I wax philosophical and dig into the education theory behind why we’re tempted by these tiny packages of information.
Tiny Tips: Approach to the Alarming Ventilator
The December edition of EM:RAP had a great segment with Haney Mallemat and Stuart Swadron that went over five “Critical Care Quickies.” One of them presented an approach to an alarming ventilator that really caught my eye. The classic mnemonic that I was taught for this situation was Differential for the Alarming Ventilator: DOPE(S) D – Dislodged tube O – Obstructed tube (mucous plug, blood, kink) P – Pneumothorax E – Equipment failure (ventilator, …