Management It is important to remember that our job as physicians is to determine if someone is at risk of being trafficked and then to facilitate connections to an interdisciplinary team and resources. It is not our responsibility to determine if someone meets the legal definition of trafficking and use only this as a measure of whether or not treatment and interventions are required. Step 1: Identification of Red Flags The following list …
Identifying a Trafficked Patient in the Emergency Room
Editor’s Note: February 22 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Today, CanadiEM is featuring a pair of posts with important takes on this issue. A young woman presents to the emergency department with pelvic pain. She’s accompanied by her boyfriend who insists he come into the exam room and tries to provide the history for the patient, stating that she doesn’t remember things well. The patient makes poor eye contact and defers questions …
The AHA 2020 “Top 10 Changes” Project: CPR & ECC Guidelines Infographic Series
Cardiac Arrest: What Is It All About? Cardiac arrest is one of the most polarizing things we face in Emergency Medicine. The reality of its morbidity and mortality really juxtaposes the moment of joy where you ~finally~ get that pulse back! Thanks to the efforts of organizations like the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC), ongoing research into resuscitation and the ACLS algorithm continue to improve …
PEM Pearls 03: Non Accidental Trauma pt. 2
Welcome back to PEM Pearls: the CanadiEM Infographic Series focused on providing approaches and high-yield pearls for important pediatric EM topics! This is part 2 of our 2 part Non-Accidental Trauma posts. Today we will be discussing the workup, investigations, and management for potential non-accidental trauma cases.1 There are a variety of goals of care that emergency physicians should perform when managing a potential non-accidental trauma case. In short, remember to treat, record, …
Checklists and the Hierarchy of Effectiveness
You are working a particularly busy overnight solo coverage shift when a very sick 4-year old patient with respiratory distress begins desatting requiring urgent intubation. A team is quickly assembled and preparation is completed for the procedure. You begin attempting endotracheal tube insertion but after two failed attempts with direct laryngoscopy you ask for a bougie, and none is delivered. You ask again, and nothing. As you momentarily take your eyes off of …
PEM Pearls 02: Non-Accidental Trauma pt. 1
Welcome back to PEM Pearls: the CanadiEM Infographic Series focused on providing approaches and high-yield pearls for important pediatric EM topics! This is part 1 of our 2 part Non-Accidental Trauma posts. Today we will be discussing the history, physical exam, and differential diagnosis considerations for potential non-accidental trauma cases.1 Physical child abuse is a frequently missed emergency department presentation. It is most common in children aged 6 months or younger, although it …