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 …
Getting to “CT Safe and Fast”
A career in emergency medicine involves management of risk and uncertainty. We balance multiple competing priorities and make important trade-offs on a daily basis. None more so than the delicate balance between speed and safety. You may have heard the CT scanner being spoken about in a tongue in cheek fashion as “the doughnut of death.” While there is an element of dark humour here, there is also an element of truth. So …
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 …
CAEP 2022: Plenary Speakers Day 3
In this series, we are collaborating with CAEP to break down everything you need to know about the CAEP Conference in Quebec City! We have teamed up with CAEP to bring you infographics summarizing the plenary talks for each day of the conference! The plenaries for day 3 consist of the Top 4 research abstracts submitted to CAEP which covers a variety of important topics in EM: 1. “Impact of a knowledge to …
CAEP 2022: Plenary Speakers Day 2
In this series, we are collaborating with CAEP to break down everything you need to know about the CAEP Conference in Quebec City! We have teamed up with CAEP to bring you infographics summarizing the plenary talks for each day of the conference! Our second plenary speech was a presentation titled ” A Healthy Response to the Climate Emergency -briefing and action plan for the ER community” given by Drs. Courtney Howard, Claudel …
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 …