Briefs: Odontogenic Infections
Learn more about dental infections in this edition of Briefs.
Briefs: Do we need antibiotics after I&D of a cutaneous abscess? (Re-post)
Incision and drainage is always the best treatment for an uncomplicated skin abscess. Antibiotics - not necessarily. Read on for more in this edition of Briefs.
Briefs: Dealing with acute agitation in the Pediatric Emergency Department
Take a look at this post to learn more about medical management of the agitated child and adolescent. Both oral and IM options are suggested.
Briefs: Henoch-Schönlein Purpura, belly pain and steroids (Re-post)
You will see Henoch-Schönlein Purpura at some point in the ED. Knowing how to work it up, and how to treat the symptoms are important naturally. Read on for more.
Briefs: Neither pyogenic nor granuloma
Pyogenic granulomas are rapidly growing vascular lesions that are friable and will often present to the Emergency Department with bleeding that just won't quit. Learn more about them in this edition of PEMBlog Briefs.
Briefs: Corneal Abrasions
This post will just scratch the surface in its exploration of the diagnosis and management of corneal abrasions. What is the best technique for getting the fluorescin into the eye? First of all, please don't jab the patient's eye with the fluorescin strip itself. You can actually cause a corneal abrasion that way. In the past I would drip the [...]
Briefs: Migraine management meets magnesium
Migraines are a common sight during any shift in the ED. I have written about them before, and the benefits of antiemetics and depakote are reasonably well documented. A treatment for refractory headaches that seems to be gaining favor recently is IV magnesium. You may be familiar with Mag and its use in asthma exacerbation, or (gasp) preeclampsia - but [...]
Briefs: Assessing and staging burn severity
It's cold out and people are trying to warm themselves up by any means necessary. In the Emergency Department that means you may end up seeing some burns. It is important not only to assess these burns, but also determine what percentage of the body surface area is superficial versus partial AND full thickness. Wait a second... Aren't we supposed [...]
Briefs: Fentanyl at a glance
If you had a Mount Rushmore of Emergency Department drugs fentanyl would make a pretty solid case for its inclusion. This synthetic opioid is roughly 100x more potent than morphine. The onset is rapid - two to three minutes. This is in contrast to morphine, which can take up to 20 minutes. The duration of action is relatively short - [...]
Briefs: Parotitis
You may have recently heard about an outbreak of mumps in the National Hockey League but after seeing several cases of unilateral facial swelling over the angle of the mandible in a school age child you're probably wondering what's going on at your home institution as well. Has the MMR vaccine failed? Is everyone suddenly worshipping at the church of Jenny McCarthy? Let's [...]
