Do you want to start a #FOAM conversation online, but don't want you tweets to be visible forever? Seriously, I've thought about this. Or perhaps you want to have an active link available only for a short period of time. If this is the case, then you could try out Spirit, a Twitter focused service that allows you to set up tweets [...]
For this edition of Fracture Fridays I'd like to share a brief (seriously <1 minute) video on reducing the dislocated patella.
No, this edition of Briefs was not an excuse to use a tongue twister as the title. It is however viral season. An viruses can cause (through some undetermined mechanism) a condition called acute cerebellar ataxia which generally occurs in children less than 5 years of age. It manifests in a wobble (or per the parents "drunk") gait. Dysmetria, nystagmus and [...]
I was just reminded (yet again) of the usefulness of obtaining orthostatic vital signs. Recall that you obtain HR and BP with the patient supine, sitting and then standing. You must get them in that order, and they should be done after the patient has been supine for approximately 3-5 minutes with the head flat. The recommendations on how to [...]
Ever wonder why we give nebulized albuterol in the ED instead of a metered dose inhaler? Haven't you heard form a colleague that "4 to 6 puffs is equivalent to a neb." Perhaps some of this is convention, but there is evidence behind it. In an oldie but goodie form 1993 Idris et al performed a RCT to compare an [...]
A 14 year old male presents with a very sore throat and fever. The symptoms have been present for 4 days. His PMD saw him 2 days ago and performed a rapid strep test, and it was negative. Since then he has gotten worse and it is hard for him to open his mouth fully. Per his mother it sounds [...]
Happy Halloween everyone. I thought I'd "celebrate" by posting about some rare but still clinically important spider bites. The two that get the most press in United States are the black widow (Latrodectus mactans) and brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa). Fortunately, there are only approximately 500 bytes a year in the United States and deaths are very rare. Black Widow Spiders Black [...]
This week on Briefs I wanted to share with you a presentation I put together on EKGs in the Pediatric ED. I decided to focus on chief complaint as a reason to obtain the study - chest pain and syncope specifically. Enjoy! Electrocardiograms in the Pediatric ED
The Case An 18 year old football player presents to the ED 2 days after a thumb injury. He says he hyperextended it while trying to make a tackle. He saw his PMD the next day, and despite pain in his thumb, the X-Rays were read as negative by his PMD. He was cleared to return to play, but had [...]
Check out this video on using the push-pull method for rapid administration of IV fluids. It is a much more efficient method than using prefilled syringes alone, and can allow for rates of administration much faster than traditional pumps. http://vimeo.com/35337388
