There was no difference in 90-day mortality among critically ill, intubated patients with septic shock who received hydrocortisone 200mg IV daily and those who did not.  Shock resolved one day faster in the steroid group.

The combination of videolaryngoscopy (VL) and Bonfils rigid intubation endoscope (BIE) was an excellent way to safely intubate patients with extremely difficult airways.

Cuffed endotracheal tubes (ETT) had better ventilation characteristics and fewer complications during routine surgery than uncuffed.

Patients with acute stroke from occluded intracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) or proximal middle cerebral artery (MCA) presenting from 6-24 hours from onset benefitted from endovascular thrombectomy when clinical deficits of stroke were greater than expected based on infarct volume on diffusion-weighted MRI or perfusion CT.

This meta-analysis of direct vs video laryngoscopy showed no improvement in first-pass success with VL over DL, but it excluded patients at risk for a difficult airway.  So view this with a healthy skepticism.

This article is a sobering reminder that mistakes with online activity can cost one's career.  We know the obvious blunders, but this editorial explores 3 more subtle ways our smartphones could damage our reputations.

External laryngeal manipulation (ELM) was associated with reduced first-pass success in critically ill children requiring emergent intubation.  But it could have simply been a marker of a more difficult airway, not the cause.

In pediatric patients with respiratory distress, failure of intubation on the first attempt was associated with increased risk of arrest.

It was a big job for ALiEM to come up with the list of 52 landmark articles you need to know as an Emergency Physician.  But it's an even bigger job to sit down and read them.  In fact, most of us just won't be able to find the time to do it.  Because they are so important to know, I wanted to make it easier to get the gist of these articles.  So each Saturday in 2017, I briefly summarized one of these key articles.  For your convenience, here are the links and excerpts for each of the 52 in 52 article summaries in one place.  Enjoy.  And please share this with a friend.  Special thanks to Dr. Michelle Lin for allowing me to partner with ALiEM and use the combined logos.

It was a great refresher to go back over the articles we covered in 2017.  There were so many groundbreaking and practice changing articles. We have hand-picked some of our favorites.