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Spoon Feed —
Self-reported fasting status is not particularly accurate in determining gastric contents before conscious sedation in adult patients.
Source
Sonographic assessment of fasting: emergency room sedations. CJEM. 2026 Mar 30. doi: 10.1007/s43678-026-01142-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41913037.
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Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in pediatric patients is reasonable for evaluation of potential dentoalveolar abscess.
Source
Point-of-care ultrasound for the evaluation of dental abscesses in the pediatric emergency department. CJEM. 2026 Feb 26. doi: 10.1007/s43678-026-01101-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41746556.
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Of patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), CT imaging revealed new findings 65.2% of the time while POCUS did so in 57.6% of IHCA patients.
Source
Diagnostic Yield of Computed Tomography and Point-of-Care Ultrasound After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Chest. 2026 Mar 13:S0012-3692(26)00297-7. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2026.02.023. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41833810.
Spoon Feed —
Cardiac standstill on transthoracic echocardiography is a strong predictor of failing to achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). However, while it offers high diagnostic accuracy, emergency physicians should use it as one prognostic marker among others rather than a sole reason to terminate efforts.
Source
Does Cardiac Standstill on Early Focused Transthoracic Echocardiography Predict Absence of Return of Spontaneous Circulation in Cardiac Arrest? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Emerg Med. 2026 Mar;82:9-44. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.12.018. Epub 2025 Dec 15. PMID: 41610792.
Spoon Feed —
The TWIST Score can be used for risk stratification of an acute scrotum, but POCUS (point-of-care ultrasound) should be used to rule out testicular torsion in pediatric patients, particularly in intermediate risk patients.
Source
Evaluating the TWIST score and point-of-care ultrasound for paediatric testicular torsion. Emerg Med J. 2026 Feb 23:emermed-2025-215067. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2025-215067. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41730670.
Spoon Feed —
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a powerful adjunct during cardiac arrest that can identify reversible causes, improve pulse checks, optimize chest compressions, and aid prognostication—as long as it does not interrupt high-quality CPR. When utilized correctly, POCUS may meaningfully guide resuscitation without prolonging pauses.
Source
Emergency medicine updates: Point-of-care ultrasound in cardiac arrest. Am J Emerg Med. 2026 Jan;99:176-187. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2025.09.021. Epub 2025 Sep 15. PMID: 41045789.
Spoon Feed —
Practice patterns over a recent 11-year period suggest that immediate pericardiocentesis is falling out of favor due to high false negative rate, with more reliance being placed on sternotomy.
Source
The contemporary use of emergency pericardiocentesis in trauma: A nationwide trend analysis. Am J Emerg Med. 2025 Dec;98:213-219. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2025.08.062. Epub 2025 Aug 29. PMID: 40907275.
Spoon Feed —
Ultrasound-guided pericapsular nerve group (PENG) blocks significantly improve short-term pain control and reduce opioid requirements in adult ED patients with hip fractures without increasing adverse events.
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Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided PENG Block for Acute Pain Relief in Adult Hip Fracture Patients: A Double-Blind Randomized Trial. Acad Emerg Med. 2025 Dec 12. doi: 10.1111/acem.70206. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41387636.
Spoon Feed —
The newly derived and validated STAMP score predicts clinical decompensation in patients with acute PE who are classified as intermediate-high risk per ESC guidelines.
Source
The STAMP score: An exploratory model for short-term risk stratification in intermediate-high-risk pulmonary embolism running head: The STAMP score. Eur J Intern Med. 2025 Aug 20:106484. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2025.106484. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40841246.
Spoon Feed —
Dexamethasone is associated with improved pain control within 60 minutes as an adjunct to ultrasound-guided nerve blocks (UGNBs) when compared to epinephrine, without an increased risk of complications.
Source
Efficacy and Safety of Adjunct Medications in ED Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Blocks: A National Ultrasound-Guided NeRVE (NURVE) Block Registry Study. Acad Emerg Med. 2025 Aug 27. doi: 10.1111/acem.70128. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40873157.