Blog

Just because the ICU is near capacity doesn't mean your ICU-eligible patient is somehow "safe" for the floor. Stand your ground. An ICU patient benefits from an ICU.

This is a stepwise approach to calcium channel blocker OD.  Worth a read to make sure you know all your options next time one rolls in to your ED.

Procalcitonin predicted the risk for subsequent intubation or pressors in adults with community-acquired pneumonia.

Surgery is a definitive treatment for appendicitis with a low complication and failure rate.  Medical therapy is an option, though >25% of patients will eventually need surgery.

If a child has exam findings concerning for basilar skull fracture, do a head CT.  If they have isolated BSF and a completely normal neurological exam after a period of ED observation, they have a low risk of adverse outcome and could be considered for discharge.

Patients with penetrating torso trauma do better when volume expansion is delayed until the time of definitive operative repair, rather than trying to give immediate prehospital volume to normalize BP.

Two-thirds of opiate abusing patients were willing to accept take-home naloxone.  This could save lives.

Midazolam 5 mg/droperidol 5 mg IV was better and faster onset than droperidol 10 mg IV and olanzapine 10 mg IV for agitation.

Scribes made ED doctors happier and slightly increased patients seen per hour and RVUs generated.

IV fluids with NS + bicarb or NS + NAC or plain NS did not prevent contrast nephropathy in patients getting CTPA.