IV fluids provide the basis of resuscitation in an acute care setting. Many patients will only require relatively low volumes while in the emergency department, but there are also a number of common pathologies that require a large volume resuscitation. While the proper volume of fluid for these common pathologies has been well established, whether …
Continue reading The PLUS Trial and the Great Crystalloid Debate
Title: Evidence-Based Medicine Improves the Emergent Management of Peritonsillar Abscesses Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound. J Emerg Med. 2020 Nov;59(5):693-698. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2020.06.030. Epub 2020 Aug 19. What is already known about this topic?Ultrasound is an accepted modality for detecting peritonsillar abscess (PTA). There are two described approaches transcutaneous with linear transducer and intraoral with an endocavitary probe …
Continue reading POCUS Peritonsillar Abscess: A literature Review
Title: Recommendations on the Use of Ultrasound Guidance for Adult Lumbar Puncture: A Position Statement of the Society of Hospital Medicine. J Hosp Med. 2019 Oct 1;14(10):591-601. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3197. Epub 2019 Jun 10. What is already known about this topic?Previous meta-analysis with multiple RCTs have shown that ultrasound-guided LP is superior to landmark-guided LP for …
Continue reading Ultrasound Guided Lumbar Puncture; A literature review
Title: The Utility of Midline Intravenous Catheters in Critically Ill Emergency Department Patients. Ann Emerg Med. 2019 Dec 24. pii: S0196-0644(19)31236-3. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2019.09.018. What is already known about this topic?Previous studies have shown midline catheters inserted in upper arm veins have lower complication rates compared to central lines, and high rates of successful placement in …
Continue reading Midlines in the Emergency Department; a literature review
Title: Use of Handheld Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Emergency Airway Management. Chest. 2020 Sep 21;S0012-3692(20)34501-3. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2020.09.083. What is already known about this topic?Studies on traditional clinical examination techniques, such as modified Mallampati score, thyromental distance, neck range of motion, and mouth opening, have shown the limited predictive performance of for predicting difficult airways.Confirmation of endotracheal tube (ETT) …
Continue reading Point of Care Ultrasound in an Emergent Airway; a literature review
Whether for Journal Club, or while on the road of lifelong learning, being able to read journal articles is a core skill physicians must master. While it is tempting to merely read guidelines, summaries, or others’ analyses of articles, this will not help you become the best possible physician you can be. Choosing and evaluating …
Introduction Throughout the worldwide pandemic of COVID, the general understanding became that pediatric patients were not only less susceptible to the virus but also to the clinical symptoms that accompany it. Albeit rare, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a relatively new differential diagnosis that does not necessarily need positive COVID testing and in …
Continue reading Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
Antacid monotherapy is more effective in relieving epigastric pain than in combination with lidocaine. A randomized double-blind clinical trial. What is already known about this topic?i. There have been studies in the past which failed to show conclusive evidence that the addition of lidocaine to a “cocktail” was more effective at relieving symptoms associated with …
Continue reading Lidocaine’s (lack of) role in Epigastric Pain
AOMC FOAMed 