Contributor: Travis Barlock, MD Educational Pearls: Most oxygen in the body is bound to hemoglobin, forming oxyhemoglobin. Less than 1% of the oxygen in the body is dissolved in plasma. Pulse Oximeters (Pulse Ox) function by emitting wavelengths of light from one side, and capturing the amount absorbed on the opposite side. A calculation determined the amount of saturation. Pulse Ox relies on pulsations in arterial flow to create a photoplethysmogram (pleth) for measurements Patients with poor p...
Sep 13, 2022•4 min
Contributor: Nick Tsipis, MD Educational Pearls: PO medications are less frequently used in the ED due to their longer onset of action The position the patient is in when given PO medications may affect how quickly the medication is absorbed The quicker the medication passes through the stomach into the small intestine, the quicker it can be absorbed and metabolized Recent study used in silico gastric biomechanics model to compare the length of time it took PO medications to pass through the sto...
Sep 12, 2022•3 min
Contributor: Lessen, Aaron MD Educational Pearls: Ketamine can be given at 0.2-0.3 mg/kg as subdissociative doses for pain control in the ED Ketamine coadministered with Haldol may reduce agitation A recent study in Iran compared subdissociative Ketamine given with 2.5 mg Haldol to 1 mg/kg Fentanyl for pain control in the ED Ketamine with Haldol had better pain control than Fentanyl at 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes Ketamine with Haldol less frequently required rescue medication Ketamine with Haldol d...
Sep 07, 2022•3 min
Contributor: Jarod Scott, MD Educational Pearls: There is a 1-hour window for tooth replantation in ED Cold milk is often best transport media unless there is access to specialized solutions (Hank’s Balanced Solution) Goal is to preserve periodontal ligament Soaking in tap water should be avoided as it will lyse cells of periodontal ligament If oral surgeon is rapidly available, have them perform replantation Do not delay replantation to wait for an oral surgeon to become available Steps in toot...
Sep 05, 2022•5 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Achilles tendon rupture usually presents in younger, healthy patients after a sports injury Patients typically present complaining of an abrupt onset ankle pain after feeling a “pop” Pain can be localized to posterior ankle and patient’s lack the ability to plantarflex Achilles rupture is a clinical diagnosis and does not usually require imaging in the ED Thompson test Having patient lay on their stomach and squeezing the calf on the injured side...
Aug 30, 2022•5 min
Contributor: Dylan Luyten, MD Educational Pearls: Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) is positive pressure within the lungs and maintained throughout the entire respiratory cycle. It is the pressure preventing alveoli from collapsing at the en d of exhalation. When using a bag valve mask (BVM) to ventilate patients, always attach the PEEP valve to prevent intrathoracic pressure from returning to atmospheric pressure which would allow alveoli collapse. A BVM with a good seal to patients face ...
Aug 29, 2022•5 min
Contributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: If a patient is in significant pain, a digital block can be helpful. Pain management alone may allow for manual ring removal. Ring cutters and trauma shears with specialized ring cutters can be attempted but will destroy the ring and some materials may be resistant to cutting. 2 alternative options are presented which aim to reduce edema above the ring to assist removal: Move the ring as proximally as possible. Wrap large size suture from the ring...
Aug 23, 2022•4 min
Contributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: Physicians are typically advised not to trust computer interpretation of ECGs Retrospective study was done of computer interpreted normal ECGs to evaluate the accuracy of such an interpretation 989 ECGs were interpreted as “Normal sinus rhythm, Normal ECG” by proprietary cardiology software on MUSE Cardiology Information System These EKGs received follow up interpretation by cardiologists which was considered the “gold standard” for interpretation...
Aug 22, 2022•4 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Patients with recurrent ascites may need frequent outpatient or emergency department paracentesis which can be time consuming and uncomfortable for patients. Tunneled peritoneal catheters are a permanent alternative therapy which allows fluid drainage at home by patient or caregiver. There has been theoretical concern that long term placement of tunneled peritoneal catheters may increase risk of infection, thus they are more commonly placed as a ...
Aug 16, 2022•3 min
Contributor: Peter Bakes, MD Educational Pearls: Tachycardia describes a heart rate of >120 beats per minute Wide Complex describes a QRS duration of >120 ms or 3 small boxes on a standard EKG The major differential for a wide complex tachycardia is Ventricular Tachycardia (VT), aka “V Tach”, or Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) with Aberrancy SVT alone is a narrow complex tachycardia, but as rate increases a right or left bundle branch block pattern may emerge, creating SVT with Aberrancy seen...
Aug 09, 2022•6 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Awareness with recall of paralysis can occur in intubated and ventilated patients receiving paralytic medications Patients who suffer from this effect are at high risk of developing severe PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideations Occurs in approximately 0.1-0.2% of patients undergoing general anesthesia in an OR setting 2021 study showed patients intubated in the ED have a much higher rate of experiencing awareness during intubation 2.6% chance o...
Aug 08, 2022•3 min
Selected audio from our event, Palliative, hosted on June 27, 2022 in conjunction with Children's Hospital Colorado's Department of Palliative Medicine and The Denver Hospice's Footprints Program . Keynote address by Dr. Nadia Tremonti, pediatric palliative care physician at Children's Hospital of Michigan Expert Panel composed of Dr. Kimberly Bennett, medical director for TDH's Footprints Program, Dora Mueller, clinical nurse coordinator for palliative care at Children's and Cassie Matz, LCSW b...
Aug 03, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Intranasal medication administration is a convenient, quick, and relatively painless option for pediatric patients Often used as an initial medication to help control pain in children prior to establishing an IV Using an atomizer is preferred when administering intranasal medications The syringe should be angled towards the ipsilateral eye or occiput rather than straight upwards Do not administer more than 1 mL of fluid per nostril as volumes gre...
Aug 02, 2022•3 min
In this second episode of a two-part mini-series, we feature Dr. Nadia Haddad, a Colorado psychiatrist, and Dr. Ricky Dhaliwal, an emergency medicine physician, as they discuss the various treatment modalities for substance-induced psychosis. They explore pharmacologic treatments, inpatient and outpatient treatments, and ways that emergency providers can improve their care for psychiatric patients with comorbid medical conditions. Lastly, they consider the different causes for repeat visits from...
Jul 27, 2022•24 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: There are two common options for push-dose vasopressor: phenylephrine and epinephrine. Both have been studied in the setting of the OR, but are lacking data in emergency room utilization. A recent retrospective study at one hospital compared the two options for effectiveness and safety. The data showed phenylephrine raised systolic pressure an average 26 points while epinephrine raised the systolic pressure higher, an average of 33 points. Additi...
Jul 26, 2022•3 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: A recent study evaluated the association between the degree of fever and mortality rate in patients presenting to a set of Emergency Departments in Israel Febrile patients with a temperature > 38.0 C were recorded and these patients were compared against local death records to determine the all-cause 30-day mortality rate 8.1% of patients evaluated in the ED were determined to be febrile 30-day mortality for all febrile patients was around 12% Pa...
Jul 25, 2022•3 min
Contributor: Peter Bakes, MD Educational Pearls: Patients in renal failure may have elevated serum potassium levels which can result in EKG changes. EKG changes in the setting of hyperkalemia generally depend on the serum level. Mild elevation may cause peaked T waves. At higher serum levels there will be loss of P waves plus wide complex tachycardia. There can be progression to fatal arrhythmias. Treatment of acute hyperkalemia involves multiple mechanisms. Calcium gluconate stabilizes the card...
Jul 19, 2022•4 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Prior, smaller studies showed intravenous Vitamin C given to patients with sepsis significantly improved patient mortality and additional outcomes. A recently published, randomized control trial with >800 ICU patients who received up to 4 days of IV Vit C or placebo concluded that the end points of death or persistent organ dysfunction at 28 days were unaffected by Vitamin C administration. There were no adverse safety outcomes associated with Vi...
Jul 12, 2022•3 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Septic shock management has traditionally endorsed rapid fluid resuscitation and the administration of vasopressors Current guidelines are for patients to initially receive a 30 ml/kg fluid bolus then additional fluid as needed for continued hypotension The ideal volume of fluid needed to maximize patient outcomes has been debated A recent ICU-based study examined mortality differences between patient receiving restricted vs standard fluid therap...
Jul 11, 2022•3 min
Contributor: Peter Bakes, MD Educational Pearls: Lithium remains a commonly used medication for treating bipolar disorder Lithium toxicity can be acute, acute-on-chronic, or chronic Measuring blood lithium level Therapeutic range of lithium is around 1.6-1.8 mEq/L >2 mEq/L is likely to cause significant toxicity >4 mEq/L necessitates lifesaving treatment The lethal dose of lithium is 700 mg/kg Lithium can have delayed absorption resulting in levels increasing during hospitalization Symptoms asso...
Jul 05, 2022•5 min
Contributor: Peter Bakes, MD Educational Pearls: When intubating a patient, it is important to consider what medications will be used for post-intubation sedation and analgesia The common non-benzodiazepine sedating medications are propofol, precedex, and ketamine Propofol is frequently used in the emergency department, and it lowers ICP and MAP making it the preferred sedative for patients with intracranial bleeds Precedex is a milder sedative used in the ICU because it decreases time to extuba...
Jun 27, 2022•6 min
Contributor: Jarod Scott, MD Educational Pearls: Rectal prolapse is an evagination of the rectal tissue through the anal opening Factors that weaken the pelvic floor muscles increase the risk of rectal prolapse These include age > 40, female, multiple pregnancies, constipation, diarrhea, cystic fibrosis, prior pelvic floor surgeries, or other pelvic floor abnormalities Noninvasive treatment options include increasing fluid and fiber intake to soften stools as well as using padding/taping to rein...
Jun 21, 2022•5 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State (HHS) is less common than Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) but is associated with a mortality rate up to 10 times greater than that seen in DKA Typically seen in elderly patients with severely elevated blood glucose levels (>1000 mg/dL) and an increased plasma osmolality Unlike in DKA, patients with HHS do not have elevated ketones Treatment of HHS includes insulin administration along with correcting fluid and electro...
Jun 20, 2022•4 min
The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we our upcoming event, Palliative. Check out our event page for more information and to buy tickets: Palliative Eventbrite Page
Jun 15, 2022•18 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: NSAIDs are a potential alternative to opioids for pain management and are associated with decreased rates of adverse effects A recent study evaluated the effectiveness of ibuprofen and oxycodone for pain management in pediatric patients with isolated, acute-limb fractures Participants were discharged home with either ibuprofen or oxycodone and followed for six weeks There was no difference in pain scores between those taking ibuprofen and those t...
Jun 14, 2022•3 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) have surpassed Warfarin and Lovenox® for anticoagulation as they do not require injection and allow for easier discharge. In the ED, they are commonly prescribed after PE or DVT diagnosis. Common DOACs are Apixaban (Eliquis®) and Rivaroxaban (Xarelto®). There has not been a direct head to head study comparing outcomes. 2 large observational studies evaluated the recurrence of clots and bleeding risk in patients ...
Jun 13, 2022•3 min
Substance-Induced Psychosis (Part I) In this first episode of a two-part mini-series, we feature Dr. Nadia Haddad, a Colorado psychiatrist, and Dr. Ricky Dhaliwal, an emergency medicine physician, as they discuss the different substances that cause psychosis and their unique presentations in the ED and in the psychiatric world. First, Dr. Haddad establishes a medical definition of psychosis. Then, Dr. Haddad and Dr. Dhaliwal partake in a fruitful discussion, each providing their unique perspecti...
Jun 08, 2022•16 min
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Tracheostomy bleeding is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication that usually occurs within the first month of tracheostomy tube placement No matter how severe the bleeding, every patient should be evaluated to rule out a tracheo-innominate fistula between the tracheostomy and the innominate artery If the patient is currently bleeding and has a cuffed tracheostomy tube, over-inflate the balloon to compress the bleeding vessel Conside...
Jun 07, 2022•5 min
Contributor: Nick Hatch, MD Educational Pearls: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an increasingly common endovascular procedure to treat aortic stenosis TAVR is an alternative to the open approach surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for patients who are inoperable or are high risk surgical candidates Following TAVR, there is increased risk of stroke, particularly in the first 30 days TAVR-related strokes are due to embolic debris left on the valve root, which is generally cle...
Jun 06, 2022•5 min
Contributor: Nick Hatch, MD Educational Pearls: “Smiling Death” describes the prehospital phenomenon of a person who is happy to be extricated from an extended period of crush injury, but dies suddenly soon after the rescue. Smiling Death is caused by Crush Syndrome. Crush Syndrome begins when large areas of tissue are damaged by compression and subsequent impeded blood flow. Resultant cell death is followed by release of myoglobin and efflux of electrolytes including potassium. Upon removal of ...
May 31, 2022•6 min
