Estate planning. Those words may sound like something posh people do while sipping tea and playing croquet. In American legal terms, it takes on a more morbid meaning – planning for your death. More specifically, it means planning what happens to everything you own (your “estate”) after you die. If Read more…
Case: EMS brings in a 26-year-old male who reports he was stabbed in the back. He is speaking short phrases and complaining of a lot of pain on his right chest. Primary Survey: Airway intact, tachypnea with equal breath sounds bilaterally, strong pulses in all 4 extremities; GCS 15; small Read more…
Jellyfish belong to the phylum Cnidaria, which is defined by a unique venom delivery system. Cnidae (nematocysts) are small cells that are attached via tentacles in jellyfish and when triggered, either mechanically or chemically fire a small barb loaded with venom that embeds into victims. Nematocysts, and the venom they Read more…
Scorpionfish are a family of fish that sting victims with sharp spines covered in venom. Venom glands, located at the base of the spine, inject venom once the spines are embedded in the victim. While the location and composition of venom vary by species, all scorpionfish envenomations cause extremely painful Read more…
Mollusca is a hugely broad phylum of marine creatures, with everything from clams to octopuses. Animals in this phylum are characterized by a dorsal body wall which is usually firm with an opening for both the anus and genitals. Of the many types of molluscs, cone snails and the blue-ringed Read more…
Venomous snake bites are rarely encountered, yet they are a frequently tested topic in Emergency Medicine. Luckily, in North America, there are only two broad categories of venomous snake bites that we need to know how to manage. In the United States, 98% of reported venomous snake bites come from Read more…
Venomous snake bites are rarely encountered, yet they are a frequently tested topic in Emergency Medicine. Luckily, in North America, there are only two broad categories of venomous snake bites that we need to know how to manage. In the United States, 98% of reported venomous snake bites come from snakes Read more…
Spider bites are a common occurrence in the United States. While most bites are benign, there are two types of spiders with clinical importance to emergency physicians because their venom can cause significant systemic manifestations. These are widow spiders and recluse spiders. Missed diagnosis is common for both bite types, Read more…
Spider bites are a common occurrence in the United States. While most bites are benign, there are two types of spiders with clinical importance to emergency physicians because their venom can cause significant systemic manifestations. These are widow spiders and brown spiders. Missed diagnosis is common for both bite types, Read more…