How much do hospitals spend just to get paid? A new study1 in JAMA estimates that the cost of billing and insurance activities at a large academic health system in Durham, North Carolina ranged from $20 for a primary care Read more…
In 2001, the only drug to treat sepsis was approved by the FDA and swiftly brought to market by Eli Lilly & Co. So, why have most residents never heard of Xigris (drotrecogin alfa)? Read more…
This board review post will go over the basics of Radial Nerve Palsy. How does one get a radial nerve palsy? Contrary to what I previously thought, “Saturday-night palsy” rarely results from prolonged axilla compression. The classic story of Read more…
This month’s meeting of the Wilderness Medicine group discussed burn management in the wilderness and low resource settings. The article of interest, in a recent edition of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, comes from two global health practitioners, one of whom Read more…
Emergency departments everywhere are dealing with a surge of patients due to the influenza pandemic. During a recent shift, you pick up your 6th triage complaint of “I have the flu.” You send the medical student to go see the Read more…
A 37-year-old male with no past medical history comes into the ED complaining of palpitations and weakness. He has felt intermittent palpitations in the past, but they usually self resolve within a few minutes. The symptoms started when he first Read more…
It’s another day at your local university hospital. You’re nearing the end of your shift and wrapping up your cases. Your mind is already starting to wander with thoughts of what you’ll do on vacation. Suddenly, you hear some commotion Read more…
You are walking around the ED when you notice a man holding his right arm abducted and raised up above his head. He must be saying “hello”! You’ve had a tough shift, and it is so nice to see a Read more…
We had only one response to this most recent edition of Case of the Month, and Dr. Birnbaum hit the nail right on the head. Check here for the complete vignette. To summarize: The patient is a 28-year-old man with Read more…
Seeing neonates in the Emergency Department makes me nervous. Hopefully this review can simplify one of the more common neonatal presentations. Following are the key points emergency clinicians need to know about neonatal jaundice. Neonatal jaundice is often physiologic, Read more…
