“He took all his medication,” you chuckle to yourself as you read the chief complaint on the board. “Man, isn’t that what we try to get all our patients to do?” As you open up the patient’s chart, however, your Read more…
In the spirit of Halloween, let’s delve into some our biggest fears as clinical monsters. Firstly, we have that ongoing fear of missing a diagnosis, because it makes us feel like we’re not smart or thorough enough. Secondly, we fear Read more…
Rhythm Nation returns with another ECG from University Hospital of Brooklyn at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Case: 52-year-old man with past history of of Hypertension, Diabetes mellitus, and Hyperlipidemia who presented with chest pain. HPI: The patient’s chest Read more…
What is Meralgia Paresthetica? Meralgia Paresthetica, or lateral femoral cutaneous nerve entrapment, is a clinical syndrome consisting of pain and/or dysesthesia in the anterolateral thigh due to compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Who is at risk? Risk Read more…
The Background At elevation, the body needs to adapt to the decreased partial pressure of oxygen. In the short term adaptations include tachycardia, hypertension and hyperventilation. These physiologic alterations are usually enough to prevent serious physiological distress. However, if ascent Read more…
A 56-year-old homeless man is brought in by EMS after being found down outside a convenience store. He was alone and lying in a puddle of urine. Vital Signs BP 156/90 mm Hg, HR 89/min, RR 20/min, POx 94% on Read more…
This EM-Critical Care Medicine case presentation focused on a very complex resuscitation with multiple facets. The case is notable because it includes most, if not all, of the factors we should consider when worrying about a peri-intubation arrest. Let’s recap Read more…
A 4-year-old girl is brought to the Emergency Department for fever and cough. You saw her 3 days ago for a Seal-like, barky cough and low-grade fever. You diagnosed her with mild croup, gave a dose of steroids, and Read more…
Avoidable Emergency Department (ED) visits are difficult to define but of vital interest to ED reimbursement and profit. A newly released study1 from UCSF Department of Emergency Medicine estimated “avoidable” visits comprise 3.3% of ED visits. Some have hailed the Read more…
Get your thinking caps ready folks, for it’s time for the newest edition of Case of the Month. The patient is a 28-year-old man with a history of SLE complicated by lupus nephritis, who presents with pressure-like mid-back Read more…
