Clinical decision rules (CDR) can improve decision-making in specific situations in the ED, potentially decreasing further testing and improving disposition times. This part of the CDR series will look in detail at a current clinically significant CDR and pathway - The HEART pathway.
The Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System” drew attention to medical errors and the need for improving quality and safety in medicine. Since then, a body of literature has emerged suggesting that transparency around adverse events and medical err...
How do you care for the crashing trauma patient? This post takes you through the critical resuscitation step-by-step.
We are masters of the airway, often managing life-threatening scenarios and conditions. However, the patient who decompensates around the time of intubation, or directly after the procedure, can be frightening. What can you do to mimize these events?
Every provider has their own twist on the standard "headache cocktail", but what is the evidence behind the individual medications for headache management? What about treating headaches in the pregnant or pediatric patient? This post seeks to answer these questions and more.
A post filled with management pearls for atrial fibrillation. What are potential etiologies? What medications should you use, when should you use them, and what are potential problems with these medications? What about anticoagulation?
Bacteremia affects 200,000 patients per year, with the potential of causing significant mortality. Blood cultures are considered the most sensitive method for detecting bacteremia and are commonly obtained in patients with fever, chills, leukocytosis, focal infections, sepsis, or suspected endocarditis. However, what is the literature behind obtaining cultures in the ED?
Vasopressor use in patients with sepsis has been studied extensively, with many calling for early, peripheral vasopressors. What is the literature behind this, and are patient outcomes affected? This post examines the studies for vasopressors in sepsis and more.
