Burns Algorithm
Remove clothing (operative for adherent clothing), Stop burning, Provide first aid (avoid hypothermia with overuse of water to decontaminate wounds), Asses for other injuries, asses burn severity (below), consider transfer
Upper Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Department
Work-up for upper abdominal pain begins with resuscitation and exclusion of critical diagnoses. Then, through a detailed history and physical, consider all the causes of upper abdominal pain. The differential may then come down to Gallstone etiology vs Gastritis/PUD → will need further imaging based on suspicion (US abdomen)
Shortness of Breath (Dyspnea) in the Emergency Department
Shortness of Breath Algorithm
Assess severity of dyspnea, including need for intubation/airway management based on physical examination. Emergent intubation indicated regardless of cause if severe respiratory distress/arrest. Consider Critical diagnoses → may be able to cure patient and avert intubation if the underlying cause is corrected (i.e. chest tube insertion, foreign body removal…)
Anxiety in the Emergency Department
Medical Conditions with Anxiety as a Common Symptom
The Anxious State limbic system, in particular the amygdala, facilitates autonomic arousal under conditions of uncertainty or distress. The increase in sympathetic tone contributes to a state of readiness with…
Shock Algorithm
Shock Algorithm
The goal for the patient in shock is rapidly identifying that the patient is in shock, finding the cause of shock and treating the cause while simultaneously resuscitating the patient.…
Approach to Undifferentiated Circulatory Shock
Circulatory Shock - Differential Diagnosis
The patient in Undifferentiated Circulatory Shock presents a unique challenge for the emergency physician, as the provider must perform time-critical resuscitation with limited diagnostic information. In addition to a focused…
Non-Cardiac Causes of Chest Pain
Annually, almost 6 million patients present to the emergency department with a chief complaint of chest pain. Thankfully, the majority will not have an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as the…
Pulmonary Thromboembolism and Thrombolytics
Pulmonary Thromboembolism: Pathophysiology, Clinical Features, Risk Factors, Investigations and Management
Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is responsible for more than 250,000 annual hospitalizations in the United States, with significant risk for morbidity…
Resuscitation Fluid Therapy
Theoretical Distribution of intravenous fluids on infusion
For an average adult, water accounts for 60% of total body mass. However, this percentage decreases as the percentage of fat increases since fat has a lower water content than…
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an increasingly popular technology that is used as a modified cardiopulmonary bypass in order to oxygenate blood externally. First demonstrated in the 1970s, it has…