Recognizing and Treating Thyroid Storm
Thyroid storm is an extreme version of hyperthyroidism with a mortality rate that approaches 30%, even with treatment. The recognition and management of thyroid storm can be difficult in the…
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…
Appropriate Antibiotics for Resistant Organisms
Some mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics
Antibiotics are prescribed to ~15% of emergency department (ED) patients and are among the most frequently utilized medications in emergency medicine. Often, the emergency provider (EP) must make clinical decisions…
Imitators and Mimics of Acute Stroke
Stroke Mimics and Imitators
Acute Stroke mimics, or nonvascular disorders that produce focal neurologic deficits, often confound the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke...
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…
Embolic Complications of Infective Endocarditis
Infective endocarditis - etiology and sources of infection
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a bacterial or fungal infection of the heart valves or perivalvular structures and is a highly morbid condition associated with significant in-hospital mortality. The morbidity of…
Atypical Causes of Status Epilepticus
The definition of status epilepticus has evolved as understanding of its potential sequelae has increased. Before examining the different causes of generalized convulsive status epilepticus (GCSE), it is important to…
A Guide to Vaso-Occlusive Episode (VOE) in Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle Cell Disease - Pathophysiology of disease and complications
Pain in a patient with sickle cell disease (SCD) can be an indicator of lifethreatening pathology. The provider can be lured into diagnosing and treating pain as a vaso-occlusive episode…
Acute Esophageal Variceal Bleeding
Esophageal Variceal Bleeding - Diagnosis and Management Summary
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) results from a variety of conditions that can vary from annoying to life threatening. The determination of nonvariceal versus variceal bleeding is critical as the tests…
Nontraditional Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) in Patients with Chest Pain
Emergency providers (EP) frequently evaluate patients with acute chest pain. While most EPs rely on traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) to aid their evaluation, they should also…