Emergency Medicine General
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Managing the Difficult Airway in the Emergency Department
Securing an airway is a vital skill for an emergency medicine provider. The authors will review various scoring systems for predicting difficult airways, as well as a variety of techniques for approaching the difficult airway.
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Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: More than Hypertension and Proteinuria
This article explains the current diagnostic criteria for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and how they are interrelated. It also describes evidence-based interventions for emergency providers, who must know how to diagnose and treat these conditions, and when it is safe for discharge, as well as to arrange outpatient follow-up.
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Reviewing Pediatric Arrhythmias
Although pediatric arrhythmias are uncommon, it is essential to recognize which ones require diagnostic evaluation and therapy and which ones do not. Frequently, there are normal variations on pediatric ECGs that do not require a significant evaluation, but recognizing critical arrhythmias in pediatric patients is a must-know for providers.
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Identifying and Treating Non-COVID Viral Respiratory Infections
These days, it is easy to think every patient with a cough or a runny nose has COVID-19. But it is important to remember that all of the viral respiratory diseases are still circulating and causing significant disease and discomfort. Respiratory viruses can cause a variety of clinical manifestations, from asymptomatic infections to life-threatening illnesses with multi-organ failure.
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High Altitude Illness
Some patients love to challenge themselves, seeking new locations and activities, pushing themselves to perform in extreme environments. In this issue, the authors explore the physiology of altitude and the various illnesses encountered by people working and playing in the higher areas of the earth.
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How Did Paralytic Polio Re-Emerge in the U.S.?
Most outbreaks globally are attributed to vaccine-derived polio, or type 2. Cases of the type 2 form of polio stem from the large-scale, global use of the oral polio vaccine, a solution that contains a live (but weakened) virus.
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Many Emergency Medicine Residents Struggle with Communication
Researchers studied how to objectively assess patient/physician interactions in the ED. They used an observational tool to assess emergency medicine residents’ non-technical skills in patient interactions. This tool allows educators to consistently measure several important interpersonal domains to pinpoint the reasons why interactions are poor.
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Legal Implications if Adolescents Seek Confidential Care
Generally, emergency clinicians are required to obtain parental consent for care provided to minors. However, there can be exceptions if the minor is seeking treatment for sexually transmitted infections, mental health, substance use disorders, sexual assault, or pregnancy. Several federal and state laws apply. Healthcare professionals are advised to be aware of the laws where they practice.
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Tracking Undertriage Can Help Prevent Medical Errors
Investigators found several issues were important to track using quality improvement methods, including discrepancy in exam or history between the triage and assessment nurses, along with discrepancy between the chief complaint and the physical exam. Also, they found failure to synthesize historic or objective information.
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Repeat Visits Are Second Chances to Avoid Misdiagnosis
Conditions that start with subtle signs and evolve over time are traps for the practitioner who is too rushed to let the situation unfold.