Adult-Sized Problems
It was one of my first shifts of residency after spending a few years with the U.S. Marines. Until recently, I had not treated a patient under the age of 17 since my internship t
Understanding Alcoholic Ketoacidosis
A 49-year-old male with a history of alcohol abuse presents to the ED with complaints of generalized abdominal pain and vomiting for the last 36 hours. The patien
A Reflection on Mental Health and Emergency Medicine
After a knock on the door, I entered the hospital room to find Lisa, a 12-year-old patient who was seated on the exam table, eyes fixed on her sho
A Temporal Problem: Diagnosing and Treating Viral Encephalitis in the ED
Case Report A 49-year-old male presents to the emergency department with two days of confusion, agitation, and speech abnormal
Backboards: Do They Really Have Your Back?
Spinal immobilization has long been considered standard practice for pre-hospital trauma patients. Placing patients on long spinal boards is one of the most
Practical Tips: When and How to Use a Femoral Nerve Block
An 82-year-old female shows up in your ED with severe hip pain after a fall at home. You already know what the x-ray is before you see it
What EMS Teaches Us
“I'm scared.” The young woman was tearful. These were the words of a patient from our first call of the day, a woman from the local jail with a possible miscarriage. She had had
Outside the ED: How EMS can Improve Your Emergency Medicine Residency
Pre-hospital medicine offers unique opportunities to an EM physician, and EMS training complements the emergency medicine curric
Management of Hypothermia from Wilderness to the ED
Wilderness medicine entails the treatment of exposure-related maladies in the middle of nowhere. Well, not always. While this blossoming field of e
Osteopathic EM: Two Roads, One Destination
The Changing Training Landscape In February 2014, after months of discussion, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the Accreditation Council for G