Category: Emergency Medicine
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How to Remember the Causes of Arrhythmias (the H’s and T’s)
Causes of arrhythmias, including asystole, include: H‘s: think about what blood does: Volume (hypovolemia) Oxygen (hypoxemia) Glucose (hypoglycemia) Potassium (hypo- or hyperkalemia) Acid-base balance (H+ or acidosis) Temperature regulation (hypothermia) T‘s : imagine a (toxic) lead bullet piercing a chest. What can it cause? Trauma Toxins Tamponade Tension pneumothorax Thrombosis (PE or MI) Reference Dr. Christopher Gallagher’s…
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Atopic Dermatitis (“Eczema”): How to Control it
Step 1: First of all, make sure it’s really atopic dermatitis! Atopic dermatitis is a pruritic, immune-mediated skin condition that is common in all age groups, but is particularly common among infants, toddlers and small children. It is commonly called eczema by clinicians and laypersons alike. There are three different highly pruritic skin conditions that…
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Book Review: Toxicology in a Box
Toxicology in a box is a pretty cool toxicology learning tool. The box contains 154 flashcards with classic and memorable drawings of important poisonings and toxidromes. On the reverse of each card, there is additional important information about sources, classic scenarios, signs/symptoms, mechanisms of action, treatment and clinical pearls.The cards are hilarious (sometimes!) and memorable. It’s really…
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Book Review: ECGs for the Emergency Physician 1
ECGs for the Emergency Physician 1 is basically an ECG teaching file with a good mix of clear-cut and more abstruse cases. Interpretations are provided by Dr. Amal Mattu who probably needs no introduction from me as one of the most influential ECG teachers of this generation. The clear typeface and crisp images are striking.…
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Book Review: Rapid Interpretation of ECGs in Emergency Medicine
I don’t have any electrocardiography books on my list of best medical books of all time. There are a few contenders for that spot. One of them is Rapid Interpretation of ECGs in Emergency Medicine: A Visual Guide (2012) by Drs. Jennifer Martindale and David Brown. The book is basically a marked-up atlas of important,…
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Hypoxia: Critical but Often Poorly Understood Concepts
Hypoxemic Hypoxia Arterial hypoxemia almost always points to either a reduction of the inspired oxygen tension or to a lung problem. When troubleshooting a hypoxemic patient, it sometimes helps to investigate the problem by breaking it down in an organized and stepwise fashion: Hardware and access issues: these are more or less obvious plumbing problems which…
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Book Review: Surgical Recall, 6e
Surgical Recall, 6e (2012) by Lorne H. Blackbourne MD is an 800-page handbook that is packed with very high-yield clinical information that all primary care physicians should find relevant. The book is obviously is surgery oriented, but I find its content to be extremely relevant to all major medical specialties. Solid tumors, relevant to almost…