We are excited to introduce the Sixth edition of The Ottawa Handbook of Emergency Medicine. Your bedside guide for approaches to various Emergency Medicine presentations.
Highlights of the Sixth edition include the addition of: Oncologic emergencies, approach to the pregnant patient, geriatrics and more!
JVP is Dead
The Tooth Fairy. The Easter Bunny. Two cardiologists trying to agree on a JVP measurement. These are myths we share with children — and, perhaps, with medical students. When it comes to estimating right atrial pressure, maybe it’s time we add JVP to that list. A study...
5th Annual Ottawa POCUS Symposium – 2026 OTTAWA POCUS SYMPOSIUM
5th Annual Ottawa POCUS Symposium Choose 2 of 4 separate tracks to focus on what you want to improve: 1. Regional Analgesia: Upper limb, thoracic and hip blocks 2. Cardiac and DVT POCUS 3. Left ventricle function and basic valvular assessment 4. Procedural POCUS...
Multidose Ondansetron after Emergency Visits in Children with Gastroenteritis
Freedman SB, et al. N Engl J Med. 2025 Jul 17;393(3):255-266. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2503596. Methodology: 4.5/5 Usefulness: 4/5 Question and Methods: This multicentre, double-blind randomized superiority trial evaluated the effectiveness of oral ondansetron dispensed at...
The ENT Tool Kit: Practical Pearls for Emergency Physicians
As an emergency medicine physician, whether you are working in the resuscitation bay or in urgent care, ENT complaints are common and will be encountered in both areas. The goal of this post is to provide you with a practical framework and highlight tips and tricks...
PEAChY-O: Pharmacological Emergency Management of Agitation in Children and Young People: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Oral Medication
Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 3/5 Bourke EM, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2025 Jul;86(1):1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2025.01.007. Question and Methods: In this randomized, open-label, multicentre trial, the authors investigated whether oral olanzapine was more...
Blakemore Tube Insertion
A 60-year-old male with a history of cirrhosis arrives in your ED in extremis; no vital signs, massive hematemesis en route, and a presumptive diagnosis of ruptured esophageal varices. Your team initiates the massive transfusion protocol, secures the airway, and...
Efficacy and safety of intravenous nerinetide initiated by paramedics in the field for acute cerebral ischaemia within 3 h of symptom onset (FRONTIER): a phase 2, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 4/5 Christenson J, et al. Lancet. 2025 Feb 15;405(10478):571-582. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00193-X. Question and Methods: Double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT to determine if prehospital administration of nerinetide for suspected acute...
Are We Triage Monkeys or Gods? Big and Small Decisions in the ED
While the term ‘God Squad’ reflects a real committee from the 1960s, we use it here critically to examine the risks of unchecked decision-making power in emergency care. This is a photo of the Admissions and Policy Committee of the Seattle Artificial Kidney Centre,...
Unexpected Souvenirs: The Latest in Fever in the Returning Traveller
Global travel has surged back in full force following the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing with it an important clinical consideration for emergency physicians—evaluating febrile patients with recent travel history. Despite the growing need, many emergency clinicians still...
The Code Crew: Medications That Save the Beat!
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is sudden, silent, and devastating, claiming 9 out of 10 lives before they ever reach a hospital. In Canada, approximately 60,000 OHCAs occur annually — that’s one every nine minutes — and fewer than 1 in 10 people survive1....