We are excited to introduce the Fifth edition of The Ottawa Handbook of Emergency Medicine. Your bedside guide for approaches to various Emergency Medicine presentations.
Highlights of the Fifth edition include the addition of: general surgery emergencies, pediatric orthopedic presentations, and updates in pediatric fever + more!
Code Blind: Eye’m losing it! Vision Loss in the ED
Imagine waking up one day, and the world around you is no longer as you’ve always seen it. The numbers on your alarm clock blur into nothingness, or half of your vision seems to have vanished altogether. Panic sets in as you make your way to the emergency department....
Phenobarbital treatment of alcohol withdrawal in the emergency department: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 2/5 Lee CM, et al. Acad Emerg Med. 2024 May;31(5):515-524. Question and Methods: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the safety and efficacy of phenobarbital to benzodiazepines for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal...
Navigating Twists, Turns and Tears: BCVI in the ED (Part 2)
Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) involves vessel injuries that occur from trauma mechanisms commonly seen in the emergency department: falls down stairs, motor vehicle collisions, and facial trauma. By identifying high-risk patients early, we can decrease the risk...
Temporary mechanical circulatory support in infarct-related cardiogenic shock: an individual patient data meta-analysis of randomised trials with 6-month follow-up
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 1/5 Thiele H, et al. Lancet. 2024 Sep 14;404(10457):1019-1028. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01448-X Question and Methods: Does routine early use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) reduce mortality in acute myocardial infarction...
Navigating Twists, Turns and Tears: BCVI in the ED (Part 1)
Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) involves vessel injuries that occur from trauma mechanisms commonly seen in the emergency department: falls down stairs, motor vehicle collisions, and facial trauma. By identifying high-risk patients early, we can decrease the risk...
High-Flow Nasal Oxygen vs Noninvasive Ventilation in Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure: The RENOVATE Randomized Clinical Trial
Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 3/5 RENOVATE Investigators and the BRICNet Authors; et al. JAMA. 2025 Mar 11;333(10):875-890. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.26244. Question and methods: This multicentre, adaptive, RCT aimed to demonstrate noninferiority of HFNO vs NIV in...
Giving Feedback that Sticks and Receiving it With Purpose
The importance and efficacy of feedback as an educational tool is well established within medical education literature, with widespread consensus that it is essential for learner development.(1) Reflecting this, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education...
Test Characteristics of Emergency Medicine-Performed Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Acute Cholecystitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Wilson SJ, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2024 Mar;83(3):235-246. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.09.005. Questions and Method: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of emergency physician performed point of care ultrasound (POCUS) for acute...
Fascia’s Back: The Supra-Inguinal Fascia Iliaca (SIFI) Block
Do you like Sci-Fi? You’ll love the SIFI! Since we're in May, Star Wars fans get to celebrate with “May the 4th be with you”, but we’re here to introduce you to an even better type of SIFI: The Supra-Inguinal Fascia Iliaca (SIFI) Block. (...we're well aware that we...
Liberal or Restrictive Transfusion Strategy in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 3/5 English SW, et al. N Engl J Med. 2025 Mar 13;392(11):1079-1088. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2410962. Question and Methods: This multicenter RCT assessed whether a liberal (Hgb≤100 g/L) versus restrictive (Hgb≤80 g/L) transfusion strategy...