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!
Primary Care in the ED: Depression
In this second post on Primary Care in the ED we are going to focus on the acute management and treatment of depression. In part one we focused on HTN and COPD - read more here. ED visits for mental health are rising, and many patients use the ED as their first point...
Intra-arterial Tenecteplase for Acute Stroke After Successful Endovascular Therapy: The ANGEL-TNK Randomized Clinical Trial
Methodology: 4.5/5 Usefulness: 4/5 Miao Z, et al. JAMA. 2025 Aug 19;334(7):582-591. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.10800. Question and Methods: To compare clinical outcomes in patients with acute LVO for those who received intra-arterial tenecteplase after successful...
Primary Care in the ED: HTN and COPD
It’s no secret that in Canada, family medicine is in crisis. 6.5 million Canadians are without a family doctor,¹ and in a recent Ontario survey, 65% of family physicians reported preparing to leave their profession or reduce hours over the next five years.² This is...
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...