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!
Lung Protective Ventilation
In our first part, we talked about the basics of mechanical ventilation and how to set up the ventilator for the busy ED doc! In part two, we discuss lung protective ventilation and go through a few cases to help solidify what we've learned. If you haven't read part...
Extracorporeal Life Support in Infarct-Related Cardiogenic Shock
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Thiele H, et al. N Engl J Med. 2023 Oct 5;389(14):1286-1297. Editorial: Routine Early ECLS in Infarct-Related Cardiogenic Shock? Question: Does early ECLS therapy confer a mortality benefit in patients with MI complicated by...
Mechanical Ventilation Basics
Mechanical ventilation has a lot of nuance associated with it, but a lot of reference guides focus on care in the ICU. There is certainly a need for more practical application for the ED doc or initial setup of patients on the vent. With both ER and ICU experience,...
Randomized Trial Comparing Low- vs High-Dose IV Dexamethasone for Patients With Moderate to Severe Migraine
Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 4/5 Friedman BW, et al. Neurology. 2023 Oct 3;101(14):e1448-e1454. Question and Methods: This double-blinded RCT of 209 patients presenting to the ED with moderate to severe migraines compared high- to low- dose dexamethasone (16 mg vs...
Liver Let Die? Approach to Splanchnic Vein Thrombosis & Shock Liver
When working up your patient, how often do you think of problems related to the hepatic venous system? Have you suppressed those memories of time spent over your cadaver in medical school learning the anatomy? By the end of this, you will all be newly discovered...
Factors Affecting the EPA Experience
What exactly is an EPA, really? EPAs, or Entrustable Professional Activities, are the basic building blocks of assessment within many models of Competency-Based Medical Education, such as Competency By Design. In theory, EPA assessments are supposed to serve as...
Early versus delayed antihypertensive treatment in patients with acute ischaemic stroke: multicentre, open label, randomised, controlled trial
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 2/5 Liu L, et al. BMJ. 2023 Oct 9;383:e076448. Question: Do early vs delayed blood pressure management in patients with mild-moderate acute ischemic strokes decrease death or dependency at 90 days? Methods: Randomization to early (24 hrs)...
Pediatric Traumatic Cardiac Arrest
Trauma is the leading cause of child and youth mortality globally (1). Pediatric trauma is a high acuity but low frequency event (2). Trauma is children is 7 times less frequent in comparison to the adult population (2). There is a well-documented correlation amongst...
Ottawa POCUS Symposium
Take your POCUS Game to the Next Level Who should attend: Staff and resident physicians and other practitioners who take care of acutely unwell patients. Plenary Talks: Working up the “nerve” to “block” pain in the ED: is it time to change our approach? - Dr Alice...
BHP Corner: Acute Behavioural Disturbances
Introduction Emergency health care places paramedics and healthcare providers are at the intersection of complex ethical considerations and legal obligations when addressing acute behavioural disturbances. The need for immediate treatment or physical/chemical...