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!
Early Extracorporeal CPR for Refractory Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 2.5/5 Suverein MM, et al. N Engl J Med. 2023 Jan 26;388(4):299-309. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2204511. Question and Methods: Does eCPR increase survival at 30 days with good neurologic outcome in refractory OHCA caused by an initial cardiac...
RV Failure and Acute Pulmonary Embolism
Right here, Right now! Pumping up our Knowledge on Right Ventricular Failure and Acute Pulmonary Embolism The treatment of patients with right ventricular failure from pulmonary embolism follows some key principles that differ from our typical...
Risk of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Infants Younger than 3 Months With Minor Blunt Head Trauma
Methodology: 3/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Abid Z, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2021 Sep;78(3):321-330.e1. Question and Methods: The study assessed the risk of brain injuries and fractures among infants <3 months with/without PECARN low-risk criteria by secondary analysis of...
Optimistic Nihilism in Medicine
Spiritualism represents an important aspect within the domains of wellness. Now, spiritualism is a very personal and individual thing, but having some element of spiritualism has demonstrated benefits to one’s mental health, and our personal philosophies can help...
Confronting the Storm: The Overactive Thyroid
“When You Hear Hooves, Think Horse, Not Zebra” – Dr. Theodore Woodward This above sentence is a dictum that every medical student has heard at some point during their training. It's the reason, that when someone comes in febrile and agitated our first thoughts...
Canadian Women Physicians Day!
Canadian Women Physicians Day was established in 2021 with the objective of honouring women’s achievements in medicine. It marks the day that Dr. Jennie Trout became the first woman licensed to practice medicine in Canada on March 11, 1875. In 2023, female...
Buprenorphine: A guide for ED providers
The opioid epidemic is not new to ED providers, but many will be shocked to learn about the true extent of the harm caused by opioids in Canada. In the first half of 2022, there were 3556 recorded deaths due to opioid toxicity in Canada. This amounts to 19 deaths...
Dexamethasone and ketorolac compare with ketorolac alone in acute renal colic: A randomized clinical trial
Methodology: 2.5/5 Usefulness: 2.5/5 Razi A, et al. Am J Emerg Med. 2022 Aug;58:245-250. Question and Methods: This single-center, RCT of 120 patients with acute renal colic compared pain control and antiemetic use with dexamethasone + ketorolac compared to...
To HEART score, or not to HEART score
To HEART score, or not to HEART score - now that is a question. In the past five years it has become increasing common to hear Emergency Medicine providers and residents reference the HEART score when reviewing chest pain cases. This is especially true when they are...
High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin on Presentation to Rule Out Myocardial Infarction: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Anand A, et al. Circulation. 2021 Jun 8;143(23):2214-2224. Raising the Bar for Clinical Cardiac Troponin Research Studies and Implementation Science. Question and Methods: Does implementation of an early rule-out (ERO) strategy...