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!
Early Restrictive vs Liberal Oxygen for Trauma Patients: The TRAUMOX2 Randomized Clinical Trial
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 2/5 Arleth T, et al. JAMA. 2025;333(6):479–489. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.25786 Question and Methods: This multicentered randomized control trial allocated trauma patients to a liberal or restrictive oxygen strategy for 8 hours to examine...
Ottawa DVT PoCUS Handbook
The Ottawa DVT PoCUS Handbook is a peer-reviewed, practical guide designed to support emergency clinicians in the bedside diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis using point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS). Developed by emergency medicine physicians at The Ottawa Hospital, this...
Restrictive vs Liberal Transfusion Strategy in Patients With Acute Brain Injury: The TRAIN Randomized Clinical Trial
Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 4/5 Taccone FS, et al. JAMA. 2024 Nov 19;332(19):1623-1633. Question and Methods: This multicenter, randomized trial aimed to determine the optimal hemoglobin transfusion threshold in patients with acute brain injury, comparing a...
In the Shallow: An ED Approach to Superficial Vein Thrombosis
You are working in the low acuity zone of the ED when you encounter your first patient. She’s a 75-year-old female with a history of hypertension, diabetes and total right hip replacement 1.5 months ago presenting with left leg swelling and pain. You see the patient...
Echos of the Future: PoCUS in EM
How did ultrasound become a cornerstone of emergency medicine? What ultrasound skills should an emergency physician in Canada possess? And with the rise of handheld devices and AI-driven diagnostics, where is PoCUS in emergency medicine headed? Here, we are going to...
Noninvasive Ventilation for Preoxygenation during Emergency Intubation
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Gibbs KW, et al. N Engl J Med. 2024 Jun 20;390(23):2165-2177. Question and Methods: The PREOXI trial aimed to determine whether noninvasive ventilation (NIV) via BiPAP reduces hypoxemia compared to standard oxygen masks for...
FOCUS your PoCUS!
Ever feel like your PoCUS image lacks clarity? Like.. you're over the right area of interest but the lines aren't crisp enough? In this post, our PoCUS pearl is all about using focus mode to optimize your images. Why Does Focus Matter? Ultrasound machines use...
Snooze Control: Procedural Sedation 101
Procedural sedation (PS) is a cornerstone of Emergency Medicine, frequently employed in the Emergency Department (ED) to facilitate painful or anxiety-provoking procedures while ensuring patient comfort. The goal is to achieve optimal sedation while allowing for rapid...
Implementation of Electronic Health Record Integration and Clinical Decision Support to Improve Emergency Department Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Use
Methodology 3/5 Usefulness 2/5 Hoppe JA, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2024 Jan;83(1):3-13. Question and Methods: The study evaluated whether integrating prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) tools with clinical decision support in EHR workflows improved PDMP usage and...
There IS Beauty in Medicine
Medicine often carries an aura of mystique—a profession elevated by society as a noble calling, a higher pursuit. But for those of us in the trenches, the reality is far simpler (: medicine is a job. A demanding, high-stakes, and sometimes unforgiving job, but a job...