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!
Clamp the Cord: Emergency Department Deliveries – Part 1
Emergency department (ED) deliveries can be among the most stressful events an emergency physician can encounter. We must assess both mother and fetus simultaneously and be prepared to manage both maternal and neonatal resuscitations and any complications within the...
Effect of 12 mg vs 6 mg of Dexamethasone on the Number of Days Alive Without Life Support in Adults With COVID-19 and Severe Hypoxemia: The COVID STEROID 2 Randomized Trial
Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 COVID STEROID 2 Trial Group, Munch MW, et al. JAMA. 2021 Nov 9;326(18):1807-1817. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.18295. Question and Methods: This blinded randomized clinical trial compared the effects of 12 mg daily relative to 6 mg daily...
Intravenous Lipid Emulsion: The New Fad Diet
Much uncertainty still exists surrounding intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) therapy. The precise mechanism of action remains unknown, no definitive consensus exists regarding its clinical indications, and there are no high quality studies evaluating its potential...
Topical pain control for corneal abrasions: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Methodology: 3/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Yu CW, et al. Acad Emerg Med. 2021 Aug;28(8):890-908. doi: 10.1111/acem.14222. Questions and Methods: The authors sought to determine if the 6 common pain therapies for corneal abrasions decrease healing time, pain and if they have...
When it comes to EDI, can we get it wrong?
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) has become an important rallying point and component of organizational structures. Recognizing the importance of equity in the social determinants of health, healthcare organizations have begun to place very specific focus on this...
A randomized double-blind trial comparing the effect on pain of an oral sucrose solution versus placebo in children 1-3 months old needing bladder catheterization
Methodology: 4/5 Usefulness: 2/5 Desjardins MP, et al. CJEM. 2021 Sep;23(5):655-662. doi: 10.1007/s43678-021-00130-x. Epub 2021 May 26. Question and Methods: This double-blinded RCT compares analgesic efficacy of oral sucrose versus placebo in bladder catheterization...
COMET-ICE Trial on Sotrovimab
Sotrovimab Sotrovimab is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes sarbecoviruses (respiratory viruses detected by PCR on oral/nasal swabs or from bronchial/lung/respiratory tract specimens). This antibody was first isolated from a patient with SARS-CoV-1 (the virus...
Rapid Agitation Control With Ketamine in the Emergency Department: A Blinded, Randomized Controlled Trial
Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Barbic D, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2021 Aug 2:S0196-0644(21)00433-9. Question and Methods: Randomized, single center, blinded clinical trial comparing the rapidity of onset, level of sedation and adverse effect profile of Ketamine...
Hypothermia versus Normothermia after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Methodology: 5/5 Usefulness: 5/5 Dankiewicz J, et al. N Engl J Med. 2021 Jun 17;384(24):2283-2294. Question and Methods: Open-label multicentre randomized controlled trial to determine whether targeted hypothermia reduces mortality compared to targeted normothermia in...
Shouldering the load: Shoulder dislocations in the ED
Shoulder dislocations are the most common large joint dislocation encountered by emergency physicians. Given their incidence in the emergency department, managing shoulder dislocations efficiently is key to departmental flow.` Recently, Dowson et al.1 utilized a...