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!
External validation of a low HEAR score to identify emergency department chest pain patients at very low risk of major adverse cardiac events without troponin testing
Methodology: 3.5/5 Usefulness: 2.5/5 O'Rielly CM, et al. CJEM. 2021 Jul 17. doi: 10.1007/s43678-021-00159-y. Question and Methods: Secondary analysis validation study that sought to validate proposed HEAR score’ ability to identify low risk patients for acute...
Living With Shiftwork – Part 2
Last week's post examined one of the most important elements to success for shiftworkers — SLEEP. Studies have shown that catching zzz's is a cornerstone of maintaining good health as well as patient and personal safety. This time, we'll chat about another necessity...
Living with Shiftwork – Part 1
Sleep and food are truly amongst the most basic of needs – in fact, they’re on the same level as breathing (and excretion!) on Maslow’s pyramid of needs. Even the CanMEDS framework of the Royal College states that as a Professional, physicians must be able to manage...
Self-obtained vaginal swabs are not inferior to provider-performed endocervical sampling for emergency department diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis
Methodology: 3/5 Usefulness:2/5 Chinnock B, et al. Acad Emerg Med. 2021 Jun;28(6):612-620. doi: 10.1111/acem.14213. Question and Methods: This prospective observational cohort trial sought to assess if self-obtained vaginal swabs were not inferior to...
Emergency Department Deliveries – Part 2
We are back with Part-2 of our blog series on Emergency Department Deliveries. If you haven’t already, check-out Part 1 HERE. In this post, we will explore postpartum hemorrhage and resuscitative hysterotomy: Managing postpartum hemorrhage Running a maternal...
Direct-access physiotherapy to help manage patients with musculoskeletal disorders in an emergency department: Results of a randomized controlled trial
Methodology: 2/5 Usefulness: 2.5/5 Gagnon R, et al. Acad Emerg Med. 2021 Aug;28(8):848-858. doi: 10.1111/acem.14237. Question and Methods: RCT to assess if direct access to Physiotherapy (PT) in the ED could reduce pain interference on function, pain intensity as well...
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...
