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!
Evaluating Effectiveness of Nasal Compression With Tranexamic Acid Compared With Simple Nasal Compression and Merocel Packing: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Methodology Score: 2.5/5 Usefulness Score: 2.5/5 Akkan S, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2019 Jul;74(1):72-78 Question and Methods: Prospective RCT comparing compression with saline, compression with tranexamic acid, and nasal packing with merocel for anterior epistaxis....
Ostomy Issues: Common Presentations in the Emergency Department
Imagine you are working overnight in your local emergency department (ED), your next patient to see is a 52 year old man, with a chief complaint of “Ostomy Issues”. You stare blankly at the screen as you try to remember the basics of an ostomy. What’s normal for an...
Coronary Angiography after Cardiac Arrest without ST-Segment Elevation
Methodology Score: 4.5/5 Usefulness Score: 3.5/5 Lemkes JS, et al. N Engl J Med. 2019 Apr 11;380(15):1397-1407. Editorial: Coronary Angiography after Cardiac Arrest - The Right Timing or the Right Patients? Question and Methods: Patients with out-of-hospital cardiac...
Artificial Intelligence & Big Data in the ED
In today's post, we seek to: Understand what artificial intelligence (AI) is Generate a basic understanding of how AI works Review applications of AI in the Emergency Department (ED): Patient care Predictive Analytics ED Operations Intelligence Intelligence represents...
Minor Blunt Thoracic Trauma in the Emergency Department: Sensitivity and Specificity of Chest Ultralow-Dose Computed Tomography Compared With Conventional Radiography
Methodology: 2/5 Usefulness: 2.5/5 Macri F, Greffier J, Khasanova E, Claret PG, Bastide S, Larbi A, Bobbia X, Pereira FR, de la Coussaye JE, Beregi JP. Ann Emerg Med. 2019 Jun;73(6):665-670. Question and Methods: This 160-patient pilot study prospectively compared...
Diagnosis of Elevated Intracranial Pressure in Critically Ill Patients
In the Emergency Department (ED) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU), we often encounter patients with brain injury. This includes patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), among others [1]. In the ED and...
A Bloody Mess: an Update on UGIB Management in the ED
Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is an all-too-frequent presentation that can scare the pants off of even the most seasoned Emergency Physician. Severity of presentation can vary greatly, from simple bleeds related to gastritis to exsanguinating variceal...
Abdominal Stab Wounds: A Decision Algorithm
If you work at a trauma center, then you're bound to see your fair share of abdominal stab wounds. Though civilian penetrating trauma has declined over recent decades and is less common than blunt trauma, penetrating trauma represents ~10% of all trauma evaluations in...
Optimizing the Early Resuscitation After Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Dr. Reardon and colleagues identify key management priorities in optimizing the early resuscitation in patients after out of hospital cardiac arrest.
Inhalation Injuries and Toxic Industrial Chemicals
Patients with both burn and inhalation injuries have significantly increased morbidity and mortality compared to those with just burn injuries alone, as there are multiple toxic industrial chemicals that act on the respiratory tract. In this post, we review...