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!
Practical Management of Acute Hemoptysis
Disclaimer: there is little high-quality evidence on the ED management of hemoptysis, particularly non-massive hemoptysis. The recommendations made below are heavily influenced by published case reports and expert opinion, as well as discussions with local specialty...
Effect of High-Intensity vs Low-Intensity Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation on the Need for Endotracheal Intubation in Patients With an Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: The HAPPEN Randomized Clinical Trial
Methodology: 3/5 Usefulness: 3/5 Luo Z, et al. JAMA. 2024;332(20):1709–1722. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.15815 Question and Methods: Multi-centre, randomized control trial to determine whether a high-intensity NIPPV strategy reduces the need for intubation in AECOPD...
Law and Order: Navigating Medicolegal risk in Emergency Medicine Part 2
In part 1 of this 2-part series on medicolegal risk in Emergency Medicine, we looked at two legal cases, with a primary focus on civil litigation and college complaints. In this section, we focus on risk assessment, documentation, and advice from lawyers and CMPA...
Law and Disorder: Navigating medicolegal Issues (Part 1)
On October 17, 2013, 27-year-old Philisha Sutherland was found at home by her parents—lethargic, weak, and slurring her speech. EMS transported her to Sault Area Hospital, where she was assessed by the attending emergency physician, Dr. Booth. Dr. Booth performed a...
Endovascular Treatment of Stroke Due to Medium-Vessel Occlusion
Methodology: 5/5 Usefulness: 4/5 Goyal M, et al. N Engl J Med. 2025 Feb 5. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2411668. Question and Methods: This multi-center, open label RCT of 530 patients presenting with medium-sized vessel stroke within 12h of last seen well compared functional...
Antibiotic Resistance – bad bugs, bad bugs, whatcha gunna do?
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is not a distant threat—it is an evolving crisis that already affects patients in emergency departments (EDs) worldwide. The World Health Organization has identified AMR as one of the top global public health threats. Between 2025 and...
Failure rate of D-dimer testing in patients with high clinical probability of pulmonary embolism: Ancillary analysis of three European studies
Methodology: 2.5/5 Usefulness: 2/5 Bannelier H, et al. Acad Emerg Med. 2025 Feb;32(2):116-122. doi: 10.1111/acem.15032. Editorial: D-dimer in high-risk pulmonary embolism workup. Question and Methods: The authors performed a post-hoc analysis of three European...
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...