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!
Life in the balance: Why fluid choice matters in the Emergency Department
IV fluid is a drug Intravenous fluid administration is the second most common medical intervention next to supplemental oxygen.1 Over 200 million liters of normal saline (NS) is used in the United States annually.2 Intravenous fluids, like any other drug, should be...
Abscess Incision and Drainage With or Without Ultrasonography: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Journal Club Summary Methodology Score: 2.5/5 Usefulness Score: 2/5 Gaspari RJ, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2019 Jan;73(1):1-7 Question and Methods: Unblinded single-centre RCT comparing POCUS vs. physical exam guided I&D of abscesses in systemically well patients,...
Airway Checklists in the ED
A checklist is a physical, cognitive aid that lists essential actions required for a task to compensate for limitations in human memory. While checklists have been around forever, the concept of checklists in medicine is much newer. Medical checklists have been...
Development and Validation of a Calculator for Estimating the Probability of Urinary Tract Infection in Young Febrile Children
Journal Club Summary Methodology Score: 3.5/5 Usefulness Score: 3/5 Shaikh N, Hoberman A, Hum SW, Alberty A, Muniz G, Kurs-Lasky M, Landsittel D, Shope T. JAMA Pediatr. 2018 Jun 1;172(6):550-556. Question and Methods: The objective was to develop a risk-tool (UTICalc)...
Consent for resuscitation of incapable patients in the Emergency Department
In the second part of this two-part series, Dr. Michael Wong discusses the process for obtaining consent for incapable persons in the Emergency Department. For a review of a rational and patient-centered approach to difficult discussions in the Emergency Department...
Hydrocortisone plus Fludrocortisone for Adults with Septic Shock
Journal Club Summary Methodology: 3/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Annane D, et al. N Engl J Med. 2018 Mar 1;378(9):809-818. Editorial: A Role for Hydrocortisone Therapy in Septic Shock? Question and Methods: Large multi-center, double-blinded, randomized-controlled trial...
A How-to Guide to Goals of Care Discussions in the Emergency Department
In this two-part series, Dr. Michael Wong begins by reviewing a rational and patient-centered approach to difficult discussions in the Emergency Department around goals of care and resuscitation. In part two, we discuss the process for obtaining consent for incapable...
Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) – Recent Updates
The Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) Guidelines are the standard of care for the modern battlefield. TCCC offers operational guidelines for a range of combat personnel – from recommendations for all combatants to combat paramedics and SOF medics. Though these...
The Biliary Tree of Life: A review of common gallbladder and biliary diseases in the ED
Gallstone diseases are common and can lead to various intraabdominal emergencies. Gallstones are found in approximately 6% of men and 9% of women in the United States [1]. Epidemiological studies in Scandinavia reported even higher prevalence, finding 13-18% of men...
Hydrocortisone plus Fludrocortisone for Adults with Septic Shock
Journal Club Summary Methodology: 3/5 Usefulness: 3.5/5 Annane D, et al. N Engl J Med. 2018 Mar 1;378(9):809-818. Editorial: A Role for Hydrocortisone Therapy in Septic Shock? Question and Methods: Large multi-center, double-blinded, randomized-controlled trial...