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!
Flow Hacks for the Emergency Physician
One of the questions I am asked most frequently by learners is how they may improve and optimize their flow of patients in the Emergency Department (ED). I found through my education that this was not something implicitly taught, but absorbed by watching more senior...
Burn Management in the ED
The vast majority of burns that present to the ED can be managed as outpatients1,2, usually by the patient’s family doctor, but many emergency physicians do not feel comfortable with burn management. Burn management often follows the preferences and experiences of...
Coaching in Medical Education: Taking your clinical supervision to the next level
Consider world champion tennis player Roger Federer. He represents one of the most successful professional athletes of our time. To what does he owe his success? While he undoubtedly possesses a remarkable amount of motivation, dedication, and athleticism, there is...
Creatine Kinase: Antiquated Relic or useful adjunct in Diagnosing Acute Coronary Syndrome?
Chest pain is a common presenting complaint to Emergency Departments (ED) worldwide. Massive resource investment is required to differentiate benign from sinister causes of chest pain, and for the treatment, referral, and risk stratification of chest pain patients. A...
Update from the K-Hole: Ketamine in the ED
In this post, we discuss the pharmacology, myths, and a myriad of roles for Ketamine in the ED; including analgesia, sedation, agitation, alcohol withdrawal, and suicidal ideation. Part I: Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ketamine Produced in 1970s,...
Introduction to Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC)
TCCC (Tactical combat casualty care) outlines the priorities of care for casualties in combat applications Nearly 90% of combat fatalities occur before reaching a medical treatment facility Prehospital phase is the focus of efforts to reduce deaths in combat TCCC...
Effect of Use of a Bougie vs Endotracheal Tube and Stylet on First-Attempt Intubation Success Among Patients With Difficult Airways Undergoing Emergency Intubation: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Journal Club Summary Methodology Score: 4/5 Usefulness Score: 3/5 Driver BE, et al. JAMA. 2018 May 16. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.6496. Question/Methods: This single-centre, randomized clinical trial enrolled 757 patients to compare first-attempt intubation success...
Scapholunate instability (the Mayfield Classification)
Do you often get the components of scapholunate instability mixed up? Do you find this a tough one to teach to residents? Dr. Hendin has you covered - here she provides an great graphic to fully explain the Mayfield classification (scapholunate instability).
Accuracy of PECARN, CATCH, and CHALICE head injury decision rules in children: a prospective cohort study
Methodology Score: 3.5/5 Usefulness Score: 4/5 Babl FE, et al. Lancet. 2017 Jun 17;389(10087):2393-2402. Question and Methods: This prospective observational study sought to externally validate and subsequently compare the relative performance of the PECARN, CATCH,...
GCS Remastered: Recent Updates to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS-P)
Most clinicians are familiar with and utilize the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on a daily basis, but many are not aware of the updates and additions to the score that were made in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Clarifications in the wording of the scale attempt to increase...