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!
Below the Belt Ortho: Lower Extremity Injuries Missed in the ED
With the protocols and time constraints of our ED environment, it is fairly easy to fall into the trap of imaging prior to examining our orthopedic patients. This may result in missed injuries, as we tend to base our diagnosis on the X-ray, rather than the patient...
Frailty, Falls, and Pain Management in the Older Emergency Department Patient
The Canadian population is rapidly aging, and within the next 15 years, 1 in every 4 people will be 65 years or older 1. Elderly patients already make up 25% of Canadian Emergency Department (ED) visits, and this number is expected to increase 2. What should concern...
Validation of the Ottawa SAH Rule
Dr. Perry and Colleagues have previously derived and validated the Ottawa SAH rule for patients with suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage, here we present the multicenter prospective validation of the rule1, with some insight on the rule from Dr. Perry himself! Note that...
Cardiac Arrest Centres: providing regionalized care
Many aspects of cardiac arrest care are likely to change in the not-so-distant future. Let’s take a system-level view of cardiac arrest care and see what we can do to conservatively start to move in the direction of more regionalized care. We'll also take a further...
Emergency Department use of Apneic Oxygenation versus usual care during rapid sequence intubation: A randomized controlled trial (The ENDAO Trial)
Journal Club Summary Reference: Caputo N, et al. Acad Emerg Med. 2017 Aug 9. doi: 10.1111/acem.13274. Methodology Score: 3.5/5 Usefulness Score: 3/5 Question and Methods: This single centre, un-blinded RCT compared oxygen saturation levels for apneic oxygenation...
Does “H” Stand for Hospital or Hotel? Patient Experience in the ED
Patient experience and patient satisfaction during Emergency Department (ED) encounters has come to the forefront of ED quality improvement initiatives. To highlight the importance and evolution of patient experience during ED care, we seek to: Discuss the buzz around...
Effect of Abdominal Ultrasound on Clinical Care, Outcomes, and Resource Use Among Children With Blunt Torso Trauma: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Journal Club Summary Reference: Holmes JF, et al. JAMA. 2017 Jun 13;317(22):2290-2296 Editorial: Abdominal Ultrasound for Pediatric Blunt Trauma: FAST Is Not Always Better. Reference: Kessler DO. JAMA. 2017 Jun 13;317(22):2283-2285. Methodology Score: 4/5 Usefulness...
Vitamins in the ED: Is it all just expensive pee?
The global vitamin and supplement industry is expected to be worth $278 billion by 2024. “Wellness” as a concept and industry, which often includes vitamin and supplement use, is heavily promoted by celebrities, athletes, and social media stars. IV therapy lounges are...
Simplified diagnostic management of suspected pulmonary embolism (the YEARS study): a prospective, multicentre, cohort study
Journal Club Summary Reference: Van der Hulle T, et al. Lancet. 2017 Jul 15;390(10091):289-297. Methodology Score: 4/5 Usefulness Score: 3.5/5 Questions and Methods: This multicenter trial implemented the YEARS simplified algorithm for suspected PE...
Oh Me Nerves! A Neurology Medley
Here we seek to review relatively common neurology presentations and some controversies surrounding their management. See our other ED-Neurology Reviews here including migraine therapies and stroke evidence. To include Myasthenia Gravis, Guillian Barre Syndrome, and...