Emergency Medical Minute

Contributor:  Dylan Luyten, MD Educational Pearls: Clear the nasal passages - have the patient, if stable, blow their nose to dislodge any clot that might be in the way Searching for the source of bleeding can be tough. Majority of anterior bleeding is from Kesselbach's plexus Placing a clamp to provide direct pressure is a mainstay of treatment Application of a topical agent, which may include li...

Contributor:  Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls:   Emergency department evaluation of falls, particularly in the elderly, should include an assessment of risk factors Common causes of falls in the elderly include medications. Review medication list for sedating medications amongst others Consult with your hospital physical therapist to discuss fall prevention techniques with the patient  One stu...

In the first episode of this new series, the complexities of decision making capacity are discussed.  References and Further Reading: [1] Appelbaum, P. S. (2007). Assessment of patients' competence to consent to treatment. New England Journal of Medicine ,  357 (18), 1834-1840.   [2] Etchells, E., Darzins, P., Silberfeld, M., Singer, P. A., McKenny, J., Naglie, G., ... & Strang, D. (1999). Assessm...

Author: Michael Hunt, MD Educational Pearls: Organophosphate "nerve agents" were developed in the 1930's These agents have cholinergic effects, which can be remembered by the mnemonic "SLUDGE" Salivation Lacrimation Urination Defecation  GI cramping Emesis  The "SLUDGE" toxidrome is mediated through the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. Nerve agents also affect the nicotinic acetylcholine recept...

Contributor: Dylan Luyten, MD Educational Pearls: Insulin related hypoglycemia can vary from a brief transient effect from short-acting forms (i.e. insulin lispro) to prolonged from long acting (i.e. insulin glargine), and will require different treatment and/or observation Of oral glycemic agents, sulfonylureas are a common culprit while metformin is rarely a cause Sulfonylureas also deserve atte...

Contributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is caused by physical compression of the SVC and can present with facial swelling, upper extremity swelling, flushing, and parasthesias Common causes of SVC syndrome include lung cancer, lymphoma, and thymoma Keep SVC syndrome on the differential for all patients with facial or upper extremity swelling References Th...

Contributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: The classic migraine cocktail includes: Reglan (or other dopamine antagonist), Benadryl, Toradol, Decadron, and IV fluids.  The most effective agent in the cocktail is a dopaminergic agent  Routine IV fluids have not shown efficacy  There is no evidence for pre-treatment of akathisia with diphenhydramine (Benadryl) Decadron reduces rebound headache ...

Contributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: The common causes of anion gap metabolic acidosis include (MUDPILES) Metformin, Methanol  Uremia  DKA Paraldehyde  INH/Iron  Lactate Ethylene Glycol  Salicylate  Metformin is a very common drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, however in the right setting, it can cause a profound lactic acidosis. There is a very high mortality rate.  Treatment of metfo...

Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Hemophilia is characterized by bleeding (A /B) A is is 8, B (chrstmas, 9)  Hemophilia refers to a group of bleeding disorders caused by a deficiency in a certain clotting factor. The two most common are hemophilia A (caused by a lack of factor VIII), and B (caused by a lack of factor 9) Most cases are inherited in an X-linked recessive manner. Ther...

Contributor: Michael Hunt, MD Educational Pearls: Cirrhosis is the end stage of chronic structural damage to the liver. This is most commonly due to  alcohol but other causes viral hepatitis and hepatotoxic drugs Cirrhotic patients are very prone to GI bleeding and infections, partially due to the role the liver plays in producing immune and clotting factors These patients can easily become "sick"...

Contributor :  Erik Verzemnieks, MD Educational Pearls: Knee dislocations are most common in high energy trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident The knee may appear grossly normal on initial inspection since dislocations can spontaneously reduce - Look for such findings as hemarthrosis, instability, or ecchymosis, as clues to an occult dislocation.  Knee dislocations are often associated with dam...

Contributor: Charleen Melton, PharmD Educational Pearls: Desmopressin (DDAVP) is an analogue of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) that has been used for the treatment of intracranial hemorrhage. It works by increasing the release of Von Willebrand factor, helping to stabilize clots.  The use of DDAVP for intracranial hemorrhage in patients on antiplatelet agents (mainly Aspirin and Plavix) was recently...

Contributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: The ED is full of painful procedures. One of the most commonly dreaded procedures is nasal packing for epistaxis, as it is quite uncomfortable for the patient.  A recent study compared TXA with compression, saline with compression, and traditional nasal packing for the treatment of epistaxis.  Hemostasis was achieved in 91% with TXA and compression,...

Contributor: Sue Chilton, MD Educational Pearls: More intracardiac devices and injection drug abuse are thought to be increasing incidence of endocarditis Classic signs of endocarditis have included: Osler nodes (pain ful hemorrhagic lesions on hands and feet), Janeway lesions (pain less hemorrhagic lesions on the hands and feet), and splinter hemorrhages in the nail beds Other classic findings li...

Contributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: It can be difficult to distinguish between central and peripheral causes of vertigo. Cerebellar stroke should be considered with any dizzy patient.  Signs and symptoms that suggest stroke as the cause of vertigo include: ataxia, cranial nerve deficits, and rapid onset of symptoms When cerebellar stroke is being considered, MRI is the imaging modality...

Husband and wife Pete and Katie Bakes, both emergency physicians in the Denver-Metro area, reflect on their upbringings, the many lessons learned over their twenty year careers, and how they've evolved as physicians and as a couple in this very special episode of UnfilterED. Time Stamps: 00:25 - Intros 03:05 - How did you two meet? 08:20 -  (P) How have you seen Katie develop and change over the c...

Contributor: John Winkler, MD Educational Pearls: Vaping-related lung injury initially presents with flu-like symptoms and can progress to respiratory failure requiring aggressive resuscitation including ECMO It is thought to be related to the contents of homemade vaping fluid, mostly in THC-containing products ("brands" include DankVapes, PaxPen) Ask patients with vague constitutional or respirat...

Author: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: A hyphema is blood in the anterior chamber of the eye, typically caused by trauma While there is a spectrum of disease, blurred vision and eye pain are common presenting complaints after direct trauma to the eye Hyphema are graded between Grade 1 and Grade 5, depending on the amount of blood in the anterior chamber. Higher grades are associated with wors...

Contributor: Peter Bakes, MD Educational Pearls: Peri-arrest patients present a particular challenge to ED providers, as the differential is broad and time is critical  The differential for near cardiac arrest includes the "H's and T's", just as in true cardiac arrest  The 6 H's include: hypoxia, hypo/hyperkalemia, hypovolemia (including shock states), hydrogen (acidosis), hypothermia  The 6 T's i...

From DU's 1st annual Colorado Behavioral Health and Wellness Summit: Contributor:  Michael Miller, Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, Jefferson County Public Health

From DU's 1st annual Colorado Behavioral Health and Wellness Summit: Contributors: Judith Shlay, MD, MSPH, Associate Director, Denver Public Health, and Brooke Bender, MPH, Center for Addiction Medicine Planner, Denver Health

From DU's 1st annual Colorado Behavioral Health and Wellness Summit: Contributor:  Christopher Urbina, MD, MPH, Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention

From DU's 1st annual Colorado Behavioral Health and Wellness Summit: Contributor: Jason Vitello, MSW, Behavioral Health Coordinator, Denver Public Health/CPHA

From DU's 1st annual Colorado Behavioral Health and Wellness Summit: Contributors: Sarah Davidon, EdD, Director of Research & Child and Adolescent Strategy, Mental Health Colorado, and Sarah Younggren, LCSW, Child & Adolescent Specialist, Mental Health Colorado

From DU's 1st annual Colorado Behavioral Health and Wellness Summit: Contributor:  Carl Clark, MD , President & Chief Executive Officer, Mental Health Center of Denver