How to remove a Tungsten ring

Here's a great video from Michelle Lin's blog on how to remove a Tungsten ring. This is the whole reason I didn't get a Tungsten wedding ring. Maybe for my next wife.

How to Fill Out Student Evals

Hey folks. I wanted to take a moment to introduce to you how we do our evaluations for medical students. The M4's have a required rotation in Emergency Medicine. We're supposed to be filling out a 5-page form on each student, but we know no EM physician is going to EVER fill that out. Instead, … Continue reading How to Fill Out Student Evals →

Airway Algorithm

Objectives List the three main indications to intubate a patient (though there are way more than three). Outline an algorithm for approaching the patient who requires intubation. As said before, your first priority with your patient is to ensure a secured airway. But how do you decide who to intubate? Who gets the tube? There … Continue reading Airway Algorithm →

First Minute Of A Code

Objectives Describe how you would control the room within the first minute of a code. Explain why you would or wouldn't want family presence during resuscitations. One of the defining aspects of emergency medicine is the ability to manage acutely ill patients. Handling these patients effectively requires skills in: Controlling these potentially chaotic and stressful … Continue reading First Minute Of A Code →

Protected: APC Lectures

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B is for breathing

Here's the first video in a series about breathing, respiratory failure and ventilator management. Let me know if you have any questions. And a little something about ventilator modes.

The Approach to the ED Patient

During your rotation, we hope to teach you our approach to patients. Our patients are different than those you've seen on the hospital floor or physician's office, so our strategies differ as well. In order to take into account these differences, our approach varies from the traditional approach, namely the differential diagnosis performed prior to … Continue reading The Approach to the ED Patient →

Shoulder Reduction: Cunningham Technique

I found this interesting information about a technique for shoulder reduction called the Cunningham technique. It requires no sedation and uses not brute force to reduce the shoulder. Basically it boils down to this: Put the patient's hand on your shoulder, this flexes at the elbow and shortens the biceps a little bit. Put your … Continue reading Shoulder Reduction: Cunningham Technique →

Is Emergency Medicine right for me?

I always found this to be a very difficult question. It's just like having to guess if being a physician is right for you. There's really no way to know until you're already a doctor, living the doctor's life. And by this point... it's too late! You can never really know until you're living the … Continue reading Is Emergency Medicine right for me? →

Diagnostic Testing (from SMART EM)

David Newman, from Mt. Sinai in New York, has one of the most insightful and interesting podcasts in Emergency Medicine: SMARTEM. Here's an excerpt from one of his podcasts which talks about diagnostic testing. It's 30 minutes that is really worth your time. I couldn't have said it better, so listen to the man himself. … Continue reading Diagnostic Testing (from SMART EM) →