While resuscitative thoracotomy and REBOA are often viewed as heroic procedures, both carry an exorbitant amount of mortality and morbidity, and few centers around the country are able to competently offer these options. It seems appropriate to consider alternatives, especially with the emergence of bedside ultrasound and its increasing applicability in the emergency setting. PEAC or US-guided PEAC may be more feasible, performable by mostly untrained staff, and may temporize bleeding to permit transfer to definitive care.
Read MoreHere we are in a NEW decade!! It may be 2020 but the myths versus the reality of placing money into real estate ~ particularly when it comes to where YOU live ~ have not changed. If we are using the metaphor of stormy waters…this one is a mixed bag of smooth sailing along with squalls hiding around corners. Where you drop anchor, permanently or otherwise, is one of the biggest decisions you can make with your hard earned treasure. The “investment” is personal, emotional, and takes a tremendous amount of thoughtful research to make it work for you!! Our indefatigable lighthouse keeper, Ms. Katherine Vessnes, is here to shine the light to help guide our travels. Have a listen…
Read MoreA 73 year-old male presents to the emergency department complaining of chest pain following an assault. The patient is alert and greets you when you enter the room to evaluate him. He has bilateral breath sounds, but you question if the right lung field sounds diminished as compared to the left. He has a strong radial pulse with a normal rate and a blood pressure of 123/84. He is oriented to person, place, and time. He lifts his gown to draw your attention to his left chest wall, where he reports being struck by an unknown assailant’s fists. His oxygen saturation is 98% on room air. He endorses a slight feeling of dyspnea, but says “it’s just because it hurts, doc.” He explains that it was a brief assault and he didn’t sustain any blows to his head.
He denies past medical history. His appendix was removed when he was a child. He takes no medications. He has no known allergies. A chest x-ray is performed:
Read MoreA 6 year-old otherwise healthy male presented to the emergency department accompanied by his parents. They note that 5 days prior to presentation, the patient developed a rash on his legs which was described as multiple “small red dots” with no other associated symptoms. On further history, they state that they just returned from a hiking vacation to Pennsylvania…
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