Brown Sound: Ultrasound Guided Lumbar Puncture

We use ultrasound for a multitude of procedures in the emergency department, including central and peripheral venous access, abscess drainage, and joint aspiration. Less common, but just as useful, is the use of ultrasound to help identify landmarks when performing a lumbar puncture (LP). While the traditional method of LP is based on palpating anatomical landmarks, this is becoming increasingly difficult as the patient population becomes more obese. It may also be difficult in patients who have abnormal spinal anatomy or in those who have had previous spinal surgery. When palpating anatomy is difficult, ultrasound can be a useful tool to help identify appropriate landmarks and increase your LP success rate…

Procedures, UltrasoundStephanie HessAugust 3, 2020ultrasound, lumbar, puncture, procedureComment

Money Minutes for Doctors #21 - Loss of Income

Money MinutesKristina McAteerJuly 31, 2020Comment

AEM Education & Training 23: Changes to the ACGME Common Program Requirements and Their Potential Impact on Emergency Medicine Core Faculty Protected Time

AEM Early AccessGita PensaJuly 28, 2020Medical EducationComment

Paternalism and the Pediatric Emergency Department

If your hospital system is like mine, it has a dedicated pediatric emergency department. A place connected to a larger children’s hospital, where all of the providers, including nurses are certified in pediatrics. They also offer a whole host of other pediatric support, like child life specialists, without whom I would not be able to suture a laceration or obtain cerebrospinal fluids samples. All of the people have one goal, the safety and well-being of the child. This system, as you might expect, fosters a unique culture of medicine; a culture which I assert is heavily steeped in paternalism…

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