Total Em - Tools Of The Trade And Academic Learning In Emergency Medicine

We are finally back with another ATLS podcast.  Mike Sharma and Chip Lange together discuss the complex but important subject of thoracic trauma.  They break it down this time by addressing key aspects that come up during the primary and secondary assessments.  This topic also broaches how to manage the traumatic circulatory arrest patient without a pulse.

We have mentioned in previous podcasts that if you have questions or special requests to send them our way.  Another one of our listeners did just this after listening to part of our ATLS series.  This has been a very popular series and we are so glad you enjoy it so much.  The discussions that have been built off of this as a result has led to even more great podcasts.

For the first time ever, we delayed our normal podcast release to coincide with a very special reveal by Butterfly Network: the new and improved version of their device called the Butterfly iQ+.  Practical POCUS was able to get their hands on the brand new device so that you can see what it looks like.  There are videos to help compare the two devices and the unboxing of the Butterfly iQ+.  Stay tuned for updates as videos come out demonstrating the improvements when comparing the original to the new device.

In resuscitation situations, such as trauma and sepsis, it is important to appropriately replace the patient's lost volume and be able to give medications in a quick and successful manner.  However, what is the best way to accomplish this and why?

Sam Ireland from FOAMfrat invited me on to their podcast to talk more about PAs in EMS.  This was a fantastic conversational piece that is well worth listening to in order to learn more about what it means to have PAs in EMS and the potential future of such as role.

On our last blog and podcast, part of the ATLS series, we covered shock.  In that last post, it was briefly mentioned how vasopressin could be used in hemorrhagic shock.  We want to build on that discussion today with a more detailed review on using vasopressin (and other vasopressors) in such a situation.

Shock, especially in trauma, is an absolute killer.  Defined as an abnormality of the circulatory system that results in inadequate organ perfusion and tissue oxygenation, shock must be recognized and treated accordingly.  Here to help us with this discussion is Mike Sharma.

Scaphoid fractures are often missed but important fractures due to their potential complications including non-union, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, and potential for avascular necrosis (AVN).  These complications can even lead to lawsuits which further emphasizes the need to identify and properly treat these fractures whenever possible.

Airway management is a commonly discussed topic in emergency medicine and there are some challenges that are unique with trauma.  Mike Sharma co-hosts again with our ATLS podcast series on this topic.  Take the time to listen both to better prepare for your ATLS course but also to better manage your future trauma patients.

To some, this may feel like spaced repetition.  However, the discussion with tramadol today is a common and recurring issue.  We will highlight the problems with tramadol and why it may be better to think of it as "tramadont" moving forward.

With the blast that occurred in Beirut earlier, this is a good time to do a rapid review on blast injuries.  This can be a rather complex topic but we will focus on conventional explosives.

Summer is often a time that people visit the beach for vacation.  While this may be different with the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is still worth learning how to manage one common injury at the beach: jellyfish stings.

It is time to dive into some core Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) content.  Mike Sharma is back to co-host the podcast and help us cover the first chapter of ATLS which discusses the initial assessment and management of trauma patients.

This is probably one of the most niche blog and podcast that has been done for a while, but it is a special one given the work that has been put into this particular topic.  This has been a long term goal that has finally made some real progress recently.

Since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of masks has been discussed.  As this pandemic continues, there has been a great deal of debate on this issue.  This post is meant to help address some of the more common myths surrounding masks for COVID-19.

This is a project that has been in the works for a long time.  We have finally been able to coordinate and introduce a new podcast series covering ATLS.  This is only the beginning.

Surprisingly, we are back already to talk about dexamethasone.  Our last podcast, #204, covered the press release from the RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY) trial and their mentioning of results regarding dexamethasone.  Now, the study is available in a pre-print form.  It is important that this has not yet been peer-reviewed and is still preliminary, but we now have some real information that we can review!

By now you may have heard of a potential breakthrough in COVID-19 treatment: dexamethasone.  The steroid is well known and has been widely used.  It is inexpensive and readily available making it a great choice if it proves to be successful.  However, do we really have the evidence yet to support its use?

Law enforcement has used tear gas and pepper spray to help with crowd control.  Many of those exposed will require some form of treatment.  This post is meant to help provide some guidance in regards to the treatment of such injuries.

Given recent events and a longstanding concern for certain restraint positions causing positional asphyxia, we took the time to dive into this subject more by discussing how and why this occurs along with the surrounding evidence.