Back pain. A chief complaint generally not considered among the top 5 most thrilling for EM docs. Hiding among a sea of benign musculoskeletal conditions, however, lurk a handful of diagnoses which will result in irreversible paralysis and severe loss of function for our patients. The trick, of course, is figuring out who needs expensive advanced imaging and who can go home with NSAIDS....read on for a case that definitely falls into the former category....

Submitted by Sandhya Ashokkumar, MD

A 5 year old boy presents to the

Submitted by Kat Kaminski, MD

You receive a prehospital stroke alert from ALS for a 73 yo male found down, minimally responsive. "Pretty routine" you think as you listen to report from the paramedic...that is, until you hear the vital signs: "Blood pressure is 270 over 140." That's the highest blood pressure you've ever heard of and you immediately begin to worry about how the human brain can possibly tolerate this as you head to the resuscitation bay to assemble your team...

Submitted by Alyse Volino, MD

Dr. Comber discusses DIC

Submitted by Paul Comber