Are you maximizing your technique to provide optimal CPR?  This week Dr. Brian Roberts shared excellent take-home tips to remember when performing CPR.  

Pericardiocentesis is a rarely performed, but potentially life-saving procedure. Commerical models are prohibitively expensive, but students and residents (and critical care fellows) still need to learn the mechanics, ideally with an ultrasound compatibile model. This week's post gives a step by step guide towards making a cheap, easy to fabricate phantom based on this fantastic paper published in the Journal of Emergency Medicne 2012: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21925818

A postion paper from 2011 offers some guidance on this question.

This past week Dr. Mallemat (@CriticalCareNow) shared his wisdom and approach to patients suffering from undifferentiated shock.  Keep reading for some very practical pearls!  

Consider postioning your patient with their HOB elevated on your next intubation.

Are all modes of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) created equal for the treatment of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema?  Perhaps not.

When patients present to the Emergency Department with acute upper GI bleeding, the natural inclination is to quickly pull the transfusion trigger. However, a 2013 study gives us pause...

Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) are rare but significant causes of morbidity and mortality in both traumatic and medical ICU patients.

For some, this topic may be more bread and butter than others. Many of you may work in cold areas where you are likely to see patients with hypothermia on a regular basis, especially in the winter. Whether you work shifts in a mountainous region or are simply catching up on EM topics while studying for boards in your in you flip flops by the beach, here are a few pearls regarding patients who present with hypothermia and their management.

Succinylcholine in the Pediatric Patient