A 37 year old male is brought to the ED for acute onset of confusion and agitation. He is combative and only intermittently following commands. Read on to discover the ultimate obvious, and yet cryptic, diagnosis!
You are evaluating a patient with the sudden onset of palpitations. You note a regular, narrow complex tachycardia at a rate of 160 bpm and suspect a reentrant tachycardia. You think "adenosine" but secretly wonder if there is a better option, or what you'll do if this fails....
Independently interpreting plain film imaging is an essential skill for the Emergency Medicine provider. Among the most notorious of injuries likely to be missed is the Maisonneuve fracture. In this post we demonstrate the "can't miss" imaging findings to ensure that you don't make the mistake of thinking this is "just an ankle sprain!"
As with most complaints in Emergency Medicine, headaches are usually benign and self-limited conditions. Occasionally, however, the etiology can be potentially devastating, particularly in post-partum patients...
A 25 yo female presents with a complaint of abdominal cramping and heavy vaginal bleeding. This is a routine complaint in the Emergency Department and rarely represents a life-threatening emergency....until it does...
A 58 y/o female was brought into the ED by EMS after being found down at home.....
Read on for a summary of a lecture from Dr. Richard Byrne on common themes in ED malpractice. Knowledge of the high risk patients and diagnoses is the first and best defense against diagnostic error!
The Cooper EM Residency recently hosted a spirited debate on the topic of administering thromblytic therapy during cardiac arrest. Drs. Byrne and Roberts faced off in a duel for the ages! Read on to see the results of the largest randomized controlled trial the "TROICA" study and to see the winner (and loser)!
A 63 yo male presents complaining of severe pain to the right shoulder. He has markedly restricted range of motion in the shoulder, without any overlying erythema, edema, or warmth. You take a cursory glance at the xray as you gather supplies to perform an arthrocentesis for suspected septic arthritis...
An 82 yo male presents to the ED complaining of several months of progressive hearing loss in the right ear. For the past 3 days, he can hear a male voice singing opera in the right ear only, 24/7. Read on for a brief discussion of this fascinating phenomenon and how we cured him in 5 minutes!
