It has been recognized since the 1940s that the presence of a Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB) obscures the EKG diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). The publication of the Sgarbossa criteria in 1996 aided in clarifying this issue.
Sgarbossa Criteria (Sgarbossa 1996)
However, these criteria are not perfect. The original,
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The current ACLS guidelines give both procainamide and amiodarone a class II recommendation as chemical therapy for the treatment of patients with stable ventricular tachycardia. Despite the fact that one drug does not appear to have an advantage over the other based on available literature, amiodarone appears to be agent preferred by intensivists, cardiologists and Emergency Physicians alike.
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This post reviews the presentation and management of patients with acute methamphetamine intoxication.
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Total body CT scanning is increasingly being utilized as part of the initial survey of trauma patients in trauma centers. The belief is that initial total body scan provides a comprehensive evaluation of life threatening traumatic injuries, requires fewer trips to the CT scanner, and mitigates the necessity for other imaging modalities such as x-ray and ultrasound.
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Air embolism is a rare, but potentially lethal iatrogenic complication. We discuss identification and treatment in this post.
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When it comes to treating community acquired respiratory tract infections, macrolide antibiotics (azithromycin, clarithromycin and erythromycin) are a common choice of agent. In 2010, 57.4 million macrolide prescriptions were written in the U.S. with azithromycin being the most commonly prescribed individual antibiotic agent overall with ~51.5 million prescriptions (Hicks 2013)
With more and more patients being prescribed macrolide antibiotics,
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This post reviews CVT with a focus on recognition and diagnostics.
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