Injury to R hand
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Journal Review
ED Initiated Buprenorphine/Naloxone Treatment for Opioid Dependence
The harmful effects of opioid dependence are well known to ED providers and include overdose, high risk behaviors, and psychosocial instability. Patients with opioid dependence represent a significant proportion of ED visits annually, whether for overdose, addiction/withdrawal treatment, or general medical and psychiatric care. Previous studies have shown that buprenorphine/naloxone, a partial opioid agonist + antagonist,
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Core
Clavicle Fractures
Fractures of the clavicle, commonly referred to as the “collarbone”, are a common but important diagnosis to make
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Journal Review
Treatment of Acute, Non-Traumatic Low Back Pain
Acute, non-traumatic low back pain (LBP) is a common chief complaint and has been estimated to lead to more than 2.7 million ED visits annually nationwide. It affects a broad range of individuals and can be painful and debilitating long after an initial ED visit. Often times in clinical practice, evidence based decisions on medical management of acute lower back pain seem to be thrown out the window;
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Teaching Risk Taking Behavior in EM
This post was previously published on iTeachEM on 9/22/14 here.
A 44-year-old healthy man presents with dull chest pain for 3 hours. His EKG is unremarkable. What’s his risk for acute coronary syndrome? Should he get a troponin? Two troponins? Observation and a stress test?
Emergency Medicine is an inherently risky specialty.
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Journal Review
The Predictive Ability of the FAST Examination in Traumatic Cardiac Arrest
Resuscitative thoracotomy (RT) performed in the Emergency Department (ED) is a potentially life-saving procedure in patients with traumatic cardiac arrest. However, the procedure does have the potential to harm providers (i.e. fluid exposure). Therefore, it is important to weight two different perspectives: the patient is dead and will remain so if an RT is not performed so why not try it as a last ditch effort and that RT is low yield so why expend resources and create a potential risk of harm to providers.
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Core
Spinal Epidural Abscess
Spinal epidural abscess is a rare, life-threatening disorder. Early recognition is key. Post reviews presentation, diagnosis + management
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