Annals of B-Pod: Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump

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Annals of B-Pod: Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump

The third Annals of B Pod December Issue highlights a new section - highlighting cases on the front lines in the helicopter. The intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), first developed in the 1960s, is one of the most widely-used cardiac assist devices. Placed in critically-ill patients with cardiogenic shock, it increases coronary blood flow and decreases afterload. Patients with IABPs are frequently transferred to tertiary referral hospitals via helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) transport. As such, prehospital and ED providers must become comfortable with the management of these patients and be aware of complications from these devices, we will take a look at two Air Care cases with IABPs.

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Annals of B-Pod: Quick Hit Case

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Annals of B-Pod: Quick Hit Case

The second installment from the December Issue of Annals of B Pod, Dr. Ham presents a female patient with no past medical history who presents to the Emergency Department shortly after stepping through a picture frame that was propped up on her floor at home. The glass shattered, lacerating the posterior aspect of her left lower leg. She is complaining of difficulty walking, but denies loss of sensation distal to the injury...

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Annals of B Pod - B Pod Case: Taking Renal Failure to Heart

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Annals of B Pod - B Pod Case: Taking Renal Failure to Heart

The first article from the December 2016 issue of Annals of B Pod is of a patient that is a male in his late 30s with a past medical history significant for trisomy 21, stage III chronic kidney disease of unspecified etiology, and hypertension who presents to the Emergency Department with emesis and dark stools.  The patient is unable to contribute significantly to his history, but his family relates that two days prior to presentation, the patient experienced two episodes of “coffee ground” emesis according to the patient’s home health nurse. Over the next day, the patient subsequently experienced several episodes of melenic stools. His family also notes that he has seemed feverish, more lethargic, and less active than his baseline.

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Annals of B Pod - September 2016 Is Here!

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Annals of B Pod - September 2016 Is Here!

This issue marks the 10 year anniversary of Annals of B Pod. After 10 years and over 300 articles, Annals of B Pod continues to fulfill its initial mission of sharing the interesting case presentations, unique pathology, and diagnostic dilemmas that present to B Pod.

The time and effort put into publishing each issue by resident and faculty editors highlights their dedication to continually producing high-quality work. Each issue feels special because we, as editors, know that the publication upholds a unique and treasured tradition at the University of Cincinnati Emergency Medicine Residency. This issue feels extra special because it marks the beginning of our year-long celebration of our 10th anniversary. Over the coming year, former editors will reflect on their time in B Pod, and how sharing these experiences  through Annals of B Pod shaped their career.

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June Issue - Annals of B-Pod

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June Issue - Annals of B-Pod

It’s that time in every Emergency Department: the academic year has come to a close. In our shop, interns are spending their last few shifts in B Pod, and the R2s are testing their taming skills in the SRU. The R3s are stepping up to the educator role, and the R4s are looking onward to their future careers. We spend these last few weeks balancing the excitement of our transitions and the purpose of our job: somewhere between the hustle and noise of B Pod, there is a critical illness waiting to be found, #beneaththesurface.

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March Issue - Annals of B Pod

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March Issue - Annals of B Pod

Spring is here and new beginnings are right around the corner. Step-ups are looming and we will find out the names of our new interns any day. It is time for interns to polish their efficiency, for the R2s to finish their off-service rotations in anticipation of the great variety of the SRU, the R3s to finishing refining their ability to run an effective team. The R4s #fillintheedges of their careers as residents so they can go forth as prepared attendings. In anticipation of these new beginnings, this issue of Annals of B Pod focuses on cases that #fillintheedges.

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Closing the Gap: Deep Sutures

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Closing the Gap: Deep Sutures

While many wounds are adequately repaired with simple interrupted sutures, not infrequently we are confronted with wounds that require more specialized suturing methods. One such method is deep sutures. Here to answer some questions regarding deep sutures is our wound management guru, and author of the book “Wounds and Lacerations: Emergency Care and Closures,” Dr. Alexander Trott. 

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Annals of B-Pod: Acute Vision Loss

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Annals of B-Pod: Acute Vision Loss

Thinking about the other left lower quadrant

 

The patient is a 74 year-old African-American female with a history of hypertension, coronary artery disease status post drug-eluting stent ×1, former cigarette smoker, and iron deficiency anemia presenting with left-sided vision loss. Patient states that approximately two days ago  she woke up with painless peripheral vision loss of her left eye only. She describes it as darkness in the lateral portion of her left eye. She  reports that her vision returned to baseline throughout that day; only to return when she awoke the next morning. Since that time she endorses persistent vision loss in the left periphery. She denies blurry vision, eye pain, headaches, recent trauma, flashes, and floaters. Furthermore, she also denies dizziness, numbness weakness, dysarthria, dysphagia, fever, chills nausea, vomiting, chest pain, shortness of breath, and palpitations. She reports adherence to her antihypertensive and anti-platelet medications...

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Annals of B-Pod: Approach to the Febrile Infant

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Annals of B-Pod: Approach to the Febrile Infant

Imagine it’s your first moonlighting shift at a small rural community hospital. The nearest referral center for both adults and children is 90-minutes away by ground. The annual census of the emergency department is 15,000 patients per year, of which only 5% is pediatric. There are 2 hours left in your 12-hour shift and your energy is all but spent. You are looking forward to winding down at home after an extremely busy and high-acuity shift when your 35th patient of the day checks in. The patient’s chief complaint is fever. You give yourself an internal fist pump thinking that you’re about to see your 12th viral URI of the day and that you’ll be in-and-out of that room no in time. In the midst of your premature celebration you scan the nursing note and see the age of the patient: 6 weeks…You’re hopes of a quick and easy disposition suddenly melt away leaving you with many more questions regarding this patient’s care than answers…You muster your remaining energy and make your way toward the patient’s room.

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