Air Care / B Pod Series: Intravenous Fluid Resuscitation

Air Care / B Pod Series: Intravenous Fluid Resuscitation

Normal saline has taken hold as the de facto resuscitative fluid in the majority of health care institutions in the developed world. Walk through the recent data with Dr. Christopher Shaw which suggests that balanced fluids may provide benefit to patients suffering from a wide array of critical illnesses.

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Air Care / Annals of B Pod Series: Hypokalemia

Air Care / Annals of B Pod Series: Hypokalemia

Hypokalemia is a commonly seen laboratory abnormality which is often unappreciated in the emergency department. Join us as we take a deep dive into the presentation and life threatening consequences of a patient with severe hypokalemia as we review a previous case from an international leader in critical care transport medicine, Air Care.

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Mastering Minor Care: Ankle Arthrocentesis

Mastering Minor Care: Ankle Arthrocentesis

Far too often we are faced with the situation in which we are concerned about septic arthritis in a patient’s ankle. Although tapping the ankle can be a daunting task, Dr. Leech provides us with a guide in this month’s minor care post to make difficulty with ankle arthrocentesis a problem of the past.

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Air Care Series: Long QT Syndrome

Air Care Series: Long QT Syndrome

Not every bradycardic patient is the same, however sometimes their past history gives away their pathology and you need to manage a complex disease in the ED or in transit to the ICU. Remind yourself of the details of the cardiac action potential as Dr. Roblee walks us through a unique case of Long QT Syndrome.

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Annals of B-Pod: Dural Venous Sinus Thrombosis

Annals of B-Pod: Dural Venous Sinus Thrombosis

The headache is the simplest and most complex we see on a daily basis in the ED, but it is important to consider, on both ends, how the coagulation cascade can go awry and be a causative source. Dr. Gawron walks us through a patient presenting with an unprovoked and rather discourteous dural venous sinus thrombosis, its natural history, and appropriate emergent evaluation and management.

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Annals of B-Pod: Neurogenic Shock

Annals of B-Pod: Neurogenic Shock

Spinal cord injuries are nothing to shake your head at, though. As Dr. Jensen eloquently dissects in his review of neurogenic shock, emergency physicians can play a tremendous role in the ultimate outcomes of patients with vasodilatory shock secondary with the prompt recognition and appropriate management of spinal cord pathology.

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Annals of B-Pod: Osmotic Demyelination Syndrome

Annals of B-Pod: Osmotic Demyelination Syndrome

It is said that that the relatively high salt content of human serum and cerebrospinal fluid stems from our ancestral ties to the sea, that we carry a bit of the ocean around inside of us as a legacy, an homage to the brave evolutionary progenitor that first crawled out of the water and onto land. Unfortunately, our bodies must work hard to maintain that hypertonicity. Small fluctuations in our serum and CSF sodium content can lead to significant swelling or, more devastatingly, pronounced shrinking. Dr. Frederick’s fabulous article deftly details the clinical entity known as osmotic demyelination syndrome. Soak up the presenting features, clinical management, and dire prognosis of this much feared but rarely seen pathology.

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Annals of B-Pod: Human Trafficking

Annals of B-Pod: Human Trafficking

Though we may not realize it, human trafficking continues to consume the lives of young women and men throughout the world, including the United States. In this excellent piece, Dr. Jarrell details a presentation of a victim of trafficking to the emergency department and discusses various historical and physical exam findings that should raise a provider’s concern for possible human trafficking.

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Annals of B-Pod: Hereditary Angioedema

Annals of B-Pod: Hereditary Angioedema

There are not many universal, unequivocal truths in medicine, but we can mostly agree that breathing is pretty important. It follows that diseases, injuries, or illnesses that interfere with our airways are problematic. Hereditary angioedema is a uniquely terrifying pathology in which the body’s inflammatory system is aberrantly activated, leading to swelling and collapse of a patient’s larynx. In this case, Dr. Shaw walks us through a presentation and management of a patient with hereditary angioedema in the emergency department.

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Annals of B-Pod Summer 2018 Issue!

Annals of B-Pod Summer 2018 Issue!

Hot off the presses, be the first to take a gander at the Annals of B-Pod summer 2018 issue! From neurosyphilis to pneumomediastinum to life-threatening baclofen withdrawal, you'll find that it's not just the summer heat making you sweat as we recount tales of these "great imitators" - clinical conditions that may present perniciously or deceive providers with their nebulous constellation of symptoms. Read about all of these and more on the latest issue of Annals of B-Pod!

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Annals of B-Pod: Baclofen Pump Failure

Annals of B-Pod: Baclofen Pump Failure

Muscle relaxants see a wide variety of uses in the emergency department. From the treatment of sprains and strains to the management of spasticity in patients with upper motor neuron disease, agents like baclofen, cyclobenzaprine, and methocarbamol are well-established elements of an emergency physician’s armamentarium. With prolonged utilization, however, patients may develop dependence on these agents. Furthermore, this dependence may progress to potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms should the muscle relaxants be abruptly discontinued. In this article, Dr. Gottula walks us through the presentation and management of a patient suffering from a severe baclofen withdrawal following the failure of her intrathecal pump, including a discussion of the underlying pathophysiology and diagnostic considerations in the emergency department.

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