Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread public health problem. By definition, IPV refers to actual or threatened psychological, physical, or sexual harm by a current or former partner or spouse. The exact scope of the issue is difficult to ascertain given that a large proportion of incidents go unreported but is estimated to affect over 12 million people in the United States every year. The Emergency Department often serves as a first point of contact for survivors of intimate partner violence. Studies have shown that women experiencing intimate partner violence are more likely to seek medical care than to seek assistance from social services or criminal justice agencies, and it is estimated that approximately 6% of patients presenting to the Emergency Department have experienced IPV within the past year.

Many clinical decision rules exclude elderly patients from the derivation cohorts. So the question remains unanswered do all elderly patients need cervical spine CTs in the setting of trauma? What if they have no symptoms? This recap of a journal club article explores the incidence of significant cervical spine fractures in elderly patients.

It is well known that ultrasound has exploded in its application in both diagnostics and procedures and has ultimately revolutionized the way we practice medicine. With its growing use, more and more providers are comfortable using ultrasound for both identification of anatomy/pathology and to guide procedures that were previously only done with landmarks. While having the skills to perform landmark guided procedures is incredibly important, there is much value in being able to visually confirm anatomy to avoid procedure complications, especially when landmarks are difficult to palpate / identify in certain individuals. This recap of a recent journal club article covers a paper looking into the use of POCUS to help perform cricothyrotomy.

Dr. Pawlik walks us in depth through the evaluation, diagnosis and management of traumatic injuries to the eye.

When I began my clinical informatics elective I planned to spend my time taking online courses on how to improve my Epic efficiency. After a day or so of online sessions I realized that (a) I’m already an Epic master (sort of) and (b) I hoped there was more to “clinical informatics” than faster documentation. So let’s begin at the beginning: what is clinical informatics?

More than 1.5 million critically ill adults undergo tracheal intubation each year in the United States. Hypoxemia is a common and serious complication during tracheal intubation in critically ill adults, occurring up to 10-20% of intubations in the emergency department (ED) or intensive care unit (ICU). Hypoxemia increases the risk of cardiac arrest and death. The effect of preoxygenation with noninvasive ventilation, as compared with preoxygenation with an oxygen mask, on the incidence of hypoxemia during tracheal intubation is uncertain. In this breakdown of a Journal Club article, Dr de Castro will cover a recent paper comparing NIPPV to oxygen mask only during preoxygenation for intubation.

Join Dr Haupt as she discusses the adrenal glands, their role in hormone production and other functions throughout the body, and common problems that can occur when the adrenal glands are not working properly. Although most of these issues are non emergent problems, occasionally they will be seen in some sort of acute adrenal crisis in the emergency department and ER physicians should be well versed in their often subtle presentations!

Severe trauma is the leading cause of death worldwide for adults younger than 50 years of age. Acute traumatic life support (ATLS) guidelines endorse early and aggressive usage of supplemental oxygen in patients with severe trauma, at least until abnormalities of airway or breathing can be safely ruled out. However, unclear target concentration, duration or saturation goals often leads to hyperoxemia. Emerging studies in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting suggest that liberal supplemental oxygen therapy and hyperoxemia is associated with increased mortality. Limited evidence in the trauma population suggests similar outcomes.

We know that the d-dimer can be a helpful test for patients who have a low pre-test probability of pulmonary embolism. But can the test be pushed into use for higher risk patients? Will it still have useful negative predictive value or will we risk missing too many PEs?

Dr. Guay walks us through pathology unique to patients with a history of bariatric surgery. From surgical complications to vitamin deficiencies, there is a lot to consider in the care of this population.