In this journal club recap, Dr Sarah Moulds recaps a recent meta-analysis of papers looking at the therapeutic effect of TXA in patients with severe trauma. Are their higher rates of thromboembolic complications? Is mortality improved? This article by Fouche et al attempts to answer these questions.By UC Department of Emergency Medicine

Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) represents a great cause of morbidity and mortality. Approximately 350,000 cardiac arrests occur in North America annually and 20% can be attributed to Ventricular tachydysrhythmias (i.e. ventricular tachycardia [v fib] and ventricular tachycardia [v tach]without a pulse). In this journal club recap, Dr Kelly …

Managing pregnant patients in the ED can be stressful – especially because you have (at least) two patients to think about! Emergency physicians are generally comfortable managing first trimester emergencies but are less familiar with complications in the later stages of pregnancy. It is these complications that contribute in part to the maternal h…

In this most recent Journal Club recap podcast, Dr. Cole Davis covers a paper investigating the use of sterile vs clean gloves for laceration repair in the ED.By UC Department of Emergency Medicine

In this episode we talk with Dr. Julie Leonard about the PECARN C-spine Rule that was just officially published! Dr. Leonard is the senior author of the study and walks us through the findings, why its important, and how she uses the rule in her own clinical practice. Host: Dr. Julia Magaña, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Gue…

In this episode of our ongoing miniseries “Push Dose Pearls,” we discuss the use of intranasal medications in the emergency department with Chris Adams, an ED clinical pharmacist at UC Davis. We talk about the benefits of intranasal administration, intranasal medications, and advantages for pediatric patients. Did this episode change your practice?…

Navigating breastfeeding as an EM physician In the previous two episodes, we explored some of the challenges related to fertility and pregnancy for EM physicians. In the final episode of our three part series, we take it one step further to discuss yet another challenge: breastfeeding. Of course, fed is always best, and there are many reasons to fo…

In this episode, we delve into a pivotal multi-center study validating the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) prediction rules for using CT imaging in children with blunt abdominal and minor head trauma. We discuss with the authors the study’s impact, how these validated rules can optimize pediatric trauma care, minimize rad…

In this journal club breakdown, we analyze an article examining the relationship between invasive arterial line blood pressure measurements and non-invasive cuff measurements.By UC Department of Emergency Medicine

Pregnancy is common during medical training and in the early years as an attending physician, as these stages often align with individuals’ reproductive potential. The experience can vary widely depending on factors such as workplace dynamics, scheduling, and the physical demands of the job. But let’s be real – running around a busy ED while carryi…

Can the addition of high-dose methylprednisolone to the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest make a meaningful difference? In this post-hoc analysis of a placebo-controlled randomized control trial comparing high-dose methylprednisolone versus placebo in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), the authors aimed to assess the hemodynamic effec…

This the first episode in our three part series on infertility, pregnancy and breastfeeding as an Emergency Physician. In this installment, we shine a light on the often unspoken struggles of infertility among physicians, specifically focusing on the emergency medicine community. Join us and expert, Dr. Melissa Parsons, as we delve into the persona…

In this podcast, Dr Charlie Brower PGY-3 at the University of Cincinnati leads a discussion of a recent journal club article looking at the impact of a subcutaneous insulin treatment pathway for mild and moderate DKA. We explore the financial and operational impacts of this pathway as compared to traditional treatment with IV insulin…

If you practice in emergency medicine you probably live on the look out for sepsis. You likely follow the 2016 Sepsis-3 guidelines for adults which really was a paradigm shift from an infection-associated SIRS, to infection-associated organ dysfunction with the SOFA score or sequential organ failure assessment score of at least 2 points in patients…

People living with sickle cell disease can experience severe “pain crises”, or vaso-occlusive episodes (VOE), and are at increased risk for infections, strokes, heart failure, and other serious disease processes. When patients are out sickle cell present to the ED, it is crucial to initiate their evaluation and treatment as soon as possible. So wha…

People living with sickle cell disease can experience severe “pain crises”, or vaso-occlusive episodes (VOE), and are at increased risk for infections, strokes, heart failure, and other serious disease processes. In this 3 part series, we’re talking with experts to learn more about sickle cell disease and its complications and how we can best advoc…

People living with sickle cell disease can experience severe “pain crises”, or vaso-occlusive episodes (VOE), and are at increased risk for infections, strokes, heart failure, and other serious disease processes. When patients are out sickle cell present to the ED, it is crucial to initiate their evaluation and treatment as soon as possible. So wha…

This is the next episode of our Push Dose Pearls miniseries with ED Clinical Pharmacist, Chris Adams. In this ongoing series we’ll dig into some of the questions we all have about medications we commonly see and use in the ED. This episode focuses on RSI (rapid sequence intubation) meds – stuff every ED doc needs to know! What has changed and what …

If you work in an ED, you’ve probably heard of EMTALA, or the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. But how much do you really know about this law? When does it apply and when does it not? EMTALA expert, Dr. Sophie Terp, helps us understand the history of EMTALA and what we need to know to ensure we provide the best care for our ED pati…

We first explored the world of Telehealth back in February of 2021 in parts 1 and 2 of our telemedicine series. Telehealth has exploded since then, even after hospitals and clinics opened fully again when COVID restrictions loosened. Drs. Jenny McCormick and Kelly Owen join us to give an update on our very successful telehealth program at UC Davis,…

This is the next episode of our Push Dose Pearls miniseries with ED Pharmacist, Chris Adams. In this ongoing series we’ll dig into some of the questions we all have about medications we commonly see and use in the ED. This episode again focuses on common antibiotics we use in the ED. What has changed and what are the latest recommendations? We’ll a…

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. This decision, known as the Dobbs decision, Overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the right to abortion that had been upheld for decades. In the wake of this decision, many states have passed laws banning or severely restricting abortion. So how does this af…

Pain from rib fractures can be severely limiting in the acute setting. In this recap from our most recent Journal Club, Dr Olivia Gobble leads us through a paper looking at the effectiveness of Serratus Anterior Plane Blocks for treating pain from rib fractures in the Emergency Department.By UC Department of Emergency Medicine

Ultrasound is an increasingly ubiquitous tool to augment the physical exam in the Emergency Department. Dr Jazmyn Shaw walks us through a paper that looks at whether or not US is a useful adjunct to physical exam for the diagnosis of shoulder dislocation in the Emergency DepartmentBy UC Department of Emergency Medicine

Dr Casey Glenn walks through a study analyzing the 'lever test' for the diagnosis of ACL tears in the acute setting. Given significant swelling and pain the acute diagnosis of ligamentous injury can be both challenging and painful to patients. The lever test is a promising physical exam maneuver that may be more accurate and better tolerated that t…

***Trigger warning: this episode includes discussion of child abuse***In our last episode, Identifying abuse: the LCAST app, we talked about recognizing subtle signs concerning for child abuse and how to use the new LCAST app to determine the risk of non-accidental trauma. But identifying potential abuse is just the first step in a long and often e…

In March of this year, we published a Rebeat of one of our most powerful episodes, It Could Have Been Different. We took a deep dive into one of the most difficult aspects of our jobs as emergency physicians - recognizing and managing child abuse, or non-accidental trauma (NAT). Signs of abuse can often be subtle, but there are some very specific f…

In this journal club podcast we break down 2 articles. Do we need to reduce doses of ketamine or etomidate in RSI to avoid post-intubation hypotension? Should video laryngoscopy fully and finally replace direct laryngoscopy in the ED?By UC Department of Emergency Medicine

It’s been a while since we talked about social media in emergency medicine and a LOT has changed! We first explored this topic in 2019 with Dr. Meghan Ranney in our episode With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. The following year, the pandemic hit and digital platforms exploded while many people isolated themselves or worked from home. Add i…

Insulin EM Pulse PodcastThis is the next episode of our Push Dose Pearls miniseries with ED Pharmacist, Chris Adams. In this ongoing series we’ll dig into some of the questions we all have about medications we commonly see and use in the ED. This episode again focuses on insulin. Should everyone with hyperglycemia get regular insulin? Is IV better …