Emergency Medicine Cases

EM Cases Just The Nuggets: Thyroid Storm Pt 4

Part 4: POCUS and Choice of Beta Blocker In Part 3, we reviewed the Treatment Sequence. In Part 4, we discuss POCUS and Choice of Beta Blocker Role of POCUS to Guide Treatment In the hands of a capable operator, POCUS provides helpful information to guide therapy. The key question is around cardiac function, which informs beta blocker choice: High Output Heart Failure Hyperdynamic LVEF Collapsible/Flat IVC Low Output Heart Failure Low LVEF Plethoric IVC Why does it matter? Propranolol has...

9 months ago • 1 min read

EMCases Just The Nuggets: Episode 209 - Nondisabling Stroke, Part 2

Dear Reader, Part 2 – Stroke Mimics In part 1, we reviewed the classification of strokes as Disabling vs Non Disabling and how it affects treatment approach. In part 2, we review common stroke mimics. Stroke miss rate and mimics – the 10% rule Emergency physicians miss approximately 1 in 10 strokes. Short term morbidity and mortality are 8 fold higher in missed strokes. Conversely, a similar proportion of “strokes” turn out to be mimics. Recognizing the difference is critical for avoiding...

11 months ago • 1 min read