The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine

Date: January 6, 2026  Guest Skeptic: Darren McKee is an author and speaker. He has served as a senior policy advisor and policy analyst for over 17 years. Darren hosts the international award-winning podcast, The Reality Check. He is also the author of an excellent, thought-provoking book called Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the […] The post SGEM Xtra: Machines – Or Back to Human first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Reference: Aronson PL, et al. Prediction Rule to Identify Febrile Infants 61–90 Days at Low Risk for Invasive Bacterial Infections. Pediatrics. September 2025 Date: January 6, 2026 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Jillian Nickerson is a pediatric emergency medicine attending at Children’s National Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at The George Washington University […] The post SGEM#501: Here it Goes Again – Another Clinical Decision Rule for Febrile Infants 61-90 Days first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Date: January 17, 2026 Reference:  Casey et al. RSI Investigators and the Pragmatic Critical Care Research Group. Ketamine or Etomidate for Tracheal Intubation of Critically Ill Adults. NEJM. 2025 Dec Guest Skeptic: Dr. Scott Weingart is an ED Intensivist from New York. He did fellowships in Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and ECMO. Scott is best […] The post SGEM#500: Don’t You Want Me – Etomidate or Ketamine for Induction of Critically Ill Patients first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Jennifer Robblee, a board-certified neurologist and headache specialist, joins forces with Serena Orr, a pediatric neurologist, to discuss the latest 2025 guidelines on migraine treatments in emergency settings. They dive into the necessity for updates due to new evidence and ongoing practice variations. The duo emphasizes effective treatments like prochlorperazine and greater occipital nerve blocks, while warning against the use of hydromorphone. They also tackle practical implementation challenges and the need for more patient-centered research in headache management.

Date: December 23, 2025 Reference: Todd et al. Antihypertensive prescription is associated with improved 30-day outcomes for discharged hypertensive emergency department patients. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2024 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Mike Pallaci is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University and a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Ohio University […] The post SGEM#499: Under Pressure – To Start Antihypertensives in Hypertensive ED Patients at Discharge first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Date: November 27, 2025  Guest Skeptic: Dr. Justin Morgenstern is an emergency physician and the creator of the #FOAMed project called www.First10EM.com Case: You are looking after a 65-year-old man who appears to be in septic shock. He presented after five days of fever and cough, and is now severely lethargic and hypotensive on arrival. You […] The post SGEM#498: Andromeda – Cap Refill Time for Personalized Sepsis Treatment first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Date: Dec 17, 2025 Reference: Pagnini F, et al. Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect. npj Mental Health Research. November 2025 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Dennis Ren is a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children’s National in Washington, DC. You may also know him as the host of SGEM Peds. Case: It’s been a dark, […] The post SGEM#497: We Could be Heroes – Just with a Little Help from Batman first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Reference: Binder ZW et al. “Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Block for Pediatric Femur Fractures in the Emergency Department: A Prospective Multi-Center Study.” Academic Emergency Medicine, 2025. Date: November 24, 2025 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Lauren Westafer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Baystate. She is the co-founder […] The post SGEM#496: Hangin’ Tough after a Nerve Block for Pediatric Femur Fractures first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Date: December 4, 2025 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Jestin Carlson – Long-time listener, second-time guest.   Reference: Reinaud et al. Reporting of Noninferiority Margins on ClinicalTrials.gov: A Systematic Review. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Case: You are working with a resident who asks you about a new thrombolytic they heard about on the SGEM for acute ischemic stroke.  […] The post SGEM#495: Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies – Reporting of Noninferiority Margins on ClinicalTrials.gov. first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Date: November 26, 2025 Reference: Ray et al. Emergency Department Visit Frequency Among Adults with Chronic Abdominal Pain: Findings From the 2023 US National Health Interview Survey. AEM November 2025. Guest Skeptic: Dr. Kirsty Challen is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine in the UK and an evidence-based medicine advocate. She’s a seasoned knowledge translator with […] The post SGEM#494: Another day for you and me in pain – Chronic Abdominal Pain and ED visits first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.