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.

Date: November 8, 2025 Reference: Millin M, et al., Prehospital Trauma Compendium: Prehospital Management of Spinal Cord Injuries – A NAEMSP Comprehensive Review and Analysis of the Literature, Prehospital Emergency Care, Aug 2025. Guest Skeptic: Clay Odell, BSN, NRP, RN, is a Paramedic Firefighter with Newport (NH) Fire-EMS. He is a past Chief of the […] The post SGEM#493: You Can’t Hold Me Down with Spinal Motion Restrictions first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Alex Weiler, an Emergency Department physician and associate professor, dives into the TRAIN transfusion trial, exploring its significant findings for anemic patients with acute brain injuries. He discusses the trial's impact on transfusion thresholds and the effects on cerebral oxygenation. With a focus on how a liberal transfusion strategy can improve neurological outcomes, Alex evaluates biases in the study design. He also provides practical guidance for clinicians in managing these critical patients, emphasizing communication with families about treatment benefits.

Date: October 17, 2025 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Kristen Panthagani is an emergency medicine resident and Yale Emergency Scholar at Yale New Haven Hospital. She’s a physician-scientist, having completed her MD/PhD at Baylor College of Medicine. She’s also well known as a science communicator, creator of You Can Know Things which helps explain science in a […] The post SGEM Xtra: Talkin’ Bout a Revolution…Training Health Communicators first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Date: October 30, 2025 Reference: Boes et al. Prevalence of violence against health care workers among agitated patients in an urban emergency department. October 2025 AEM Guest Skeptic: Dr. Suchismita Datta. She is an Assistant Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the NYU Grossman Long Island Hospital Campus. Case: […] The post SGEM#491: Prevalence of violence against health care workers among agitated patients in an urban emergency department first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Reference:  Boutin A, et al. Removable Boot vs Casting of Toddler’s Fractures: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. Published April 2025. Date: July 23, 2025 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Andrew (Andy) Tagg is an Emergency Physician with a special interest in education and lifelong learning. He is the co-founder and website lead of Don’t Forget the […] The post SGEM#490: These (Removable) Boots are Made for Walking first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Date: October 10, 2025 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Sergey Motov is an Emergency Physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center in New York City. He is also one of the world’s leading researchers on pain management in the emergency department.  Case: A 37-year-old man presents to the emergency department (ED) with severe right-sided flank pain.  […] The post SGEM#489: Smooth Muscle Relaxator – But does Magnesium Work for Renal Colic? first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

Date: October 3, 2025 Reference: Doheim et al. Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials on IV Thrombolysis in Patients With Minor Acute Ischemic Stroke. Neurology 2025 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Casey Parker is a Rural Generalist, Evidence-based medicine enthusiast and Ultrasound Nerd. This episode was recorded live, in beautiful Broome, Australia, at the Spring Seminar on Emergency […] The post SGEM#488: It’s Just a Minor Stroke – Should We Still Lyse? first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.