The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine

Date: January 5, 2026 Reference: Robblee et al. 2025 guideline update to acute treatment of migraine for adults in the emergency department: The American Headache Society evidence assessment of parenteral pharmacotherapies. Headache 2025 Dec Happy New Year, SGEMers! What better way to start 2026 than with an SGEM Xtra about migraine headaches? We were originally […] The post SGEM Xtra: Hit Me with Your Best Block – 2025 AHS ED Migraine Guidelines first appeared on The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.

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.

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.