

Emergency Medical Minute
Emergency Medical Minute
Our near daily podcasts move quickly to reflect current events, are inspired by real patient care, and speak to the true nature of what it's like to work in the Emergency Room or Pre-Hospital Setting. Each medical minute is recorded in a real emergency department, by the emergency physician or clinical pharmacist on duty – the ER is our studio and everything is live.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 19, 2021 • 5min
Podcast 694: Complete Heart Block
Contributor: Nick Hatch, MD Educational Pearls: Complete heart block or 3rd degree atrioventricular (AV) block is diagnosed via EKG and occurs when electrical signals from the sinoatrial (SA) node are blocked from reaching the ventricles via the AV node and AV bundles P waves and QRS complexes are independent Often QRS rate is around 40 The rate is slow because the ventricular purkinje fibers have an intrinsic rate of 20-40 bpm, whereas the SA node has an intrinsic rate of 60-100 bpm Treatment is usually with pacemaker, unless there is an identifiable etiology causing the heart block that can be reversed References Knabben V, Chhabra L, Slane M. Third-Degree Atrioventricular Block. [Updated 2020 Aug 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545199/ The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering AMA PRA Category 1 credits™ via online course modules. To access these and for more information, visit our website at www.emergencymedicalminute.org/cme-courses/ and create an account. Donate to EMM today!

Jul 14, 2021 • 8min
Podcast 693: Humerus Fractures
Contributor: Nick Tsipis, MD Educational Pearls: Humerus fractures can be characterized as proximal, midshaft, and distal fractures Proximal humerus fracture is the second-most common fracture in elderly patients Primary complication is with the axillary nerve and axillary artery Vast majority are managed nonoperatively with a sling, reduction usually not indicated Women comprise 70% of proximal humerus fractures, often secondary to fall with osteoporosis Midshaft humerus fractures are more often managed operatively, but can be managed nonoperatively Primary complication is with radial nerve, look for wrist drop! May require reduction and splinting Distal humerus fractures can include supracondylar fractures and involve the radius or ulna One atypical is the Holstein-Lewis fracture, that can cause radial nerve damage Management is varied depending on the exact type of distal humerus fracture Assess degree of angulation, neurovascular status, and likelihood of compartment syndrome both before and after splint application References Attum B, Thompson JH. Humerus Fractures Overview. [Updated 2020 Aug 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482281/ The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering AMA PRA Category 1 credits™ via online course modules. To access these and for more information, visit our website at www.emergencymedicalminute.org/cme-courses/ and create an account. Donate to EMM today!

Jul 13, 2021 • 4min
Podcast 692: Pelvic Fractures
Contributor: Peter Bakes, MD Educational Pearls: Pelvis is comprised of the iliac, ischium, and sacrum Three mechanisms for pelvic fractures by Young-Burgess Classification Anterior-posterior compression causing open-book pelvic fractures that can be complicated by retroperitoneal bleeding or urethral injury Lateral compression causing rami fractures Vertical sheer causing offset of sacroiliac joint or sacrum Mechanically stable pelvic ring fractures can be conservatively treated with weight bearing as tolerated Unstable fractures and those with complications will require operative fixation References Davis DD, Foris LA, Kane SM, et al. Pelvic Fracture. [Updated 2021 Feb 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430734/ Weatherford B. Pelvic Ring Fractures. OrthoBullets. Updated 25 May 2021. https://www.orthobullets.com/trauma/1030/pelvic-ring-fractures The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering AMA PRA Category 1 credits™ via online course modules. To access these and for more information, visit our website at www.emergencymedicalminute.org/cme-courses/ and create an account. Donate to EMM today!

Jul 12, 2021 • 3min
Podcast 691: TXA in Head Bleeds
Contributor: Ricky Dhaliwal, MD Educational Pearls: CRASH 3 Trial looked at over 12,000 patients with traumatic intracranial bleeds, randomizing patients to a therapy with TXA or standard of care without TXA Dosing was 1 gram over 10 min for loading dose and then an infusion of 1 gram over 8 hours Found Improvement in survival and neurologic outcomes when patient received TXA within 3 hours References CRASH-3 trial collaborators. Effects of tranexamic acid on death, disability, vascular occlusive events and other morbidities in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (CRASH-3): a randomised, placebo-controlled trial [published correction appears in Lancet. 2019 Nov 9;394(10210):1712]. Lancet. 2019;394(10210):1713-1723. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32233-0 The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering AMA PRA Category 1 credits™ via online course modules. To access these and for more information, visit our website at www.emergencymedicalminute.org/cme-courses/ and create an account. Donate to EMM today!

Jul 7, 2021 • 4min
Podcast 690: Rectal Oxygen. Nice,
Contributor: Chris Holmes, MD Educational Pearls: In the 1700s, boxes lined the River Thames to pump smoke up the rectum to resuscitate people who had been found unconscious in the river Sea cucumbers can extract oxygen through their rectum Perflourocarbon, a liquid that can become oxygenated, provided rectally was able to oxygenate pigs and mice in a recent study References Okabe R, Chen-Yoshikawa T, Yoneyama Y, et al. Mammalian enteral ventilation ameliorates respiratory failure. Clinical and Translational Resource and Technology Insights. 2021;2(6):773-783. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medj.2021.04.004 The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering AMA PRA Category 1 credits™ via online course modules. To access these and for more information, visit our website at www.emergencymedicalminute.org/cme-courses/ and create an account. Donate to EMM today!

Jul 6, 2021 • 4min
Podcast 689: Peri-Intubation Hypotension
Contributor: Ricky Dhaliwal, MD Educational Pearls: Hypotension in patients requiring intubation should be resuscitated as much as possible While intubating, the negative inspiratory pressure goes away decreasing cardiac preload and worsening hypotension Phenylephrine can be given via push doses to increase blood pressure from alpha agonism For sedation, avoid propofol with hypotension and opt for etomidate or ketamine References April MD, Arana A, Schauer SG, et al. Ketamine Versus Etomidate and Peri-intubation Hypotension: A National Emergency Airway Registry Study. Acad Emerg Med. 2020;27(11):1106-1115. doi:10.1111/acem.14063 Panchal AR, Satyanarayan A, Bahadir JD, Hays D, Mosier J. Efficacy of Bolus-dose Phenylephrine for Peri-intubation Hypotension. J Emerg Med. 2015;49(4):488-494. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2015.04.033 Jaber S, Amraoui J, Lefrant JY, et al. Clinical practice and risk factors for immediate complications of endotracheal intubation in the intensive care unit: a prospective, multi-center study. Crit Care Med. 2006;34:2355–61. Summarized by John Spartz, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD *********************

Jul 5, 2021 • 3min
Podcast 688: tPA Before Thrombectomy
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: DEVT Trial, a recent non-inferiority study, looked at giving tPA prior to endovascular thrombectomy and was stopped early because there was no benefit shown to giving tPA before this intervention Coupled with the SKIP and DIRECT MT trials corroborating these findings, it appears that giving tPA prior to thrombectomy is not indicated Whether patients should receive tPA prior to transfer for thrombectomy (i.e. they are in a rural healthcare setting) is still unclear References Yang P, Treurniet KM, Zhang L, et al. Direct Intra-arterial thrombectomy in order to Revascularize AIS patients with large vessel occlusion Efficiently in Chinese Tertiary hospitals: A Multicenter randomized clinical Trial (DIRECT-MT)-Protocol. Int J Stroke. 2020;15(6):689-698. doi:10.1177/1747493019882837 Suzuki K, Matsumaru Y, Takeuchi M, et al. Effect of Mechanical Thrombectomy Without vs With Intravenous Thrombolysis on Functional Outcome Among Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: The SKIP Randomized Clinical Trial [published correction appears in JAMA. 2021 May 4;325(17):1795]. JAMA. 2021;325(3):244-253. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.23522 Zi W, Qiu Z, Li F, et al. Effect of Endovascular Treatment Alone vs Intravenous Alteplase Plus Endovascular Treatment on Functional Independence in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: The DEVT Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2021;325(3):234-243. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.23523 Summarized by John Spartz, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD

Jun 30, 2021 • 5min
Podcast 687: STI Complications
Contributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) occurs when the infection ascends into the uterus Tubo-ovarian abscess occurs when the infection ascends to the fallopian tubes Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome occurs when the infection enters the peritoneum and causes peritoneal inflammation with peri-hepatic inflammation These conditions require GYN consultation and often more robust antibiotic therapy for treatment References Lareau SM, Beigi RH. Pelvic inflammatory disease and tubo-ovarian abscess. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2008;22(4):693-708. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2008.05.008 Basit H, Pop A, Malik A, et al. Fitz-Hugh-Curtis Syndrome. [Updated 2021 May 7]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan. Summarized by John Spartz, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD

Jun 29, 2021 • 3min
Podcast 686: Vaginal Self Swabs
Contributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: Recent study evaluated vaginal self swab testing for STIs to determine if they are equally sensitive to provider-obtained swab 515 patients consented to both tests and 95% agreement was found between the two methods of obtaining samples 75% of participants who preferred this over the pelvic exam, although some patients were concerned they did not perform the self swab correctly Consider vaginal self swab with proper coaching as an option for patients References Chinnock B, Yore M, Mason J, et al. Self-obtained vaginal swabs are not inferior to provider-performed endocervical sampling for emergency department diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jan 18]. Acad Emerg Med. 2021;10.1111/acem.14213. doi:10.1111/acem.14213 Summarized by John Spartz, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering AMA PRA Category 1 credits™ via online course modules. To access these and for more information, visit our website at www.emergencymedicalminute.org/cme-courses/ and create an account. Donate to EMM today!

Jun 28, 2021 • 10min
Podcast 685: Cultural Sensitivity with LGBTIQ+ Patients
Contributor: Dr. Nick Gorton, MD Educational Pearls: Use transgender people's correct names and pronouns, the Russell study found a 56% reduction in suicide behavior with chosen name usage ⅕ to ½ of transgender people report they avoided seeking care in the ED because of fear of transphobic treatment Understanding the definitions of gender identity, gender expression, assigned sex at birth, physical attraction, and emotional attraction are necessary for improving treatment of the LGBTIQ+ community Explain reasons for asking questions that address physical characteristics and/or sexual attraction Lastly, if you make a mistake simply correct the mistake, apologize, and immediately move on References Transgender Unicorn TransLine Treatment Guideline Silicone pumping handout for patients and providers https://www.ustranssurvey.org/reports Pollitt, A. M., Ioverno, S., Russell, S. T., Li, G., & Grossman, A. H. (2019). Predictors and mental health benefits of chosen name use among transgender youth. Youth & society, 0044118X19855898. Russell, S. T., Pollitt, A. M., Li, G., & Grossman, A. H. (2018). Chosen name use is linked to reduced depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior among transgender youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(4), 503-505. Samuels, E. A., Tape, C., Garber, N., Bowman, S., & Choo, E. K. (2018). "Sometimes you feel like the freak show": a qualitative assessment of emergency care experiences among transgender and gender-nonconforming patients. Annals of emergency medicine, 71(2), 170-182. Thompson-Blum, D. N., Coleman, T. A., Phillips, N. E., Richardson, S., Travers, R., Coulombe, S., ... & Davis, C. (2021). Experiences of Transgender Participants in Emergency Departments: Findings from the OutLook Study. Transgender Health. Bauer, G. R., Scheim, A. I., Deutsch, M. B., & Massarella, C. (2014). Reported emergency department avoidance, use, and experiences of transgender persons in Ontario, Canada: results from a respondent-driven sampling survey. Annals of emergency medicine, 63(6), 713-720. *Ongoing LGBTQIA+ topics are identified through collaborations with local Denver organization the Queer Umbrella as part of a new longitudinal effort to raise awareness of health disparities affecting the LGBTQIA+ community. Stay tuned as we continue to provide educational content to support this community and uplift LGBTQIA+ health providers and their practices all year long.


