February 2010

EMCrit Podcast 21 – A Bad Sedation Package Leaves your Patient Trapped in a Nightmare

by emcrit
a nightmare for brentbat

Pushing some ativan followed by vecuronium is no longer an acceptable strategy to manage post-intubation sedation. A good analgesia and sedation package is essential if you care about your patient’s comfort and well-being. We need to move to PAIN-FIRST paradigm. Optimize analgesia and then add in sedative agents as a bonus. In this episode of the EMCrit Podcast, I expand on a previous rant to discuss the optimal way to handle routine post-intubation patients and some special scenarios you may encounter.

4 comments Read the full article →

EMCrit Podcast 20 – The Crashing Atrial Fibrillation Patient

by emcrit
Thumbnail image for EMCrit Podcast 20 – The Crashing Atrial Fibrillation Patient

Your patient is pale and diaphoretic. Blood pressure is 70/50. Heart rate is 178. EKG shows atrial fibrillation… What are you going to do???

Yeah, yeah the Pavlovian ACLS response–You cardiovert. Wonderful, except it didn’t change a thing. Now what?

In this episode, I discuss the crashing atrial fibrillation patient.

12 comments Read the full article →

EMCrit Podcast 19 – Non-Invasive Ventilation

by emcrit
Thumbnail image for EMCrit Podcast 19 – Non-Invasive Ventilation

Intubation is a sexy procedure, there is no doubt about it.

NIV does not have the glamour; it’s not nearly as cinematic. But for the patient, to spend 30 minutes on a NIV mask is preferable to a couple of days on the ventilator. In this episode, I discuss some of the basic ideas and methods of NIV.

4 comments Read the full article →

Downstairs Patients, Upstairs

by emcrit
Thumbnail image for Downstairs Patients, Upstairs

The Utopian College of Emergency for Medicine with the help of the lifeinthefastlane blog, has taken my Upstairs Care, Downstairs philosophy to its next logical conclusion. I can’t believe I did not see this myself.

1 comment Read the full article →

Creative Commons License 2010. This site represents my opinions only. See here for full disclaimer