Pleural Effusion
Pleural Effusion secondary to blood; exudate; transudate; and chyle
Category CCC
The LITFL Critical Care Compendium is a comprehensive collection of pages concisely covering the core topics and controversies of critical care.
SARS, MERS and the Coronaviruses
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) are novel coronaviruses that cause severe viral pneumonia in humans
Most coronavirus infections are mild respiratory tract infections
Surgical Emphysema
Surgical Emphysema
Wheeze DDx
Wheeze indicates lower airway obstruction, which can be due to the following factors: luminal; intramural; extramural
Advanced Life Support
KEY FEATURES CAB rather than ABC (30:2) 2 min cycles early, high quality, uninterrupted at least 100/min (rather than around) avoid excessive ventilation early defibrillation (higher joules for cardioversion) amiodarone after 3rd shock adrenaline every 4 minutes (every 2nd cycle)…
COATPEGS
COATPEGS is an acronym used as a memory aid for the important types of metabolic disturbance
Percutaneous Valve Replacement
Leon MB et al. Transcatheter aortic-valve implantation for aortic stenosis in patients who cannot undergo surgery. N Engl J Med. 2010 Oct 21;363(17):1597-607 [PMID 20961243] 30% of patients with AS can’t under go surgery c/o co-morbidity TAVI developed, first performed…
Capnography in Cardiac Arrest
Current ILCOR guidelines advise that capnography is useful during cardiac arrest resuscitation. ETCO2 can be used as a surrogate marker of cardiac output
Refractory Shock in Trauma
Refractory shock in trauma is still most likely due to occult ongoing haemorrhage; shock may be due to the underlying cause of trauma e.g. MI leading to car crash
Paediatric Trauma Patient
Apply ATLS/APLS protocol: primary survey to exclude life-threatening injuries, secondary survey, re-evaluation and definitive care.
Cyanide Poisoning
Cyanide is a potentially lethal toxic agent that can be found in liquid and gaseous form. First discovered in 1786 by Scheele, who extracted it from the dye Prussian blue - and promptly died from exposure to the vapours
Salicylate Poisoning
Salicylate poisoning: mechanisms of toxicity: acid-base disturbance, uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation, disordered glucose metabolism