Tachycardia DDx
Tachycardia refers to heart rate >100/min in an adult. Tachycardias are classified as regular or irregular, narrow complex or wide complex. The underlying causes of tachycardia are legion
Category CCC
The LITFL Critical Care Compendium is a comprehensive collection of pages concisely covering the core topics and controversies of critical care.
Supraventricular tachycardia DDx
SVTs are supraventricular tachycardias, that can be either atrial tachydysrhythmias (such as atrial fibrillation) or atrioventricular tachydysrhythmias. This document concerns the latter.
Pulseless Electrical Activity DDx
Pulseless electrical activity mandates immediate CPR and correction of underlying causes.
Chest pain DDx
The approach to non-traumatic chest pain requires the early recognition and exclusion of potential life threats, then further consideration of other causes.
Bradycardia DDx
Bradycardia differential diagnosis. Bradycardia refers to heart rate <60/min in an adult; Bradycardias are classified as regular or irregular, narrow complex or wide complex; The underlying causes of bradycardia are legion
Cardiac Failure DDx
In emergency medicine and critical care, the cardiac failure that primarily concerns us is acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS), which refers to rapid worsening of heart failure signs and symptoms, and has many possible causes.
Prognosis After Cardiac Arrest
Prognosis After Cardiac Arrest incolves: the underlying cause of cardiac arrest (e.g. overdose vs dilated cardiomyopathy); presence of co-morbidities (e.g. metastatic cancer, dementia); use of targeted temperature management (therapeutic hypothermia); features of the the cardiac arrest and cardiovascular and neurological assessment
Post-cardiac arrest syndrome
Post-cardiac arrest syndrome (aka post-resuscitation syndrome). Occurs after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) following cardiorespiratory arrest and involves multiple systems
Reflects a state of whole-body ischaemia and subsequent reperfusion
Serious Generalised Skin Disorders
Serious Generalised Skin Disorders: Mnemonic: PTSD-D
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis
= immune complex mediated hypersensitivity -> severe erythema multiforme. Separation of the epidermis from the dermis; most authors believe toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and SJS are different ends of the same spectrum of disease
Purpura Fulminans
CAUSES Meningococcal disease Post-splenectomy pneumococcaemia DIC Rickettsial infections High dose inotropes Endocarditis Venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy (VICC) due to snakebite
Precautionary Principle and the Kehoe Principle
The Precautionary Principle (The absence of evidence of risk = a possibility of risk until proven otherwise) and Kehoe Principle (The absence of evidence of risk = Evidence of the absence of risk) reflect different conceptions of risk in the absence of evidence