LITFL Update 073
Sending you free open-access medical (FOAM) content from around the globe. We keep an eye on all the trends and best articles and share them with you so that you stay top of your field.
Basic Fracture Treatment: Emergency fracture management does not end with recognising and immobilising the injury. Clinicians must also decide whether specialist review is required, where that review should occur, and how urgently it should be arranged.
The Mono That Wasn’t: HIV is often diagnosed only after a patient has passed through the emergency department more than once. This article follows one patient across three ED visits, each marking a different point in untreated HIV infection.
Gartland Classification: The Gartland classification is a radiographic system for extension-type supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children. It grades injury according to displacement, preservation of cortical contact, and fracture stability.
Latest updates from the #FOAMed world
Why does the ED become the default front door when the rest of the health system is difficult to navigate? This excellent EM Cases episode explores ED crowding, primary care access, team-based care, virtual care, and better handovers – and challenges some common assumptions about why patients end up in ED.
Should critically ill patients with influenza routinely receive oseltamivir? New randomised evidence challenges established practice, finding no survival benefit and a concerning signal of increased mortality. SGEM#518 critically examines the evidence, limitations, and what it might mean at the bedside.
Arm pain and paraesthesia may look musculoskeletal – but swelling, cyanosis, coolness, or ischaemic features should change your thinking. This concise EM@3AM review covers neurogenic, venous, and arterial thoracic outlet syndrome, including presentation, investigation, and the vascular forms requiring urgent intervention.
New-onset AF within the usual cardioversion window may feel straightforward – but moderate-to-severe mitral stenosis changes the thromboembolic risk. This excellent Resus review explores left atrial thrombus, anticoagulation, TOE, and why the “safe” cardioversion clock may not be so simple.
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Emergency nurse with ultra-keen interest in the realms of toxicology, sepsis, eLearning and the management of critical care in the Emergency Department | LinkedIn |
BA MA (Oxon) MBChB (Edin) FACEM FFSEM. Emergency physician, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Passion for rugby; medical history; medical education; and asynchronous learning #FOAMed evangelist. Co-founder and CTO of Life in the Fast lane | On Call: Principles and Protocol 4e| Eponyms | Books |