headache for all…
The Case. A 28 year old female presents to your ED at 2am. She left the hospital 12 hours earlier with her newborn first child who is now 2 and half days old. Her main complaint is that of profound…
a poison puzzler…
the case. 23 year old female is bought to ED by her family after an intentional overdose of ~ 100 ‘diet tablets’ which she ingested 1.5-2 hours earlier.
The Hypocritic Corpus
As I stand over this: Screaming human? Patchwork Scarred Scared Amphetamine fuelled Pulsing rage, With a syringe of midazolam -fantazaslam! Invoking the Mental Health Act, As if I believe in it -The gospel according to psychiatry I realise this does…
iatrogenic acceleration…
The Case. A 46 year old restrained passenger in a high-speed MVA rolls into the resus bay. She is intubated & sedated [easily ventilated & oxygenated, no evidence of chest trauma], persistently tachycardic @ 160/min with a systolic BP of…
shades of grey…
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probe prevents probe…
Recently, a colleague of mine was wanting to perform a diagnostic tap on a patient with cough, fever and a CXR suggesting a left sided pleural effusion…. I was asked to perform a bedside USS to mark out the safest…
a troublesome tachycardia
The Case. An 11 year old boy is bought to ED by his mother on a busy weekday evening. Mum reports that he has been ‘a little bit off’ over the past 24 hours, in particular he’s not keeping down…
big black spider…
The Case. A sunny Saturday morning in Sydney and your 56 year old patient was just outside doing some gardening when they feel a rather sharp bite on their right hand (on webspace between thumb and index finger). He arrives…
R&R In The FASTLANE 028
Research and Reviews (R&R) in the FastLane: experts worldwide tell us what they think is worth reading from emergency medicine and critical care literature
a difficult airway…
The Case. The ‘Batphone’ alerted us of a 68 year old female who is postictal following two seizures in rapid succession. She has a history of ‘a brain tumour’. P 120. BP 176 systolic !! GCS 8 Afebrile. Sats 98%…
slowly, slowly…
Case: 76 year old female, presents with lightheadedness and lethargy. She is complaining of mid-scapular pain & is syncopal at triage. She has cold hands & clammy skin. Systolic BP 70 mmHg. Crackles to mid-zones of her chest. Distended JVP.…
generally unwell (part 2)…
For those joining the story for the first time, you can catch up here…. My interpretation of the ECG; Sinus rhythm with 1st degree HB, an ‘odd’ axis. Wide complex QRS (~140-160ms) with symmetrical tall T-waves. ? Hyperkalaemia. Needs urgent…