You get a EKG that’s a sinus rhythm but it has widened QRS waves. You remember learning about bundle branch blocks at some point back in medical school but thought it was confusing and never bothered to learn the difference. Here’s a quick and easy way to differentiate the two in most cases. Look atRead more
Blog
Metformin has been known to be associated with increased incidence of lactic acidosis. Metformin is renally excreted. Increased Metformin concentration leads to increased risk of lactic acidosis. IV contrast causes nephropathy leading to increased blood levels of Metformin. Metformin + IV contrast = lactic acidosis = bad This was the reasoning to having patientsRead more
Bedbug bites Pruritic, urticarial papules most frequently on exposed areas Often linear configuration of 3-4 lesions (“breakfast, lunch, and dinner”. Ew.) Tx: corticosteroids + antihistaminesRead more
You obtain a venous blood gas (VBG) on a patient with a COPD exacerbation because you are concerned about hypercarbia. You get a value of 55 mmHg. How correlative is that compared to an arterial blood gas (ABG)? A small study (n=89) published in American Journal of Emergency Medicine in 2012 found that with aRead more
Hyphema (RBCs in anterior chamber): from trauma, inflammation, pathologic neovascularization Read more
How do I interpret WBCs in a traumatic tap?Read more
An upset mother arrives in the Peds ED saying that her 2 yo son swallowed one of her “pressure pills.” Which antihypertensives can be single dose killers for a young child?Read more