You’ll likely encounter hyperkalemia on your next Resus / Cardiac shift, and you’ll instinctively treat it. But take a moment to review the fascinating physiology behind the “cocktail”! First, consider how K+ is buffered by cells:How do our treatments shift K+ intracellularly? … Key: Na-K-ATPase! 3Na+ out, 2K+ IN! And stimulated by the β2 and insulin […]

You’re sitting in resus bemoaning the departure of your most beloved attending when suddenly a patient wheels in without warning. The patient looks relatively stable but the triage RN tells you her heart rate was in the 150s — no time for a full set of vitals or an EKG. You adeptly obtain these; the […]

Acute otitis externa (AOE) is a common complaint seen in pediatric as well as adult emergency departments. AOE is typically not accompanied by acute otitis media, although concurrent cases are possible. Also called “swimmer’s ear” due to the increased likelihood of developing after prolonged submersion in water, AOE can be caused by trauma, foreign bodies […]

Your patient in intake is miserable. Doubled over, complaining of pain everywhere, sweating, ill-appearing but not unstable. He tells you that the last time he used heroin was two nights ago, and he is asking for help. How do you treat this patient? And how do you determine what medication would be appropriate? There are […]

As the late spring rains have begun to fade and the temperature rises mercilessly into the 80s and beyond, summer is finally upon us. And with summer comes a host of diseases for the emergency physician to consider. Heat stroke, mosquito- and tick-borne illnesses, chicken pox, an expanding measles outbreak…and a less threatening cause of […]