EMCrit Podcast

This week we talk about managing the intra-arrest period of cardiac arrest. My paradigm has changed dramatically over the past few years. In the past, I viewed the arrest as a period to teach my residents how to place a subclavian central line, how to intubate when the patient is moving, and how to cram as many drugs as possible into a patient in a short period of time. Looking at how I manage an arrest today, so much has changed.

Hey folks. As I get ready for ACEP, I just wanted to get a quick podcast put up. One of the listeners requested an episode on the treatment of hyperkalemia in the ED.

A focused guide to spotting cerebellar strokes that masquerade as isolated vertigo. Clear differences between episodic and continuous dizziness are outlined. The limits of standard neuro screening are exposed. Practical bedside maneuvers including the HINTS components and signs like ataxia and skew deviation are highlighted.

I'm lecturing at ACEP in Las Vegas this year. This is one of two lectures I'm giving there. If you are going to the conference and plan on coming to my lecture, don't listen to this lecture; I'd rather you here the real one in person.

How to recognize meningitis quickly using key red flags like headache, fever, neck stiffness, and AMS. Practical strategies for immediate isolation and when to give empiric antibiotics. Clear rules for when to get CT or perform lumbar puncture and tips for safe airway control and neuroprotective intubation. Practical guidance on CSF testing, steroid timing, and emerging rapid diagnostics.

It seems the government and other specialties are trying hard to make sedation as difficult as possible in the ED. We must persevere to provide the best procedural sedation to allow maximal comfort and safety for our patients. This continues the discussion started in Part I.

This is the audio only version of the previous post (Part I of the Sedation Talk).

At this stage of the game, if your hospital is not offering hypothermia to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, you are probably lagging behind optimal care. For shockable rhythms, you essentially double your patient's chances of leaving the hospital with good neurological outcome. However hypothermia can be tough, unless you have done a bunch. Learn from my mistakes in this lecture.