Contributor: Dave Rosenberg, MD Educational Pearls: The potential of vaccinations was first observed in the late 1600s when Jenner observed people who had cowpox never contracted smallpox, so he inoculated people with cowpox to see if it prevented smallpox, and… Years later, Louis Pasteur inoculated chickens with cholera after his assistant accidently created the first…
Read MoreContributor: Chris Holmes, MD Educational Pearls: During a typical flu season positive rates of flu tests run around ~20% Surveillance data from Australia, South Africa, and Chile showed remarkably low rates of flu during their typical high season – only 51 total cases were reported This overlapped with COVID, meaning extensive social distancing and other…
Read MoreContributor: Nick Hatch, MD Educational Pearls: Kratom is derived from the evergreen tree sharing the same name, found in Southeast Asia Kratom is legal is most regions Adverse effects of this substance are increasing in prevalence as its use becomes more widespread At lower doses kratom has a stimulatory effect Higher doses of kratom can…
Read MoreContributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: Lactate is a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism or tissue hypoperfusion Though typically associated with severe sepsis, hyperlactatemia can be caused by vigorous exercise, seizures, liver failure, asthma exacerbations, albuterol, metformin, antiretroviral drugs, and propofol Liver failure can lead to an inability to clear lactate, or convert it back to…
Read MoreContributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: Pain is ubiquitous in the emergency department but it is not the enemy – suffering is Nociception is the ability to feel noxious stimuli which usually causes a reaction, like pulling a limb away when you feel something painful. Nociception is really a brainstem reflex. Pain is nociception plus…
Read MoreContributor: Sam Killian, MD Educational Pearls: One study found that patients presented with headaches more frequently when there was high temperatures and low humidity, while higher humidity is correlated to lower incidence of headache. Moon phases had no effect on headache frequency. A Canadian study looking at over 100,000 ED visits for headaches found…
Read MoreContributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: On average, smoking reduces life expectancy by 13.2 years for men and for 14.5 years for women Nicotine is highly addictive and has both stimulant and calming effects Having a newborn can be a strong motivator to quit so take advantage and educate new (or expecting) parents to the…
Read MoreContributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: Burnout happens. This study reminds us to take a few minutes on shift to take care of yourself. A new study looked at burnout in ER nurses, residents, and attending physicians where they were asked to take a 5-minute break on shift to color or play with a therapy…
Read MoreContributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: Gout is an arthritis caused by the deposition of urate crystals into the joint space Colchicine works by disrupting microtubules and prevents white blood cells from getting into the joint space which stops the inflammatory response Colchicine has a high rate of adverse events, in particular explosive diarrhea The…
Read MoreContributor: Michael Hunt, MD Educational Pearls: PPE, or personal protective equipment, has become a major talking point since the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID 19). While ubiquitous now, there was not always equipment to protect health care providers or patients from infectious exposures. The invention of surgical gloves are credited to surgeon William Halsted….
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