Contributor: Nick Hatch, MD Educational Pearls: True morel mushrooms are commonly foraged The false morel mushroom (Gyromitra esculenta) looks similar to the true morel, but is toxic False morel mushroom toxicity can cause gastrointestinal symptoms as well as liver failure, rhabdomyolysis, and seizures Seizures can be refractory to benzodiazepine therapy and may require use of…

Contributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: Cerebellar strokes make up a disproportionate number of missed or delayed diagnosis for stroke likely due to the subtle nature of the presentation Cerebellar strokes can present with vomiting, dizziness, and ataxia.  Unlike anterior circulation stroke, exam findings in a cerebellar stroke are ipsilateral to the lesion  On neuro…

Contributor: Charleen Gnisci, PharmD Educational Pearls: Causes of increased intracranial pressure may include intracranial hemorrhage, malignancy, and trauma.  While definite treatment is to remove the offending cause, there are emergency medicine   Non-pharmacologic methods include elevating head of bed and removing noxious stimuli Pharmacologic options include mannitol and hypertonic saline Hypertonic saline is best delivered through…

Contributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: Antiplatelets include aspirin and clopidogrel, and are generally used for arterial clotting (MI, stroke) Anticoagulants such as coumadin, Xarelto, Eliquis are generally used for venous clotting (DVT/PE) Growing data suggests that dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin+clopidogrel) is superior to aspirin alone in reducing stroke for diagnosed with TIA References: Kheiri…

Contributor: Michael Hunt, MD Educational Pearls: Tetracycline antibiotics such as minocycline can cause greyish hyperpigmentation This hyperpigmentation can sometimes be reversible but not always Minocycline has been used for its effects in autoimmune and neurological diseases, where it is  often taken chronically, which can lead to increased pigmentation   References La Placa M, Infusino SD, Balestri…

Contributor: Peter Bakes, MD Educational Pearls: While there are many different types of medical error, one of the most common errors in emergency medicine is failure to diagnose Systematic error in thinking that negatively affects judgement Medical errors are often driven by cognitive biases, which include anchoring, attribution, and availability   Anchoring bias occurs when…

Author: Sam Killian, MD Educational Pearls: Abuse occurs by breathing in volatile substances such as solvents, glues, paints, butane, and propane Inhalants are generally depressants Estimated that 100-125 people die every year in the US from acute inhalant abuse. Short-term effects include memory impairment, slurred speech, diplopia, seizures, and cardiac arrhythmias Long term effects include…

Author:  Nick Hatch, MD Educational Pearls: Pregnancy is a hypercoagulable state, which predisposes women to venous thromboembolism, but also elevates levels of circulating d-dimer A recent study evaluated the YEARS protocol in combination of adjusted d-dimer cutoffs in pregnant women to evaluate for DVT and PE Using this protocol, only 1 DVT was missed. No…

Author: Chris Holmes, MD Educational Pearls: Hallucinogenic drugs have been in use since ancient times for both medical and recreational purposes Ayahausca is an ancient psychedelic with origins in Bolivia that causes intense vomiting followed by a psychedelic experience This and other hallucinogens are gaining gaining interest for their use in depression with some startling…

Author:  Nick Hatch, MD Educational Pearls: Postpolypectomy electrocoagulation syndrome (PES) is a rare complication of polypectomy and electrocautery during colonoscopy Occurs when cautery causes transmural thickening from a contact burn Patients can present as if they have peritonitis, with guarding, leukocytosis, fever, etc. CT is the imaging of choice mainly to evaluate for bowel perforation…