Spotlight on Leaders in Emergency Medicine: Mark Reiter, MD MBA FAAEM

Originally Published: Common Sense, January/February 2012
Original Author: Leana Wen, MD MSc

Mark Reiter, MD MBA FAAEM

Vice President of AAEM and an attending emergency physician at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem

This is a new column in Common Sense where Dr. Leana S. Wen, AAEM/RSA secretary/treasurer, interviews leaders in emergency medicine about their experiences, perspectives and insights. The third installment is a conversation with a rising star in EM: Dr. Mark Reiter. Dr. Reiter is an attending emergency physician at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem. He has held a number of leadership roles, including past AAEM/RSA president and current AAEM secretary/treasurer. He has been on the AAEM Board since 2005.

'Tis the Season to Investigate Holiday Plant Myths

Orignially Published: Modern Resident, Dec/Jan 2012

Original Authors:
Christopher DeClue, MS1
Veronica Tucci, MD JD
Michael Omori, MD FACEP
University of South Florida Emergency Medicine

Submitted by: Rachel Engle, DO Communications Committee Chair 

Contrary to popular belief, the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is not a toxic plant. This misconception began as an urban legend dating back to 1919 when the two year old son of an Army officer stationed in Hawaii reportedly died of poisoning from what was believed to be a poinsettia leaf.

Medical and Surgical Emergencies in the Pregnant Patient

Originally Published: Modern Resident, Dec/Jan 2012 

Original Author: McKaila Allcorn, DO Kent Hospital

Submitted by: Rachel Engle, DO Communications Committee Chair

For most of us, pregnant patients can be intimidating (and not just because of their hormones). While it would be nice to think that our obstetric colleagues can handle all emergencies that occur in pregnancy, it is important to remember that not all baby-bump wielding women present with a purely obstetric complaint. Here are just a few things to keep in mind!

Appendicitis is still the most common surgical emergency in pregnant patients. Incidence is the same in pregnant patients as it is in non-pregnant patients (7%). During the first 20 weeks, clinical findings are usually similar to that of the non-pregnant patient. The

Resident Journal Review: Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Originally Published: Common Sense, Jan/Feb 2012

Original Authors: Samantha Wood, MD; Michael Allison, MD; Adam Brenner, MD; Michael Scott, MD; Daniel Boutsikaris, MD; Chris Doty, MD FAAEM; and Michael Bond, MD FAAEM

Headache is a common symptom encountered in the emergency department (ED), representing about 2% of all presenting complaints.(1) Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a neurosurgical emergency and is diagnosed in about 1-3% of such ED patients. Guidelines for evaluation and diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage published in 2009 emphasize the need to maintain a high level of suspicion for SAH in patients with an acute severe headache and recommend evaluation with head computed tomography (CT) scan followed by lumbar puncture (LP) if the CT scan is negative.(2)

Did You Know?... Ketamine in Head Trauma

Originally Published: Modern Resident, Dec/Jan 2012

Original Author: Casey Grover, MD Stanford/Kaiser Emergency Medicine

Submitted by: Rachel Engle, DO Communications Committee Chair

We all learned in medical school that increased intracranial pressure is a contraindication to the use of ketamine...