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...

Resident Journal Review: Low Risk Chest Pain

Originally Published: Common Sense, Winter 2011

Original Authors: Susan Cheng, MD MPH; Jonathan Yeo, MD; Eli Brown, MD; Allison Regan, MD

Edited by Michael C. Bond, MD FAAEM; and Alena Lira, MD

This Resident Journal Review focuses on a common problem faced in the adult emergency department (ED) – the “low risk” chest pain patient. How do you efficiently evaluate chest pain and plan a safe disposition? What are the latest guidelines, methods of risk stratification, diagnostic aids and strategies for laboratory testing and imaging? Finally, what are the criteria for further cardiac testing?

Spotlight on Leaders in Emergency Medicine: Larry Weiss, MD JD FAAEM

Originally Published: Common Sense, Winter 2011
Original Author: Leana S. Wen, MD MSc

Larry Weiss, MD JD FAAEM

Past President of AAEM and professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland
 
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 second installment is a conversation with Dr. Larry Weiss, immediate past president of AAEM and professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland.