Resuscitation

Reading Time: 3 minutes Overdose associated with synthetic opioids like fentanyl is a significant problem and is associated with an alarmingly high incidence of mortality and morbidity. A new preparation of high dose intranasal (IN) naloxone was just approved by the FDA to help combat this crisis. The currently available evidence to support its use, is marginal at best.

Reading Time: 3 minutes Patients presenting to the ED after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest may harbor serious conditions that warrant prompt recognition and management. Does a pan scan of these patients impact diagnostic accuracy and hospital survival?

Reading Time: 6 minutes The much anticipated TTM2 trial was finally released last week! Here’s our breakdown of this study.

Reading Time: 3 minutes For decades EMS clinicians have been trained to expedite transport to the hospital for the sickest patients. Rapid movement to transport often occurs at the expense of aggressive medical intervention and current evidence suggests that for certain patients this practice may be deleterious.

Reading Time: 4 minutes Intravenous vitamin K can be given for warfarin reversal, although the exact dose may depend on the clinical scenario.

Reading Time: 6 minutes Is the administration of Nitroglycerin always to be avoided in patients with inferior STEMI? Dr. Seth Kelly explores the current evidence of the potential harm or benefit of this medication in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Reading Time: 4 minutes Does the diagnosis of COVID-19 determine the futility of resuscitative efforts in cardiac arrest patients? What has changed since the early days of the pandemic? Dr. Qasim revisits the topic of cardiac arrest in patients with COVID-19.

Reading Time: 3 minutes Is there a role for propofol in the management of ventricular storm? Like with most things in Medicine, focus on the big picture.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Do you frequently administer calcium to all of your patients in cardiac arrest? Is this practice supported by evidence? Dr. Peppin discusses the literature in this short post.

Reading Time: 4 minutes What are the key components of an efficient and detailed EMS handoff? Dr. Seth Kelly brings in his prehospital expertise in this post.