Tactical Medicine News Blog

Background: Syncope, defined as a transient loss of consciousness with spontaneous and complete recovery to pre-event status, is a common emergency department (ED) presentation. Near-syncope is frequently seen as well. Unlike syncope, near-syncope has a more nebulous definition often thought of as the feeling of oncoming syncope without a complete loss of consciousness. Regardless of definition, many providers consider syncope and near-syncope as two ends of a spectrum of disease with near-syncope being not as dangerous and syncope being more dangerous. The literature on this, however, is inconsistent with a 2009 study stating that near-syncope was a “low-risk” factor (Sun 2009) and a 2015 study showing the opposite (Thiruganasambandamoorthy 2015). Additional high-quality data in this area is needed to further elucidate the risk of near-syncope presentations in the ED.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb The ALiEM Faculty Incubator continues to be an amazing online community of practice for medical educators interested in taking their game to the next level. By helping participants acquire new knowledge and essential tools for scholarship and engagement, Faculty Incubator members have collaborated to create tons of innovative medical education resources for the education community at large. Since they’re coming so fast and furious (and life is busy!), we know there’s a chance you might have missed some of them. We’re highlighting them below to share the awesome productivity!

Introduction: Beyond the Data The evolution from eminence-based to evidence-based care has come to define bedside emergency medicine, with rigorous skepticism and scholarly consideration accelerated by the power of global connectivity. Where anecdote and opinion once drove therapy, clinicians now approach clinical conundrums with deliberate reflection, expecting—and at times demanding–ever-higher proof of perfection prior to implementing or incorporating therapies, tests, or approaches into their own practice. Such cogitation ensures excellence and safety and avoids pitfalls of over-adoption or confounding. Unfortunately, so many of our daily decisions are made in a space devoid of definitive data, and require a synthesis of relevant literature with our accumulated knowledge and experience—a departure from evidence-based medicine into the pragmatic world of evidence-informed medicine. It is only at this precipice—where studies and statistics simply don’t exist—that we change, where we push forward the boundaries of care, and develop not only experience, but the very questions which will define the next advances in emergency medicine. It’s with this in mind that we present this REBEL post, an entry not so much a look back on manuscripts which dictate our practice, but a treatise to help us look forward. To not inform, but to inspire thought and inquiry.  

2018 was the most successful year in EM Cases 9 year history with 1,777,303 podcast downloads reaching a total download count of nearly 8 million to date, as well as more than 1 million webpage views. Based on a blend of the number of podcast downloads, webpage views, social media engagement, number of positive emails and comments that I received, and my own favs, I'm pleased to bring you the EM Cases Best of 2018 Top 10... The post EM Cases Best of 2018 Top 10 appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

2018 was the most successful year in EM Cases 9 year history with 1,777,303 podcast downloads reaching a total download count of nearly 8 million to date, as well as more than 1 million webpage views. Based on a blend of the number of podcast downloads, webpage views, social media engagement, number of positive emails and comments that I received, and my own favs, I'm pleased to bring you the EM Cases Best of 2018 Top 10... The post EM Cases Best of 2018 Top 10 appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.