Tactical Medicine News Blog

Dr. Craig Newgard is an emergency physician from Portland, Oregon. When he is not in the ED, Dr. Newgard can be found on his mountain bike, conquering the unpredictable trails of his community. Although it can be challenging to incorporate a routine schedule into life as an emergency physician, he has found that it helps him achieve balance and avoid burnout. Here’s how he stays healthy in EM!

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurs frequently in patient with cancer. Treatment in this group entails a number of challenges including a higher rate of thrombosis recurrence and a higher risk of bleeding. Standard therapy at this time for both symptomatic and asymptomatic VTE is with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) based on results from the CLOT trial (Lee 2003). In non-cancer patients, new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) like  rivaroxaban have been shown to be effective in treatment without increasing bleeding events. The NOACs also add ease of use for the patient. Though these agents are frequently used in the treatment of cancer-associated VTE, there is a dearth of evidence supporting this practice.

A middle-aged Asian female presents to the emergency department complaining of 2-3 days of mouth pain. She has chewed betel nut for a number of years. Which of the following is true regarding her presentation and management? Debridement should be avoided. Metronidazole is contraindicated due to the potential of a disulfiram-like reaction. Oral secretagogues should be used due to the anticholinergic effects. The patient is at increased risk of oral cancer.

In this POCUS Cases 5 - Small Bowel Obstruction, Dr. Simard explains the limitations of x-rays for small bowel obstruction, the three signs of small bowel obstruction on POCUS including the "keyboard sign", the most important literature on the topic and the limitations of using POCUS for the diagnosis of small bowel obstruction... The post POCUS Cases 5 – Small Bowel Obstruction appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.

In this POCUS Cases 5 - Small Bowel Obstruction, Dr. Simard explains the limitations of x-rays for small bowel obstruction, the three signs of small bowel obstruction on POCUS including the "keyboard sign", the most important literature on the topic and the limitations of using POCUS for the diagnosis of small bowel obstruction... The post POCUS Cases 5 – Small Bowel Obstruction appeared first on Emergency Medicine Cases.