Tactical Medicine News Blog

Dear ALiEM Supporters: Happy Holidays from the ALiEM team! During this time of year, it is always good to take stock of your life.  At Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM), we decided to reflect of the life of the blog by generating our Year in Review 2013. First, thank you to each of you. Your time, comments, tweets, and feedback are what make this blog successful and dynamic as an educational resource.We appreciate your continued readership and engagement. Many exciting things have transpired over the past 12 months. We wish to review some of the highlights, as well as give a sneak peek into 2014.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who took the time to take part in our exciting new Expert Peer Review series over the last 4 months of 2013.  Your contributions helped us roll out this ground breaking process, and we hope you all will continue to contribute to our peer review in the future. 

© woodleywonderworks None of us would be where we are today, if it weren’t for the people that have helped us along the way. During this holiday season we thought it would be appropriate to discuss a happy topic: how to thank your mentors.  The fine people who have taught and guided us over the years – helping us become the physicians we have become. This month in the MEdIC series, we present the case of Kara and Sundeep, two residents who are not sure how to go about thanking their mentors.

The winter holiday season is a busy time in most EDs. Colder weather, respiratory infections, and many factors contribute to this. However Christmas Day and New Year’s Day in particular are two of the deadliest days of the year. Missed medications due to travel, delayed presentations because of a desire to stay home for family gatherings, increased stress, alcohol and substance abuse, travel, and drunk driving, are just a few of the things that can contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients of all ages, and particularly in older adults. If you are working this holiday season, here is a glimpse of what you can expect.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas and is one of the most common causes of unintentional poisoning deaths in the United States. It is also one of the most common p­oisoning presentations to Emergency Departments. Because CO is produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels, the incidence of accidental exposure peaks during the winter months due to increased use of in-door heating sources and reduced ventilation. 1–3  Several management dilemmas commonly arise when dealing with patients with potential CO poisoning.