Tactical Medicine News Blog
Paucis Verbis: Approach to increased osmolal gap
Posted by Michelle Lin, MD on
We often talk about calculating the anion gap in the evaluation of patients. What about the osmolal gap? When do you calculate this? What’s the differential diagnosis for an increased osmolal gap? I recently came upon a nice 2011 review in the American Journal of Kidney Disease called “Approach to the evaluation of a patient with an increased serum osmolal gap and high-anion-gap metabolic acidosis”. It’s always nice to revisit and review this concept. You’ll always learn something new. For instance, I didn’t know that salicylates cause anion gaps as well as osmolal gaps.
Survey: Why do you use Twitter?
Posted by Michelle Lin, MD on
I recently got a comment on the blog asking why people need to use Twitter, if they're already following blogs. I thought I would open this up to the blogosphere. I personally use my Twitter account (@M_Lin) for a variety of reasons: I tweet the link to my blog whenever there is a new post [+] The post Survey: Why do you use Twitter? appeared first on ALiEM.
Trick of the Trade: Mark your sites with a Sharpie
Posted by Michelle Lin, MD on
Marking the surface anatomy for procedures can significantly increase your chances for success, such as for lumbar punctures and central lines. I can never seem to find surgical skin markers.
Twitter conference notes: High Risk EM and Gaming Symposium
Posted by Michelle Lin, MD on
Yesterday, I attended two fantastic conferences and so wasn’t able to make a new Paucis Verbis card: UCSF High Risk Emergency Medicine UCSF Gaming and Learning Symposium
Trick of the Trade: Ear foreign body
Posted by Michelle Lin, MD on
Sometimes classic techniques need to be revisited, especially when I get new photos from the collective readership. Let’s review a painless way to remove beads from the ear canal. You can’t exactly have the patient’s provider blow in the other ear to expulse the bead, similar to a nasal foreign body…