Episode 988: Infant Botulism
Emergency Medical Minute
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: A 2025 multistate outbreak of infant botulism has been linked to ByHeart infant formula As of December 10-17th, there have been at least 51 infants with suspected or confirmed botulism who were exposed to this formula across 19 states All reported cases resulted in hospitalization but no deaths reported to date Infant botulism Occurs when C. botulinum spores germinate in the infant’s intestine, producing toxin Spores are classically found in honey but can also be in dirt or contaminated in infant formula Infants are...
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Carepoint Journal Club: Trauma Discussion
Emergency Medical Minute
Carepoint Journal Club is a quarterly series with discussions about a medical topic, brought to you by Carepoint's Emergency Physicians.
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Episode 987: Cough Suppressants
Emergency Medical Minute
Contributor: Meghan Hurley, MD Educational Pearls: OTC Medications Dextromethorphan (DM) Most common OTC cough suppressant Minimal efficacy: Little evidence that it shortens the duration or severity of cough. Potential side effects: At recommended doses: Mild dizziness, drowsiness, GI symptoms Higher doses: Decreased consciousness, dissociative effects Guaifenesin Found in Mucinex and other severe cough/cold products Thins secretions and loosens mucus in airways No more effective than increasing oral fluid intake Prescription Medications Codeine-containing products ...
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Episode 986: Lateral Canthotomy in Emergency Settings
Emergency Medical Minute
Contributor: Taylor Lynch, MD Educational Pearls: What is orbital compartment syndrome, and how is it assessed in the emergency room? Orbital compartment syndrome (OCS) is an emergent ophthalmic condition in which intraorbital pressure in the orbital compartment rises dramatically, compromising perfusion of the optic nerve and retina, leading to risk of irreversible vision loss. OCS occurs in the context of traumatic lesions with retrobulbar hemorrhage. Intraocular pressures (IOP) are measured via tonometry as a surrogate for intraorbital pressures, with emergent pathology being present when...
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Episode 985: Amiodarone vs. Lidocaine
Emergency Medical Minute
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: How do amiodarone and lidocaine work on the heart? Amiodarone Blocks potassium channels (Class III effect). Also blocks sodium and calcium channels. Additional noncompetitive beta-blocker effects. Stabilizes cardiac tissue, slows heart rate, and suppresses both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Lidocaine Blocks fast sodium channels in ventricular tissue (Class Ib). Shortens the action potential in ventricular myocardium, especially in ischemic tissue. Suppresses abnormal automaticity in damaged/irritable myocardium. Which one should...
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Episode 984: Fish Hooks
Emergency Medical Minute
Contributor: Megan Hurley, MD Educational Pearls: Assess first: confirm the hook isn’t near vital structures. Automatic subspecialty consult for eye involvement or proximity to carotid artery, radial artery, peritoneum, testicle, or urethra Barbed hook: cannot be pulled back through the entry without disengaging the barb Removal Techniques String-Pull: best for superficial, single-barbed hooks Depress shank and eye of hook to disengage barb and then pull string taut and jerk suddenly along the long axis Can only be used when the hook is in a body part that can be firmly secured so it...
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Episode 983: Head-of-Bed Position in Large Vessel Occlusion Strokes
Emergency Medical Minute
Contributor: Aaron Lessen MD Educational Pearls: Recent prospective randomized clinical trial assessed optimal head-of-bed positioning in patients with LVO 0º vs. 30º elevation Objective was to determine superiority of the two angles in stability prior to thrombectomy for LVO patients 45 patients randomized to the group with 0° head positioning and 47 patients randomized to the group with 30° head positioning Patients in the 30º group experienced worsening of NIHSS by 2 points or more Patients with head position at 0° showed score stability Hazard ratio 34.40; 95% CI,...
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Episode 982: Epistaxis Management
Emergency Medical Minute
Contributor: Meghan Hurley, MD Educational Pearls: 1. Initial Assessment Start with a physical examination: Determine if the bleed is anterior or posterior. Perform a primary survey: assess airway, breathing, and circulation (ABCs). Airway compromise = intubation immediately. If the patient is stable, have them blow out any clots, then re-examine the nares. 2. Topical Medications Anesthetics: provide local anesthesia and pain relief. Lidocaine Tetracaine Vasoconstrictors: reduce bleeding. LET (Lidocaine, Epinephrine, Tetracaine) is ideal because it provides...
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Episode 981: Electrical Burns
Emergency Medical Minute
Contributor: Travis Barlock, MD Educational Pearls: Quick Statistics on Electrical Burns: Electrical burns compose roughly 2 to 9% of all burns that come into emergency departments. The majority of patients who receive electrical burns are male, typically aged 20’s to 30’s, accounting for 80 to 90% of all electrical burn victims. The majority of burns are linked to occupational exposure. The upper extremities are more commonly impacted by electrical burns, accounting for 70 to 90% of entry points into the body during an exposure. What are some of the key considerations in electrical...
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Tox Talks 2025 Recap 1, Digoxin and Beta Blockers
Emergency Medical Minute
Contributors: Preeya Prakash MD, Adam Greenhaw PharmD, Travis Barlock MD, and Jeffrey Olson MS4 In this episode, cardiologist Preeya Prakash and medical student Jeffrey Olson listen in as two cases are presented from EMM’s recent event, Tox Talk 2025. Talk 1- Digoxin Overdose Dr. Adam Greenhaw presents a case of a Digoxin overdose along with many pearls. During the studio listen in, Dr. Prakash helps to answer the questions of: How does digoxin work? Why might a patient still be on digoxin in 2025? What are the EKG findings of digoxin toxicity? Is there any utility in atropine...
info_outlineContributor: Travis Barlock MD
Educational Pearls:
When might you need to apply a painful stimulus in a medical setting?
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The main reason is to assess the patient's level of consciousness, such as when they are waking up from anesthesia or have potentially suffered a brain injury.
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It can be part of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) if patients are not responding to auditory stimuli.
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Possible levels of consciousness include Alert, Lethargic, Obtunded, and Comatose (ALOC)
What are the approved ways to apply a painful stimulus to assess central nervous system function?
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Trapezius squeeze. Grab the trapezius muscle and twist (contraindicated in clavicle fractures).
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Supraorbital rim pressure. Find the notch in the supraorbital rim of the patient and push hard with your thumb (contraindicated in facial fractures).
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Mandibular pressure (not mentioned). Press hard at the angle of the jaw on the mandibular nerve (contraindicated in mandible fractures).
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Sternal rub. Push down with your knuckles into the patient’s sternum and rub vigorously (contraindicated in chest injury/surgery).
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Each technique should be done for between 15 and 30 seconds.
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If skin damage is observed in one location, move to a different location. This is especially true of the sternal rub.
Important note: Peripheral techniques such as nail tip pressure should only be used to evaluate spinal nerve reflexes and not as a method of assessing the level of consciousness.
References
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Lower J. Using pain to assess neurologic response. Nursing. 2003 Jun;33(6):56-7. doi: 10.1097/00152193-200306000-00047. PMID: 12799591.
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Middleton PM. Practical use of the Glasgow Coma Scale; a comprehensive narrative review of GCS methodology. Australas Emerg Nurs J. 2012 Aug;15(3):170-83. doi: 10.1016/j.aenj.2012.06.002. Epub 2012 Aug 3. PMID: 22947690.
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Mistovich JJ, Krost W, Limmer DD. Beyond the basics: patient assessment. Emerg Med Serv. 2006 Jul;35(7):72-7; quiz 78-9. PMID: 16878751.
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Naalla R, Chitirala P, Chittaluru P, Atreyapurapu V. Sternal rub causing presternal abrasion in a patient with capsuloganglionic haemorrhage. BMJ Case Rep. 2014 Apr 7;2014:bcr2014204028. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2014-204028. PMID: 24711478; PMCID: PMC3987201.
Summarized by Jeffrey Olson, MS2 | Edited by Jorge Chalit, OMSII