Airway has been paramount to the management of cardiac arrest since the earliest endeavors in resuscitation. The use of tobacco smoke enemas to resuscitate drowning victims on the banks of the Thames was documented as far back as 17461. Such efforts while anatomically misplaced, were in principle well intended. Although, we have since discovered alternative […]
EM Nerd-The Case of the Costly Compound
Epinephrine has been a fundamental therapeutic agent in the management of cardiac arrest since the inception of advanced life support. Despite its ubiquitous use, this practice has never been supported by high quality evidence. With the publication of the PARAMEDIC-2 trial by Perkins et al1, we are now far closer to understanding the true value […]
EM Nerd-The Case of the Bridge to Nowhere Continues
So often we apply qualitative dichotomies to quantitative differences even when questionable clinical distinction exists. Such is the case with the general interpretation of a recent article published in Resuscitation. Huis in ’t Veld et al examined video recordings of real life Emergency Department resuscitations of patients in cardiac arrest (1). Over a one year […]
EM Nerd-The Case of the Bridge to Nowhere
The use of mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (mCPR) has been a polarizing topic almost from its inception. The idea, a simple one. Why not build a machine that is capable of doing perfect chest compressions? A simple, effective way to eliminate the inconsistencies common to manual chest compressions. And yet, despite building a number of devices […]
EM Nerd-The Case of the Tell-Tale Heart
We can all agree that the use of bedside ultrasound (US) has changed the practice of Emergency Medicine for the better. But with the addition of such a tool, we are now faced with the question of how best to apply this novel modality into our practice. The emergency management of cardiac arrest seems like […]