Blood transfusion is a typical activity in Emergency Medicine and while consent to the side effects are fortunately uncommon, they are a core skillset so join Dr. Sprys-Tellner in learning the numbers and reactions that define the category.
Read MoreNeed a quick reminder of what the MA means as you’re watching your TEG tick by? Join Dr. Della Porta for a quick hit review of Thomboelastography, aka TEG.
Read MoreEnjoy this week’s Grand Round’s Recap. Dr. Murphy started us off with a great Morbidity and Mortality conference with a variety of fascinating cases. Next, Dr. LaFollette taught us some pearls for HEENT emergencies if you are out in the community. Dr. Hunt took us through transfusion reactions and how to manage them, followed by Dr. Hall discussing the management pearls of Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus. Next, Dr. Connelly taught us how we can incorporate alternative EKG leads into our practice, and Dr. Klaszky finished our day with a nuanced take of how to manage refractory septic shock. It was a jam packed day full of great learning!
Read MoreQ: For a patient in hemorrhagic shock from acute blood loss, what is the best resuscitative fluid?
A: If they've lost blood, give them blood.
It's never quite that simple though right? For a generation now, we have practiced primarily by transfusing patient's with acute blood loss varying ratios of blood product components. Thanks to the PROPPR trial, we most recently arrived on a generally accepted ratio of 1:1:1 for Plasma, Platelets, and Red Blood Cells for severely injured bleeding trauma patients. Recent military literature however, suggests that there may be another strategy (which is in and of itself a bit of a throwback) that could offer additional benefits over a component transfusion strategy. If were are trying to recreate a whole blood with a 1:1:1 plasma:platetel:PRBC ratio, why not just give whole blood?
Read MoreThis is Case #1 of our Air Care Orientation Curriculum! This curriculum is designed to help prepare our rising R2's for their new responsibility as flight physicians. These cases are discussed amongst our training flight docs and this is the resultant learning points. In this case, we discuss a sick trauma patient that needs multiple interventions. But what interventions need to be done? In what order? And who should do them? Read on to find out!
Read MoreAlways consider medications as a key cause of throbocytopenia
Recommendations for platelet transfusion currently include:
There is not data to support platelet transfusion in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage on an antiplatetlet agent
Read MoreWhy is Air Care starting to transport and infuse plasma? Multiple studies, many from military combat zones, strongly suggest that clinical outcomes are improved by administration of plasma alongside RBCs in a 1:1 ratio. (1,2) Furthermore, the concept of damage control resuscitation advocates for minimizing crystalloid infusion and maximizing early aggressive resuscitation with blood products in patients with life threatening hemorrhage. Recent unpublished analysis suggests that expanding these resuscitation principles to the prehospital environment via helicopter EMS was associated with improved outcomes.
Read MoreSRU (pronounced "shrew") = Shock Resuscitation Unit
Training in, and managing, the SRU is one of the crown jewels of our residency. It is where the sickest of the sick patients are found in our ED. It is a crucible, a test of knowledge and strength, and a true manifestation of the tripartite mission of our department: Leadership, Excellence, and Opportunity.
Training in, and managing, the SRU is one of the crown jewels of our residency. It is where the sickest of the sick patients are found in our ED. It is a crucible, a test of knowledge and strength, and a true manifestation of the tripartite mission of our department: Leadership, Excellence, and Opportunity.
