Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog
Emergency Medicine education blog
A 27-year old female presents to ED one hour after swallowing 70 x 40mg propranolol tablets (= 2.8 grams) with suicidal intent. At the time of assessment she is drowsy (GCS 13) with a heart rate of 46 bpm. Fifteen minutes earlier she had been awake and able to give a history to paramedics… You need to act fast to save this patient. Are you up to the challenge?
A 22 year old presents to the ED following the alleged ingestion of fenofibrate tablets 2 hours prior to presentation.
A 20 year-old female had a polypharmacy overdose 36 hours ago. She has had symptoms of GI upset (nausea and vomiting), some anxiety and mild confusion. Her life is in your hands…
A 3 year-old boy is BIBA with a reduced level of consciousness. He is protecting is airway, has a respiratory rate of 15/min, a pulse rate of 70/min and blood pressure of 85/35 mmHg. He is responsive to painful stimuli and has pupils 2mm in diameter. Can you keep out of harm’s way?
An 18-year old male is brought to ED by ambulance following a generalised seizure at home. Can you interpret his ECG and save his life?
A sneak peak at this month’s review from EBMedicine’s Emergency Medicine Practice: An Evidence-Based Approach to Acetaminophen (paracetamol, APAP) Overdose.
Verapamil overdose is potentially lethal. Test yourself on how to manage this clinical scenario, including the use of high-dose insulin euglycemic therapy.
Egerton Y. Davis IV has urged UCEM toxicologists to be on stand-by for potentially one of the worst voluntary mass poisonings the world has seen.
A 25 year-old male (70 kg) is brought in by ambulance 30 to 60 minutes after ingesting 7 x 500mg amitriptyline. He is tachycardic (HR 120) with an otherwise ‘normal’ ECG (QRS 95 ms) but is becoming drowsy.
