Let’s face it – when it comes to riding bicycles, inserting cannulas, tying knots, and even manipulating lingerie, fewer hands is just better, right? Well not so fast. Sometimes it’s preferable to play it safe. Keep your eyes on the road. Even ride with stabilisers on. This couldn’t apply more when it comes to manual […]
EMJ Blog – What do Emergency Medicine and Donald J. Trump have in common?
In the aftermath of Donald J. Trump’s US Presidential election victory, I expressed outrage via my keyboard. That led to the creation of a blog post that’s now published on the EMJ Blog. In the post, I use the Trump phenomenon as a vehicle for discussing the alarming lack of basic human decency that I witness on an almost […]
NICE on Bronchiolitis: Less is More!
As the nights get longer and the weather gets cooler emergency departments across the UK will see an increase in unwell children. The vast majority will have a self-limiting illness and can be safely discharged with appropriate safety netting. The emergency clinician’s role is crucial in identifying the children that require an in-patient stay. Infants with cough, […]
EMJ Blog – Nuances of Neurogenic Shock
In my latest EMJ blog, I’ve reviewed an interesting recent paper from Taylor et al that explores some of the finer details of neurogenic shock – a rare, but potentially lethal complication of spinal trauma. Click here for the post. Here is the original paper: Presentation of neurogenic shock within the emergency department. Matthew Pritam Taylor, Paul […]
An EM Trainee’s Learning Points from ESICM LIVES 2016
I had the opportunity to attend the European Society of Intensive Care Society (ESICM) annual conference in Milan this month. It was an interesting conference with expert speakers from all over the world of critical care. The conference spanned three days, and all talks were only 15 minutes followed by 2 questions. This post is a summary […]
EMJ Blog – How Junior Doctors Think: A Guide for Reflective Practice
A very interesting paper has been published in the EMJ recently (June 2016), qualitatively exploring the subject of metacognition in UK-based junior doctors. It’s a must-read. I’ve blogged about it. I’d love to hear reader’s thoughts via the comments section (either on here or the EMJ blog site). The original paper: Clinical reasoning of junior doctors in […]
Case 6: The Chest Pain Patient With Stripes
The Patient You are on a busy evening shift in resus. An 88 year-old man is brought in by ambulance with chest pain. The nursing staff have recorded initial observations, obtained IV access and got an ECG whilst you referred your last patient to the medical on-call team. The paramedics have handed over to a nurse […]
