To say that 2020 has been a challenging year would be a gross understatement.  The courage and determination that all healthcare providers have shown in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of inspirational.  In addition to the thousands of COVID-19 patients, we have also needed to manage many other critical illness conditions that have presented to our various settings.  In this annual …
2020 AHA Updates: Post-Arrest Care
The period following ROSC from cardiac arrest is a time when lives can be saved…or lost. A systematic and comprehensive approach to post-arrest care is associated with improved survival to discharge with good neurologic function. In this podcast, we discuss the recently published 2020 AHA Updates to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care with attention to Post-Arrest care.
2020 AHA Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Approximately 350,000 adults in the US experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).  Despite numerous potential improvements in treatments, survival from OHCA remains essentially unchanged since 2012. The American Heart Association (AHA) just released its 2020 Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.  In this podcast, we review the key updates and recommendations that impact the acute care provider managing the patient …
Electrical Storm
Although electrical storm is an uncommon presentation, it is important that we readily recognize and treat these patients to prevent rapid progression to cardiac arrest. Effective management can be complex. In this podcast we discuss the management of patients with unstable and stable electrical storm.
Acute Liver Failure
Patients with acute liver failure can be incredibly sick and have an exceedingly high mortality.  Early identification and prompt, evidence-based management of the patient with acute liver failure may improve patient-centered outcomes.  In this podcast, we discuss updated guidelines for the management of adult patients with acute liver failure. Key resuscitation topics include fluid resuscitation, blood pressure targets, vasopressor selection, bleeding and …
Roc vs. Sux – The CURASMUR Trial
The debate on the ideal neuromuscular blocking agent for RSI in emergency intubations rages on. In this podcast, we review the latest randomized trial comparing rocuronium with succinylcholine in out-of-hospital patients needing emergency tracheal intubation – The CURASMUR Trial. Emergency medicine airway guru Dr. Ken Butler takes us through the paper and provides his expert opinion on which NMBA you should be …
Identifying and Treating EVALI
In recent years, the use of e-cigarette and vaping products has sharply risen. Concomitant with the increased use is an increase in patients presenting with severe respiratory disease associated with these products. In this podcast we review the latest information on the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients presenting with e-cigarette associated acute lung injury (EVALI).
Critical Care of Cancer Therapy Toxicities
The number of critically ill cancer patients presenting to the ED is increasing. Though many of these patients are critically ill with conditions directly related to their cancer, some are sick as a result of toxicities from new therapies used to treat their cancer. Dr. Sarah Dubbs joins the podcast to discuss what we NEED to know about these new classes …
A Year in Review: Key Articles from the 2019 Critical Care Literature
A plethora of literature was published during the course of 2019. In this podcast, we review several key articles published in the 2019 critical care literature that pertain to the resuscitation and management of select critically ill patients. Simply a great way to start 2020!
Benzodiazepine-Refractory Status Epilepticus – Which Drug is Second-Line?
Up to one-third of patients with status epilepticus will not respond to benzodiazepines.  Unfortunately, treatment of benzodiazepine-refractory status epilepticus is not well studied.  The longer seizures persist, the worse patients do.  In this podcast, we discuss the results of the recently completed ESETT trial that evaluated three anticonvulsant medications for status epilepticus.