Ketamine is a well-known anesthetic used commonly in the ED for RSI and procedural sedation.  In this podcast, we review the use of ketamine in other critical illness states, such as status asthmaticus, status epilepticus, acute pain management, and acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Emergency department (ED) visits for critically ill patients has nearly doubled over the past decade.  Unfortunately, ED boarding of critically ill patients awaiting ICU admission has also risen significantly, and is associated with several adverse patient outcomes.  In this podcast, we review a white paper on boarding of the critically ill ED patient just published in Critical Care Medicine by …

The use of tranexamic acid (TXA) has markedly increased since the results of the CRASH-II trial were published.  In addition to its use in trauma, TXA has been evaluated and used in numerous other conditions, including post-partum hemorrhage and epistaxis.  Recently, the HALT-IT Trial was published online in the Lancet, which evaluated the use of TXA in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding.  In …

There has been an explosion of literature on the evaluation and management of patients with COVID-19 infection.  In this podcast, we discuss updates (as of June 2020) in the care of critically ill patients with COVID-19.  We touch on non-invasive ventilation, mechanical ventilation, proning, and medication administration.

Emergency medicine, critical care, and resuscitationists often use the Shock Index to identify patients with increased mortality.  The Shock Index is calculated by dividing heart rate by the systolic blood pressure, with a value > 0.8 identifying a potential critically ill patient.  In the setting of sepsis, the use of systolic blood pressure to calculate the Shock Index may be …

As we gain more experience managing critically ill patients with COVID-19 infection there has been a shift away from immediate intubation and towards more frequent use of non-invasive ventilatory strategies.  Dr. Michael Allison joins CCPEM this podcast to discuss the latest evidence, controversies, and recommendations on the use of HFNC in COVID-19 patients. Play episode here!

Currently, there is no approved treatment or proven therapy for COVID-19. As such, many have turned to treatments with little to no supporting evidence. In this podcast, we bring back EM Pharmacy extraordinaire Bryan Hayes to discuss information on the toxicities of potential therapies used in the management of patients with COVID-19.

Current guidelines for many critical illnesses recommend targeting a MAP of 65 mm Hg, with consideration of higher MAPs in older patients with chronic HTN. Recent literature, however, suggests increased mortality in older patients who are exposed to larger quantities of vasopressor medications.  In this podcast, we do a deep dive into the recently published 65 Trial, which sought to …

Our understanding and management of patients with COVID-19 infection continues to rapidly evolve, almost on a daily basis.  In this podcast, we discuss current experience and thoughts on managing the critically ill patient with COVID-19 infection with attention to ventilator management.

In 2017, Paul Marik published a single-center retrospective before-and-after study that demonstrated significant mortality benefit to patients with septic shock who received a cocktail of steroids, vitamin C, and hydrocortisone.  Since that time, many providers have adopted this cocktail for the treatment of septic shock, despite the fact that no randomized trial has evaluated this regimen.  In this podcast, we …