Author: Rachel Beham, PharmD Educational Pearls: There are currently many Ebola vaccines that are being studied, and one (recombinant VZV-Ebola vaccine) is currently being used in Africa. This vaccine has so far shown good efficacy in reducing Ebola infections and mortality from Ebola in those who do become infected. There are antibody-based treatments that are…
Read MoreAuthor: John Winkler, MD Educational Pearls: There is a new outbreak of Ebola in The Congo. This is likely due to civil war and rebel attacks on healthcare workers in the area. Ebola is now spreading from the Congo into neighboring Uganda, but vaccination efforts are staving off the spread across the border Early symptoms…
Read MoreContributor: Jared Scott, MD Educational Pearls: Sleep deprivation and disturbed sleep cycles increases the risk of many acute and chronic medical issues such as motor vehicle accidents, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disease, and shift work sleep disorder (difficulty sleeping, fatigue, interference with daily activities) Stages of sleep Stage 1: 5-10 minutes (light sleep, may not…
Read MoreContributor: Chris Holmes, MD Educational Pearls: In ancient Egypt, pregnant women would urinate over barley and wheat seeds to help determine the sex of thier fetus, as well as if they were pregnant. Amazingly, this has 70% accuracy (!!) for determining pregnancy (not sex). Piss Prophets in the middle ages would examine urine for changes…
Read MoreContributor: Nick Tsipis, MD Educational Pearls: Communication proves time and time again to be most helpful in preventing surprises after patient admission Frequent re-evaluations and repeat vital signs can be important to evaluating a patient’s risk for deterioration once admitted as well as selecting the proper level of care at admission Broad categories of patients…
Read MoreContributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: Seymour fracture is an eponym for a Salter-Harris I/II fracture of the distal phalanx of the finger or toe in children, associated with a nailbed injury These may present and subtle as a subungal hematoma with a fracture on x-ray but carry a significant risk of complications While in…
Read MoreContributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: Only 10% of patients receiving antibiotics for strep throat actually have the diesease Treatment of strep with antibiotics only slightly reduces the duration of illness. Most studies say the reduction is between 16 and 24 hours Antibiotic treatment may reduce complications such as peritonsilar abscess and otitis media but…
Read MoreContributor: Don Stader, MD Educational Pearls: The eye is surrounded by relatively inflexible tissues such as the bone of the orbit and the fibrous tissue of the eye. This makes it relatively susceptible to damage from outside compression, which is most common from trauma. This phenomenon is called ocular compartment syndrome (OCS) Look for OCS…
Read MoreContributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: Patients with psychiatric complaints are often complicated to disposition from the main ED, and many will require inpatient psychiatric stays Some health systems have dedicated psychiatric ED’s that are specialized in taking care of these patients For example, in Oakland, CA, EMS are permitted to “clear” a patient for…
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