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Recent Posts
Can Junior EPs Use E-Point Septal Separation to Accurately Estimate Left Ventricular Function?
Background
Point-of-care echocardiography can provide a rapid and accurate assessment of left ventricular function, which is valuable in differentiating causes of hypotension and dyspnea at bedside. Visual estimation of LV function by experienced practitioners has been shown to correlate well with quantitative estimate...
Case 27: Ectopic Pregnancy
A 43 year old female with no past medical history presents to the Emergency Department (ED) with lower abdominal pain for the last three hours. She says she knows she is pregnant from a home pregnancy test, but has not had any appointment with obstetrics and has not had an ultrasound yet. She denies any vaginal bleedin...
Serratus Anterior Plane Block for Thoracic Wall Pain
Background
The serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) is a field block that provides analgesia from T2 to T9 dermatomes of the hemithorax by anesthetizing the lateral cutaneous branches of the intercostal nerves in that area. It was first described in a 2013 study demonstrating long-lasting thoracic-wall...
Rapid Fire Ultrasound: How to Use the GE Venue
Dr. Matt Mason and Dr. Medak discuss how to use the GE Venue ultrasound, both basic functions and more advanced modes.
Basics of GE Venue machine - 0:00-2:28
Step-by-step of how to perform an ultrasound exam - 2:28-9:18
Advanced functions - 9:18-end
Case 26: Genicular Nerve Block for Knee Pain – A Novel Technique
A 68 year old female with no significant past medical history presents to the Emergency Department (ED) with one day of right knee pain after falling off her bicycle onto her right side. She was immediately unable to bear weight on her right leg.
Vitals: T 98.3, HR 73, RR 18, BP 114/70, SpO2 99%
Rig...
Erector Spinae Nerve Block for Abdominal Pain – A Case for Better Analgesia
Background
In the age of the opioid epidemic, there is a need for multi-modal pain control techniques, and nerve blocks will likely be an increasingly important piece of the puzzle, particularly in the Emergency Department. Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks for musculoskeletal complaints are now standard practice f...
Case 25: Aortic Dissection
A 44 year old male with a history of heroin abuse presents to the emergency department with altered mental status. Per EMS, the patient was found on the street with decreased level of consciousness and poor respiratory effort. EMS was concerned about opioid overdose, and he was treated with 4mg Narcan, with...
A Practical Guide to Placing Ultrasound-Guided Peripheral IVs
Background
Peripheral IV placement is one of the most common procedures performed in hospitals, with hundreds of millions performed each year. For the most part, IVs are successfully placed in the traditional way - using landmarks and visualization/palpation of the vessels. But as we all know, there are several ...