Re: Learning thread (ER medicine)

FYI: Did you know that if you need the height of a patient( for instance, bedbound pts that cant stand), you have pt stretch arms out to side. The distance from fingertips (from left and right) is same as pts height. Try it on yourself.

Name the condition your patient has where this wouldn't work...and don't say "amputees"

Re: Learning thread (ER medicine)

Originally Posted by CoolhandHutch

Name the condition your patient has where this wouldn't work...and don't say "amputees"

Marfan's Syndrome

Re: Learning thread (ER medicine)

Originally Posted by evilnightwitch

Just learned this from a visiting ER doc. When you have a child brought in by parents with the complaint that the child will not stop crying, what should you look for?

Corneal abrasions, scratches. Young children are always scratching at their faces and cannot see the long hair from their mothers or others holding them and this can result in scratches, very painful.

Also hair tourniquets on fingers, toes and penis

Re: Learning thread (ER medicine)

Originally Posted by zaleah

Exciting learning on night shift....
Why should you not give 1:1000 Epi IV for an allergic rx? (0.3 ml's slow push)

Because you probably kill your patient ?!! Wrong strength. 1:1000 strength is always subQ, right ?

Re: Learning thread (ER medicine)

You can give it IV, but..... 1 in 10,000 will have an adverse reaction where their BP goes through the roof, and their head can literally explode--huge ICB. Ussually they get tachy, and fell flushed but it goes away quick. Someone gave it IV in our ED by mistake, pt started grabbing her head--her pressure had spiked to 240 (young girl with normal of about 110), got Labetolol in fast and dropped her pressure--did a CT, and all was good.

Re: Learning thread (ER medicine)

Originally Posted by CoolhandHutch

Name the condition your patient has where this wouldn't work...and don't say "amputees"

OP, kyphosis, hmmm did not think about that.

Re: Learning thread (ER medicine)

Originally Posted by zenman

Why do many panic attacks occur during 3-5pm?

This is very very bad of me but I am helpless to control Myself:The reason panic attacks are so great these hours is that the kids are home at 3 and DH is home at 430 and I have to start shift at 1900!

Re: Learning thread (ER medicine)

3-5 p in my house is the "witching hours"---I hate them!!! the kids get nuts, dinner needs to be made, you have to get someone somewhere by some time...the kids are hungry but you can't let them snack too much or they will not eat dinner, you can't let them lie on the couch or they will fall asleep (thus making 2300 the witching hour) and they can't get too involved in something because they have to eat--it is all about that dinner with the family thing---LOL, DH comes home and he wants to sit, and you then want to kill him because you are running like a headless chicken, or he is so depressed about other stuff....blah blah blah it just seems to be the bad time of the day---our ED goes nuts during these hours (more til 2000 or so before it starts to slow)
Has it got something to do with biorythms and this is the heightened brain time, or slow brain time (siesta?) Or just normal mon-fri 9-5 ers who stress on going home about their home being perfect?

Re: Learning thread (ER medicine)

just read back in the thread and realized this had been answered, I gotta stop just trying to jump in at the end of the thread...LOL
I am really liking this thread....it is amazing how smart you people are!!!!

I went to ED rounds this am...amazed at the topic and interesting info...leads to a Q..
Syncope is 2% of ED population (when I was a kid it was called fainting)...50% of that 2 % we in the ED will not be able to figure out why they had a syncopal episode...... when do you need to worry?

Re: Tidbit of info..

Originally Posted by RN92

FYI: Did you know that if you need the height of a patient( for instance, bedbound pts that cant stand), you have pt stretch arms out to side. The distance from fingertips (from left and right) is same as pts height. Try it on yourself.

That is amazing! I had to try it on myself and DH! Thanks for the tip!