Anesthesia Key

Key Points Print Section Listen Control pain aggressively. Search for and treat the precipitants of pain crisis. Complications of sickle cell disease, both typical and atypical, must be aggressively sought…

Key Points Print Section Listen Adrenal crisis is a medical emergency and must be recognized and treated promptly. Administration of steroids, saline, and vasopressors (as needed) should be instituted when…

Key Points Print Section Listen Drowning is defined as the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid. Consider that drowning may have resulted from a primary medical or…

Key Points Print Section Listen Address hypothermia, dehydration, and any alternative life threats before focusing on cold-induced tissue injuries. When in doubt, treat all cold-induced tissue injuries as frostbite. Rewarm…

Key Points Print Section Listen Hyperglycemia causes an osmotic diuresis that may result in dehydration. Patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) are treated with intravenous fluids…

Key Points Print Section Listen Spinal cord compression should be considered in any patient presenting to the emergency department with a neurologic complaint and a history of malignancy. Electrolyte abnormalities…

Key Points Print Section Listen Attempt to distinguish between acute versus chronic ingestions, as the symptoms and treatments differ. Electrocardiogram changes are common and include downward-sloping (scooped) ST-segment depressions, premature…

Key Points Print Section Listen Intoxication with either alcohol or drugs is very common in patients with hypothermia. Most emergency thermometers cannot accurately read body temperatures below 34.4°C (94°F). Many…

Key Points Print Section Listen Distinguish potentially life-threatening (epiglottitis, peritonsillar, and retropharyngeal abscess) and benign (uncomplicated pharyngitis) conditions. Use a scoring system to guide management of pharyngitis. Suspected group A…

Key Points Print Section Listen Always consider secondary causes of hyperthermia. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke should be diagnoses of exclusion. Do not fluid overload elderly patients while rehydrating them…