Archive

Medical Category: Thoracic and Respiratory

MDCalc Wars: Stop Before the CT! — Are You Using PERC or Wells Correctly

Diagnosing PE in the emergency department is tricky. The symptoms—chest pain, shortness of breath, tachycardia—are nonspecific and overlap with many other conditions. But missing a PE can have devastating consequences, so there’s often a low threshold to order a CTA. ...

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Thoracic and Respiratory

REBEL Core Cast 136.0: A Simple Approach to the Tachypneic Patient

In this episode, we focus on the bedside evaluation of the tachypneic patient. Tachypnea (increased respiratory rate) can be an early indicator of serious illness, but not every tachypneic patient is on the verge of arrest. The key is honing ...

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Thoracic and Respiratory

Combination Inhalers in Asthma: Time to Switch?

🧭 REBEL Rundown 📌 Key Points 💨 Most asthma patients still leave the ED with a SABA alone—time for an upgrade. 📉 SABA/ICS combo inhalers cut severe exacerbations compared to SABA alone. 🏥 Study excluded typical ED patients—few had recent ...

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Thoracic and Respiratory

REBEL Core Cast 135.0: A Simple Approach to Hypoxemia (vs. Hypoxia)

In this episode, we break down a practical bedside approach to hypoxemia. We clarify the difference between hypoxemia (low oxygen in the blood) and hypoxia (low oxygen at the tissue level), and walk through the major causes of hypoxemia that ...

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ResuscitationThoracic and Respiratory

IVC Distensibility Index vs Collapsibility Index: Using the Correct Index

Background  In 1979, Hiroshi Natori was the first to appreciate the sonographic changes that occur in the inferior vena cava (IVC)’s diameter with ventilation in spontaneously breathing patients, mechanically ventilated patients, and those with carcinogenic and tuberculoid cardiac tamponade.1 They ...

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CardiovascularResuscitationThoracic and Respiratory

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