Medical Category: Thoracic and Respiratory

Background: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax, by definition, occurs without trauma or any underlying lung pathology. Often patients are otherwise young and healthy. However, management continues to be debated and may lead to unnecessary hospitalization. Previous studies regarding ambulatory management included randomized …

Background: Pneumothorax management is a common clinical condition in the emergency department (ED) occurring in patients of varying ages and caused by multiple etiologies, including spontaneous, traumatic, and iatrogenic pneumothorax. Regardless of the cause, a thoracostomy is often required for …

Background: Hypoxemia and hypoperfusion are important factors in outcomes after ROSC.  While hypoxemia (SpO2 <90%) is clearly deleterious, it is unclear if hyperoxia is beneficial.  Recent studies on patients requiring critical care have demonstrated that hyperoxia is harmful and instead …

Background: The overall mortality and case-fatality rate for pulmonary embolism (PE) are decreasing. Yet reporting is increasing, suggesting we are overdiagnosing PE. Furthermore, management with anticoagulation is not entirely benign and places a potential risk of bleeding upon the patient. …

‘He remembered waking up with someone pulling very hard on his injured leg, which caused severe pain. He thinks he was in the ED. The patient said this was the worst pain he had every had and it was unbearable, …