Acute mental status changes after the ingestion of alcohol or other substances are a common presentation to the ED. Those with severe obtundation may require intubation for airway protection while the substance metabolizes. In fact, more than 20,000 patients are intubated each year in the United States for acute poisoning or intoxication. Notwithstanding, intubation and mechanical ventilation are not benign procedures. In this podcast we discuss the recently published NICO Trial, that evaluated a strategy of withholding intubation in patients with coma due to acute poisoning.
Timely and appropriate administration of empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics for adult patients with sepsis is critical. Current guidelines recommend an antipseudomonal antibiotic for those at...
Our understanding and management of patients with COVID-19 infection continues to rapidly evolve, almost on a daily basis. In this podcast, we discuss current...
Ventilated ED patients may be at high risk for awareness with paralysis, thereby increasing the risk of long-term psychological sequelae. In this podcast, we...