WikEM maintains a list of pages that are needed so that new and existing editors can have a place to begin writing.  Check out the needed pages section for a list of new pages to create.… Read more

We are always working to make bedside knowledge more accessible and quickly available for clinicians and healthcare providers in emergency settings for free.

• Over the weekend our iOS app received a major update to fix many bugs and improve the appearance of content.
• The website has quick links to the critical care quick reference, antibiotic guide, journal club, and popular pages
• The forum is available for discussion anything Emergency Medicine and new EM job postings
• The newsletter provides monthly updates on educational topics and highlights learning resources on the internet

We keep all content free because were realize how important information and knowledge sharing is to daily clinical practice and because our users are our patrons and keep everything running.… Read more

The AAP has formally changed the name of ALTE to Brief Unexplained Event (BRUE). The definition has also been formalized with more specific criteria and suggestions to empower the clinician to base the diagnosis on their suspicion rather than relying only on the caregiver’s history.

BRUE is an event occurring in an infant <1 year of age when an observer reports a sudden, brief (<1 min), and now resolved episode of ≥1 of the following without explanation:

• Cyanosis or pallor
• Absent, decreased, or irregular breathing
• Marked change in tone (hyper- or hypotonia)
• Altered level of responsiveness
• Must have returned to baseline

Many non illicit drugs cross react with common drugs screened on the traditional urine drug screen.

• NSAIDs can cause false positive cannabinoid screens
• Sertraline can cause a benzo false positive
• Most benzodiazepine screens look for oxazepam which is a metabolite of diazepam and chlordiazepoxide. Therefore, lorazepam, alprazolam, and clonazepam are commonly missed.

What is the detection interval for marijuana on a UDS?… Read more

A 6 year study on the usage of WikEM by emergency medicine graduates and current residents has been published in JAMIA.… Read more

A quick pearl on the INR stratified guidelines for warfarin reversal.… Read more

For April and May, editors will be completing the Bactrim for Abscess and the ALPS Trial journal club summaries. All contributions are welcome.… Read more

As an experiment, WikEM has a forum for all practitioners to join in discussion… Read more

EmCare® is seeking emergency medicine physicians for several sites in and around Houston. Come join the country’s most experienced, physician-led practice management company.

• Clear Lake Regional Medical Center (Webster, TX)
• Bayshore Medical Center (Pasadena, TX)
• East Houston Medical Center (Houston, TX)
• Pearland Medical Center (Pearland, TX)

Known for its unique structure, EmCare® develops local practices, supports them with regionally-located clinical leadership and operational personnel, while providing them access to unprecedented national resources.

Contact Stacey Harris, EmCare® physician recruiter, at (214) 712-2477 or Stacey.harris@emcare.com

Support open medicine and become a WikEM Sponsor! … Read more

The treatment of cutaneous abscesses classically involves the incision and drainage procedure. Historically, this procedure involves making a linear incision over the abscess cavity, followed by manual expression of cavity contents, blunt dissection to break up loculations, further irrigation with saline, and packing with gauze. However, a lack of data supports the routine use of irrigation to improve the success of the procedure and treatment of the abscess. In addition, while not typically considered, the routine use of irrigation does include some downsides: extra time and supplies, cost, and the possibility of microbiologic contamination of the patient care area and body fluid exposure to the practitioner.

The authors of this study randomized patients to I&D with or without… Read more