An 82 year old man arrives to the ED by EMS with a GCS of 7. He smells of urine and feces, and apparently has not been seen in 4 days. He is hypotensive and tachycardic. With simple fluid resuscitation (1-2L), the BP will improve. Learners are to organize a broad diagnostic work-up and coverage with broad-spectrum antibiotics. They must also recognize the need to intubate. If they do not, the patient will vomit and have a resultant desaturation. The case ends after successful workup and intubation.
Ruptured AAA
A 70-year-old male presents to the emergency department after a syncopal episode and then found to be obtunded by his daughter. He is hypotensive and tachycardic on arrival secondary to a AAA rupture into the retroperitoneal space. He requires intubation and fluid resuscitation with blood products to avoid a PEA arrest secondary to hypovolemia.
Dysrhythmia Secondary to Hyperkalemia
A 52 year-old male with end-stage renal disease (requiring dialysis) is brought in by EMS feeling weak and dizzy. He missed dialysis for the first time over the weekend to attend his niece’s wedding. On presentation, his heart rate is 50 and his ECG demonstrates a wide complex rhythm with peaked T waves that EMS interprets as a STEMI. If the team recognizes the possibility of hyperkalemia and treats it appropriately, the patient’s QRS will narrow. If the hyperkalemia is not recognized, the patient will arrest.
Severe Asthma Exacerbation
22 y.o. male is brought by EMS to the emergency department with increasing SOB and chest tightness x12 hours with rapid deterioration over the last hour resulting from a severe asthma exacerbation. He will require multiple pharmaceutical treatments, rapid sequence intubation and proper ventilation.
Stab Wound to the Neck with Neurogenic Shock
A 21 year old male is brought to your tertiary care ED by EMS after being stabbed by a friend. EMS initiated spinal precautions and failed several attempts to intubate en route. On arrival, the patient is being bagged and has a single stab wound to the right posterolateral neck. He requires emergent intubation for airway protection. After intubation, his blood pressure drops but his heart rate remains in the 70s. His blood pressure will stabilize only after appropriate fluid resuscitation and vasopressor initiation.
Moulage Tips and Tricks
This week's post is written by Dr. Cheryl ffrench. She is the Director of Simulation for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Manitoba and is also one of the advisory board members for EMSimCases. Emergency Medicine is Sensory Emergency Medicine is a very sensory specialty. Walking into the resuscitation room, the appearance, … Continue reading Moulage Tips and Tricks
Procedural Sedation with Laryngospasm
The emergency team is preparing to perform a conscious sedation on a 7-year-old boy to facilitate the reduction of a fracture of the radius and ulna. They will be expected to do an airway assessment and pick an appropriate agent for sedation. In the middle of sedation, the patient’s oxygen saturation will suddenly drop and the patient will stop breathing. The team will be unable to bag the patient until they ask for either deeper sedation or a paralytic. If they administer succinylcholine, the patient will become bradycardic and require atropine.
Debriefing Techniques – the Art of Guided Reflection
Simulation without debriefing is really just an expensive way of either making learners feel badly about themselves or allowing learners to practice performing poorly. This is why the theory behind debriefing is so important. Debriefing is one of the most amazing teaching tools available to an instructor. Debriefing allows insight into a learner’s thought process … Continue reading Debriefing Techniques – the Art of Guided Reflection
Opioid Overdose with ARDS
A 34-year-old male was found unconscious in an alleyway by bystanders who called EMS. The patient presents with a clinical opioid intoxication requiring naloxone administration. The patient also presents with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to heroin use requiring airway support, intubation and mechanical ventilation.
How to develop targeted simulation learning objectives – Part 2: The Practice
In part 1 of this two part series (https://emsimcases.com/2015/04/21/how-to-develop-targeted-simulation-learning-objectives-part-1-the-theory/), we used the revised Bloom’s taxonomy to describe an approach to developing simulation-based learning objectives by targeting a specific, complex knowledge domain and a higher level cognitive process. Now that we know the theory behind making targeted simulation learning objectives, what kind of learning objectives should … Continue reading How to develop targeted simulation learning objectives – Part 2: The Practice
EM Sim Cases 