This case comes from Dr. Jared Baylis and Dr. Kelly Huang Dr. Baylis is the Simulation Medical Director at University of British Columbia - Southern Medical Program and Interior Health, as well as an editor of EM Sim Cases. Dr. Huang a PGY5 Emergency Medicine resident at University of British Columbia and is currently completing … Continue reading Heat related illness
Tag: Altered LOC
Critical Care 1 – Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
This is the first case in a series looking at critical care medicine. Patients under the care of the critical care team may develop delayed complications of their illness or injuries. This patient with a spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage develops progressive hydrocephalus with need for hyperosmotic therapy and airway management.
Multi-trauma case: burn and head injury
The case will begin with the arrival of patient from a house fire who has 30%TBSA burns. The team will be expected to recognize the need for intubation and fluid resuscitation. After successful intubation, a second patient will arrive from an altercation outside a bar. He appears to have a blunt traumatic head injury after being repeatedly kicked. The team is expected to recognize hypoglycemia in the context of a minor head injury and provide immediate glucose replacement. During the management of the head injured patient, the burn patient will continue to by hypotensive. The team will need to recognize the possibility of CN toxicity. The patient will also become more difficult to ventilate and will require an escharotomy.
Toxic Alcohol Ingestion
A 46 year-old male presents with a GCS of 3 after being found in the back alley behind a drug store. The team will need to work through a broad differential diagnosis and recognize the need to intubate the patient. If they try naloxone, it will have no effect. After intubation, the team will receive critical VBG results showing a profound metabolic acidosis with a significant anion gap. The goal is to trigger the team to work through the possible causes of an elevated anion gap, including toxic alcohols.
Digoxin Overdose
This case is written by Dr. Kyla Caners. She is a PGY5 Emergency Medicine resident at McMaster University and is also one of the Editors-in-Chief here at EMSimCases. Why it Matters Digoxin toxicity is of critical importance to recognize. There are many subtleties to its management, which means that the concepts of digoxin toxicity are important … Continue reading Digoxin Overdose
Hypothermia with Trauma
30 year-old female is brought into the ED at 4 AM by a man who found her lying at the side of the road with no coat or shoes. It is minus 30 degrees Celsius outside. On arrival she has a reduced LOC, laboured breathing, a right-sided pneumothorax, cyanotic extremities, a left radius & ulna fracture, and a right tib-fib fracture. The team is required to use both active and passive rewarming strategies. Regardless of the team’s efforts, the patient in this case will arrest. Upon ROSC, they are required to continue rewarming as well as to address the other traumatic injuries.
DKA
An 8 year old girl who has been tired and “unwell” for several days presents to the ED with an acute decline in her mental status. She is confused and lethargic. It becomes quickly apparent that the child is in DKA and requires immediate treatment. Due to decreasing neurologic status and vomiting, she eventually requires an advanced airway. The challenge is to optimize the peri-intubation course and to appropriately ventilate to allow for compensation of her metabolic acidosis.
Altered LOC
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.
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage with Increased Intracranial Pressure
A 45-year-old male who suffered an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage while weightlifting presents to the emergency department requiring intubation for airway protection and develops acute hydrocephalus requiring ICP lowering maneuvers before definitive surgical management.
EM Sim Cases 