New light on pre-eclampsia cause
Daily RX
The cause of one of the most common pregnancy complications — pre-eclampsia — is still a mystery to researchers, but new research has identified another piece of the puzzle. A new study reveals that women who get pre-eclampsia may lack an enzyme called corin. The discovery may aid future diagnosis and treatment.More

Emergency departments: Complex systems on the edge of chaos
Emergency Physicians International
Physicians, the conditions worked in provide a constant challenge, for others where there have been significant improvements in recent years, patient attendances continue to increase. Dr. Tony Shannon, consultant in emergency medicine, Leeds Teaching Hospitals, offers a reflection that EDs offer the only 24/7 front door to many healthcare systems, where pressure continues to mount. Emergency Departments have a well earned reputation for being pretty busy places to work. More

Disasters at mass gatherings: Lessons from history
PLoS Currents
Reviews of mass gathering events have traditionally concentrated on crowd variables that affect the level and type of medical care needed. Crowd disasters at mass gathering events have not been fully researched and this review examines these aiming to provide future suggestions for event organizers, medical resource planners, and emergency services, including local hospital emergency departments.More

How to perform an emergency lateral canthotomy (PHOTOS)
Emergency Physicians Monthly
An assault to the face leaves your patient in need of an emergency lateral canthotomy to relieve the pressure and preserve vision. Here is a step-by-step pictorial guide, in case ophthalmology isn't immediately available.More

Residents' self-perceived errors in transitions of care in the emergency department
Journal of Graduate Medical Education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements for systems-based practice state residents are expected to participate in identifying system errors and implementing potential systems solutions. The objective of this study was to determine the numbers of perceived errors occurring from patient pass offs between resident physicians in our emergency department.More

What are patients' concerns about medical errors in an emergency department?
Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal
Concerns about medical errors have recently increased. An understanding of how patients conceptualize medical error would help health care providers to allay safety concerns and increase patient satisfaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' worries about medical errors and their relationship with patient characteristics and satisfaction.More

TMP-SMZ: Be careful
Emergency Physicians Monthly
You rarely hear of problems with the old standby, trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole, but there is a growing body of literature suggesting that physicians need to be wary of the drug's potentially serious side effects. TMP-SMZ is undoubtedly among the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in the ED setting. In the past, its use was largely limited to the treatment of bladder infections. But now, in the age of MRSA infections causing most skin abscesses, TMP-SMZ has risen to one of the key antibiotics to treat these infections.More

South Sudan: Time is running out
Medecins Sans Frontieres
Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres is working in Doro and Jamam refugee camps in South Sudan. About 80,000 refugees have fled to the camps to escape ongoing violence in Blue Nile state, and MSF — working against the clock — is trying to help as many as possible before seasonal rains at the end of the month make the area inaccessible. Dr. Kirrily de Polnay talks about her work in the camps and warns that aid organizations need to urgently accelerate their activities if disaster is to be avoided.More

Michael Winters: What does CORTICUS tell us about steroids and sepsis?
Free Emergency Medicine Talks
Dr. Michael Winters, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland, discusses cases involving the management of septic shock in the emergency department and the use of steroids in such cases. More

South Sudan: Precious blood
Medecins Sans Frontieres
Veronica Ades is an obstetrician-gynecologist on her first MSF mission in Aweil, South Sudan. In this blog, she discusses the availability of blood in an ectopic pregnancy case she recently saw in the emergency department. More

Is India investing in a future health crisis by importing asbestos from Canada?
Aljazeera
More than 50 countries have banned asbestos products but India cannot get enough. It imports the mineral from Canada, risking a future health crisis. Asbestos products have a deadly reputation. Inhaling asbestos fibres can lead to a slow and painful death. But in India, asbestos illness is under-diagnosed and mostly unrecognised.More

Stanford's 911-like training expands to 14 Indian states
India West
A program providing emergency care management services in Andhra Pradesh — launched in 2005 by the Indian nonprofit organization Emergency Management and Research Institute and Stanford University — has now grown to cover 14 states in India.More

EWM Awards for Excellence in Remote Medicine
London
April 15-18

The EWM awards are geared to keep all of us in the industry motivated and are dedicated to everyone involved in extreme medicine no matter how great or small their involvement. The awards recognize the achievements of some of the most inspiring personalities and companies that are associated in one form or another in the growth of the Remote Medicine industry. The awards will be presented at the World Extreme Conference on April 17 at the Royal School of Medicine by Jon Snow, award winning journalist and the face of Channel 4 news.More

European Trauma Course
Verona, Italy
May 16-18

The European Trauma Course has been developed to teach a system of care for managing trauma patients that reflects the reality we experience on a daily basis. This course aims to give you the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills to enhance the abilities you already have, but equally as important, learning how to become both an effective trauma team member and a good team leader.More

International Conference on Emergency Medicine 2012
Dublin, Ireland
June 27-30

The International Conference on Emergency Medicine 2012 will see 1,500-2,000 delegates from around the globe meet to discuss the latest developments in the field of emergency medicine. The theme of ICEM 2012 is "Bridging the Gap between Evidence and Practice" and topics will include disaster medicine, biomedical research, pediatric emergency medicine, prehospital care and resuscitation among many others.More