Lessons from Victoria Brazil’s 2014 St Emlyn’s talk, ‘Talking, Teaching and Technology’. Rick Body describes how preparation, knowing the audience, attention to voice and body language, and ruthless simplification of slides can shape a presentation, alongside reflections from the team’s evening together in Manchester.
When Victoria Brazil came to St. Emlyn’s: The Full Story Read More
Rick Body introduces his SMACC Gold 2014 talk, ‘The Heart Under Stress’, on using history, examination and troponin testing when assessing possible acute coronary syndrome. The accompanying post also reflects on turning research into an engaging conference presentation, with storytelling and humour alongside the clinical discussion.
The Heart Under Stress – St. Emlyn’s at SMACC Gold Read More
Who should be seen next when the emergency department cannot see everyone immediately? Rick Body uses hypothetical triage dilemmas to explore fairness, waiting time, clinical urgency and suffering, asking how fast-tracking, staffing decisions and performance targets affect the balance between individual patients and the wider department.
Ethical dilemmas in Emergency Medicine 4: The ethics of triage Read More
Louise Cullen and Rick Body debate whether high-sensitivity troponin is friend or foe at SMACC Gold 2014. This post brings together the recording, both speakers’ slides and background resources on troponin interpretation, including why a raised concentration does not always mean acute myocardial infarction.
The Troponin Ashes at SMACC Gold: Cullen v Body Read More
Can CT measurements identify which older patients with acute subdural haematoma need neurosurgical referral? This 2014 journal club examines a proposed decision tool, questioning selection bias, measurement reliability and how a ‘surgical’ bleed was defined, and explaining why promising retrospective findings still need validation.
JC: When a subdural needs surgery in the elderly. St. Emlyn’s Read More
What does ‘high sensitivity’ actually mean when describing a troponin assay? This 2014 explainer and accompanying podcast unpack detection limits, precision and the distinction between analytical and diagnostic sensitivity, while exploring why more sensitive tests still require careful clinical interpretation.
High sensitivity troponin Read More
A 2014 introduction to cardiac troponin, built around common questions from the emergency department. The post introduces Rick Body and Iain Beardsell’s podcast on interpreting results, including causes of elevation, timing, changes between samples and the complications posed by renal failure.
Cardiac Troponin: The basics from St. Emlyn’s Read More
Rick Body discusses a 2014 study of emergency physicians’ judgement in suspected acute coronary syndromes. He explores the limitations of clinical judgement alone, the potential contribution of ECG and troponin results, and why promising findings still required validation before being used as a discharge strategy.
How accurate is clinical judgement for acute coronary syndromes? Read More
