When does presumed alcohol intoxication conceal something more serious? Natalie May reviews two observational studies of altered consciousness, including patients without detectable alcohol and those with coexisting critical illness. The discussion explores diagnostic bias, the limits of alcohol testing and the importance of looking beyond the initial label.
This introduction to St Emlyn’s 2018 wellbeing e-book brings together reflections on working in emergency and acute care. Edited by Simon Carley and Laura Howard, the collection draws on the team’s experiences of pressure, fatigue and balancing professional and personal lives, with self-care at its centre.
Should police transport patients with penetrating trauma when an ambulance is unavailable? This 2018 review explores Philadelphia’s experience, weighing speed and access against the absence of care en route, unpredictable arrivals and wider trauma-system risks. It considers why coordination between police, EMS and hospitals matters.
Day three of badEMfest 2018 connects prehospital and retrieval learning with the patient’s experience of care. Highlights include wilderness rescue, research priorities, end-of-life discussions, handwashing and chronic pain, alongside reflections on teamwork and what clinicians can learn from becoming patients themselves.
Simon Carley selects ten trauma papers for the 2018 Trauma Care UK conference, focusing on questions that might change bedside practice. Topics range from imaging and transport to brain injury, pneumothorax and team performance, with critical discussion of study limitations and the challenges of translating evidence into care.
How should clinicians balance bleeding and thrombosis when anticoagulation causes problems? This 2018 RCEM CPD discussion covers haemorrhage, reversal strategies, adverse reactions, treatment failure and monitoring. It emphasises individual risk, practical delivery of care and making complex pathways usable, reflecting the drugs and evidence available at the time.
Practical perspectives on trauma care and team leadership.
Explore the series →