#FOAMed

The March 2020 announcement postponing the St Emlyn's LIVE conference because of COVID-19. The team explains the decision, the refund arrangements announced at the time and its early plans to keep medical education going through online alternatives.

Could arginine vasopressin reduce blood-product requirements after major traumatic haemorrhage? This appraisal reviews a small single-centre randomised trial, examining reduced transfusion use alongside the lack of a demonstrated mortality benefit and the limits of applying its findings to a broader trauma population.

How can teams rehearse a new clinical pathway without a mannequin or simulated casualty? This February 2020 introduction to Practical Exercises Without Casualties uses a suspected coronavirus scenario to explore in-situ planning, communication and decision-making, with prompts that can be adapted to other situations.

A February 2020 preview of the proposed CODA conference programme in Melbourne. Simon Carley describes its links with SMACC, its wider clinical audience and the planned combination of medicine, ethics, education and environmental concerns, including scrutiny of the conference's own impact.

The January 2020 blog roundup from Iain and Simon. The episode notes link to early coronavirus coverage, ultrasound-guided vascular access, the Critical Care Reviews trials and reflections on diagnostics, learning and the changing emergency care workforce.

Could selected patients with a spontaneous pneumothorax avoid a chest drain? This 2020 appraisal examines a conservative-management trial, its missing follow-up data, non-inferiority margin and applicability to everyday practice, alongside the trial authors' challenge to the reviewer's cautious interpretation.