Respiratory

In this March 2020 podcast, Roberto Cosentini shares experiences from Bergamo during Italy's first COVID-19 surge. The accompanying notes highlight preparation, staff training, patient flow and psychological support, capturing lessons being shared while other emergency departments were still preparing for their first wave.

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.

Ashley Liebig's January 2020 introduction to the novel coronavirus outbreak, written as cases began appearing beyond China. The article records the early questions facing clinicians and the information available at that point, offering a historical snapshot rather than an up-to-date account of COVID-19.

Should ventilation continue between induction and laryngoscopy during rapid sequence intubation? This 2019 appraisal examines a randomised trial in critically ill adults, weighing oxygen desaturation and aspiration outcomes against differences in technique, preoxygenation and the applicability of ICU findings to emergency departments.

Does apnoeic oxygenation reduce desaturation during intubation of critically ill adults? This 2015 appraisal of the FELLOW trial examines its ICU population, oxygen-saturation outcomes and methodological limitations, asking how far the findings can be applied to emergency department airway practice.

A 2014 induction guide and podcast on assessing breathlessness in the emergency department. The post introduces important causes, focused history-taking, the role of investigations and early senior support, with further learning resources for clinicians finding their feet in the ED.