Chest drain insertion involves more than getting a tube into the chest. This 2016 teaching post discusses patient selection, analgesia, ultrasound, drain size and secure fixation, combining published evidence with the author’s practical experience and acknowledging important uncertainties.
Chest drains & aspiration: Do it better with St.Emlyn’s Read More
How can simulation develop the relationships and attitudes that shape clinical teamwork? Drawing on a EuSEM 2016 talk, this post explores training in the workplace, involving the whole team in debriefs and using learning conversations to understand behaviour under pressure.
Soft skills in simulation: EuSEM 2016. St.Emlyn’s Read More
How should we interpret a high prevalence of pulmonary embolism among patients admitted with syncope? This 2016 appraisal examines the selected hospital population and distinguishes finding a clot from proving it caused the collapse or that treating it improves outcomes.
Prevalence of PE in patients with syncope Read More
Natalie May’s notes accompanying her 2015 smaccMINI talk explore assessment of the previously well child with altered consciousness. The post covers protecting the brain and organising possible causes through the ‘5MF’ framework, including infection, metabolic illness, medication effects and seizures.
You Snooze, You Lose? #smaccUS The Child with Altered Consciousness Read More
How do we include children when someone they love is critically ill or dying? These notes accompany a conversation with Liz Crowe about clear explanations, addressing fears and self-blame, preparing children for the bedside and supporting families through difficult conversations.
Difficult conversations with children in critical care Read More
Does cardiac activity on ultrasound predict survival after cardiac arrest, and does scanning itself improve outcomes? This 2016 appraisal of REASON examines those different questions, the study’s potential biases and why absent activity should not be treated as a definitive prognosis.
JC: Is this the REASON to use USS in cardiac arrest? St.Emlyn’s Read More
An archived announcement of the St Emlyn’s team’s involvement in dasSMACC in Berlin in 2017. The post introduces a recorded conversation with co-convener Roger Harris and sets out the original programme and registration timetable published in October 2016.
DAS SMACC is go. St.Emlyn’s Read More
Recognising possible child abuse is only the start of safeguarding in the emergency department. This 2016 overview explores concerning presentations, listening to children, seeking senior help, sharing information and approaching parents with humility while keeping the child’s safety central.
Thinking the Unthinkable: Child Protection in the Emergency Department Read More
