Ultrasound guidance (USG) for the placement of central venous catheters (CVC) has been recognized as a helpful adjunct in anesthesia and surgical literature since 1984, but has received little notice in the emergency medicine (EM) literature. To clarify the EM role of this emerging technique, Miller and colleagues compared USG to the traditional landmark technique for insertion of CVC in ED patients without obtainable peripheral access.
Among the many electrocardiographic findings indicative of acute coronary syndromes, the emergency physician must be familiar with the characteristics of the pre-infarction stage of coronary artery disease known as Wellens syndrome.
One year later: Emergency department response to biological terrorism, part II - smallpox, viral hemorrhagic fevers, tularemia, and botulinum toxins