Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) is becoming a cornerstone tool in our assessment of patient presentations and is helping us guide our clinical management. This is also represented in the amount of literature that has been published on the use of PoCUS in 2023. In this post, Dr. Murray reviews 5 articles (with case examples and videos), […] The post Probing 2023: PoCUS Articles to Change Your Practice appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more

Take your POCUS Game to the Next Level Who should attend:  Staff and resident physicians and other practitioners who take care of acutely unwell patients.  Plenary Talks: Working up the “nerve” to “block” pain in the ED: is it time to change our approach? – Dr Alice Chan Soft Tissue POCUS – Why & How? […] The post Ottawa POCUS Symposium appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more

I was in the OR for the first day of my anesthesia rotation when suddenly the pain hit me. It was in my left flank, radiating to my back — so much pain I could hardly think. A flurry of tests later, my ultrasound showed good doppler flow, and my lab work was pristine. I had […] The post Experiential learning with a TWIST: Ovarian Torsion appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more

Tonson la Tour A, et al. Acad Emerg Med. 2021 Aug;28(8):866-872. Methodology: 3/5 Usefulness: 3/5 Question and Methods: This prospective cohort study tried to identify whether PoCUS can be used to diagnose intussusception by emergency department physicians. Findings: PoCUS had a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 97% when performed by emergency medicine physicians, which translated […] The post Evaluation of bedside sonography performed by emergency physicians to detect intussusception in children in the emergency department appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more

Do you fumble using fundoscopy? Can’t find the ophthalmoscope in your department when you need to? In this post, we will show you how to refine your ocular PoCUS skills to help you manage those eye cases on your next shift. First, let’s start with some basics. You want to throw on a Tegaderm over […] The post Ocular PoCUS: Keep your prize on the eyes appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more

Methodology: 3/5           Usefulness: 3/5 Secko MA, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2020 Aug;76(2):119-128. Question and Methods: Attempted to validated the use of a posterior PoCUS approach in diagnosing shoulder dislocations and assessing the adequacy of reduction in the ED in a multicentre, prospective, observational study. Findings: PoCUS had 100% sensitivity […] The post Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography to Diagnose Dislocated Shoulders: A Prospective Cohort appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more

There are 35,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) annually in Canada6. Patient survival in OHCA increases dramatically with resuscitation; bystander CPR, use of AEDs and activation of EMS. Signifiant gains have been made with education at both the community and prehospital care level. Despite this, less than 40% of patients with OHCA receive CPR and only […] The post Advancing Resuscitation Care: Controversial Guidelines appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more

Shoulder dislocations are the most common large joint dislocation encountered by emergency physicians. Given their incidence in the emergency department, managing shoulder dislocations efficiently is key to departmental flow.` Recently, Dowson et al.1 utilized a specific shoulder reduction bench as a means to improve flow and reduce the need for procedural sedation. The results of […] The post Shouldering the load: Shoulder dislocations in the ED appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more

Do you want to take your POCUS game to the next level? Then look no further than the Ottawa POCUS Symposium. This symposium will offer some of the best POCUS teachers in Ottawa and Nationwide.  Who should attend this conference? Staff and resident physicians and other practitioners who take care of acutely unwell patients.   Plenary […] The post Ottawa POCUS Symposium appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more

The uOttawa PoCUS Infographic Project is a student-led initiative developed by two University of Ottawa medical students, Caleb Sypkes and Celina DeBiasio, under the expertise of Dr. Michael Woo.  While PoCUS is a critical skill to develop, it can be difficult for learners to efficiently apply their skills in a fast-paced clinical setting. These bilingual […] The post uOttawa PoCUS Infographic Project appeared first on EMOttawa Blog ..read more