@precordialthump I totally forgot about the EKG library! Awesome stuff. Keep up the great work (when do you sleep?!)
258 days ago
@emeducation Perfect, thanks for the suggestions! Turns out one is co-authored by Jeff Tabas. He already gave them all books.
258 days ago
Recommendations for an EKG resource to review bread & butter cases for senior residents? Pre-graduation panic setting in for our residents.
258 days ago
@danipedia Good point. I use the studies to convince the trauma consults NOT to get c-spine imaging on EVERYONE (citing distracting injury)!
263 days ago
@doctorflash Hi there. Just wanted to drop a note to thank you for all the extra traffic you're sending to blog. Much appreciated!!
273 days ago
Trick of the Trade: Burned fingertips as a clinical clue
Posted Sep 08 2010 12:00am
A patient presents to your Emergency Department with altered mental status and somnolence. You don't smell alcohol on breath and you don't see needle track marks. What clinical clue points you towards cocaine or methamphetamine ingestion?
Trick of the trade:
Look for burned fingertips!
Patients who smoke crack or methamphetamines typically use a glass pipe as shown below. The glass pipes get hot and often burn the tips of people's fingers.
Crack pipe
Meth pipe
After a crack or methampethamine binge, patients often get a washed-out syndrome where their catecholamine stores are completely depleted. They sleep for hours. Often they come in this washed-out stage when they present to the ED.
A patient presents to your Emergency Department with altered mental status and somnolence. You don't smell alcohol on breath and you don't see needle track marks. What clinical clue points you towards cocaine or methamphetamine ingestion?