EM Fundamentals

APPROACH TO DYSPNEA

Goals and Objectives Goals Resident will be comfortable with initial evaluation and basic management of patients with dyspnea and respiratory distress Learning Objectives Resident will be able to list and describe common acute life-threatening causes of dyspnea Acute Coronary Syndrome Arrhythmia Asthma COPD Pneumonia Pneumothorax Pulmonary Edema (e.g. CHF exacerbation) Pulmonary Embolus Tamponade, Cardiac Resident will be able to describe presenting features of common acute life-threatening causes of dyspnea Resident will be able to list initial diagnostic interventions for patients with dyspnea Auscultation Pulse oximetry  ECG CXR Peak Flow Ultrasound Volume Status Assessment Resident will be able to list initial therapeutic interventions for patients with dyspnea and their indications Oxygen Therapy NIPPV Endotracheal Intubation Nebulized Medications Steroids Nitroglycerin

Recommended Resources Prior to Conference Approach to Dyspnea (EMCongress) Additional Resources Acute Coronary Syndromes See: Acute Coronary Syndromes Asthma Asthma Guidelines (UChicago MEROps) The Severe Asthmatic (EMCrit 2009) Vent Management in Asthma (EM in 5) COPD Acute Exacerbations of COPD (EBMedicine 2002) Pneumonia Community-Acquired Pneumonia (NEJM 2014) IDSA/ATS Consensus Guidelines on Community-Acquired Pneumonia (Clin Infect Dis 2007) (pdf) Community-Acquired Pneumonia Antibiotics (UChicago MEROps) Pulmonary Edema Sympathetic Crashing Acute Pulmonary Edema (EMCrit 2009) Pulmonary Embolism PE Algorithm (UChicago MEROps 2015) Approach to PE (EBMedicine 2012) Acute PE (NEJM 2010) PE Treatment Options (EMCrit 2014) Tamponade, Cardiac Acute Cardiac Tamponade (NEJM 2003) Cardiac Tamponade Revisited (Tex Heart Inst J 2007) Emergency Pericardiocentesis (NEJM) Airway Management See: Rapid Sequence Intubation

Original Post by Eric Shappell on 12/01/2014
Reviewed by James Ahn on 12/01/2014
Last Updated by Eric Shappell on 06/09/2016 Contact / Feedback