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  • Blog

Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the Emergency Department

Toni is a 35-year-old lady who attends the ED regularly with chest pain. Nothing seems to make it better, and her troponin is always normal. You wonder if there is a potential cause. Read on to find out that there is more to IBS than abdominal pain.
  • Clinical Case

A Crack in Everything

A 78-year-old man on clopidogrel presents after a fall with rib fractures, pulmonary contusion and haemothorax; ED erector spinae plane block has provided effective analgesia and improved oxygenation.
  • Podcast

March 2026

This month we have New in EM - Ibuprofen plus opiates in paediatric injury | Guidelines for EM - Sexual Assault in the ED | Maddy Dodds - Sexual Assault in the ED
  • Blog

Anti-Obesity Drugs: What EM Physicians Need to Know

GLP-1 agonists, hailed as “wonder drugs,” help shed weight rapidly. But how do they work and what risks lurk beneath? What do we need to know about them in the emergency department?
  • Clinical Case

Sting on Banjo String!

An uncircumcised young man has sought emergency medical attention with penile pain and bleeding after coitus.
  • SBA

An Electrical Storm

A 68-year-old man with a prior history of MI is pre-alerted to hospital as having had a pre-syncopal episode with an abnormal ECG.
  • Clinical Case

Doc, my head hurts

A 42-year-old man presents to the ED with a severe headache. He is pacing up and down and says he has been woken up by a similar headache every night for the last 4 nights.
  • Reference

Safe Sedation Procedures in Adults

The aim of procedural sedation is to relieve a patient's anxiety towards and facilitate their cooperation for a potentially painful procedure
  • Learning Session

Safe Sedation Procedures in Adults

This module focuses on the knowledge, skills, facilities and equipment required to perform safe procedural sedation. Commonly used sedation agents and some of their qualities are described.
  • Blog

Painful to think about? Assessment and Management of Pain in the ED

Pain is probably the most common reason for people to attend the ED. Getting it right isn’t easy though.
  • Clinical Case

Self-Harm in a Vulnerable Patient

A 23-year-old male with autism, ADHD and prior self-harm presents with suicidal hallucinations. Initially cooperative, he later becomes agitated and violent, requiring urgent intervention for safety despite de-escalation attempts.
  • Clinical Case

Heatwaves After UAE

A woman presents with prolonged low-grade fever following a recent gynaecological procedure.
  • PEM Induction

Lessening the pain through play- PEM Induction

Visiting hospital can be scary at any age. Facilitating a positive hospital experience for children is important because many of them will require further attendances and treatments in their lifetime. We don’t want this to be a frightening place for them.
  • Blog

Learning from Deaths

This blog is something a bit different. Based on real Coroner’s cases, we’ve pulled out some critical decision moments, so you can work your way through the patient journey and decide what you would do.
  • Clinical Case

More than just a DVT

A 38-year-old man reattends obtunded and narcosed after being treated for a DVT the day before.
  • SBA

Penthrox – the green whistle

Your patient has a dislocated shoulder. Is Penthrox a suitable analgesic option?
  • Clinical Case

Hard to diagnose something you haven’t seen before

A 70-year-old female presents to the ED with non-traumatic calf pain and swelling over the last 24 hours. She is completely unable to weight-bear.
  • SBA

Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD)

SBA session on the RCEM recommendations about the management of an aggressive patient with acute behavioural disturbance (ABD). How to keep your patient, your colleagues, and yourself safe!
  • SBA

Emergency Hypnosis

Explore your understanding further of how hypnosis can help in Emergency Medicine
  • Blog

Lessening the Pain through Play

Visiting hospital can be scary at any age. Facilitating a positive hospital experience for children is particularly important as many of them will require further hospital attendances and treatments in their lifetime. We don’t want this to be a frightening place for them.
  • Clinical Case

Flank Pain!

A 30-year-old male patient is brought to the emergency department (ED) by ambulance with a sudden onset of severe right flank pain over the previous 6 hours.
  • Reference

Procedural sedation in Emergency Medicine 2024

Sedation is a routine aspect of emergency care. The aim is clear: make the procedural experience as comfortable as possible for your patient, whilst ensuring that your practice is safe.
  • Learning Session

Procedural Sedation in Emergency Medicine 2024

Discussing the indications for procedural sedation
  • Reference

Propofol for Procedural Sedation in Adults

This session covers indications for Propofol sedation identifying suitable patients and those at higher risk of adverse events, a standardised procedure for Propofol sedation (protocol), strategies for addressing adverse events and all relevant governance issues.
  • Guideline

Management of Pain in Adults – Guideline

This guideline sets out the standards for timeliness of provision of analgesia and provides an approach to the delivery of analgesia for adult patients presenting to the ED.
  • Learning Session

Propofol for Procedural Sedation in Adults

This module covers indications for Propofol sedation identifying suitable patients and those at higher risk of adverse events, a standardised procedure for Propofol sedation (protocol), strategies for addressing adverse events and all relevant governance issues.
  • Reference

Ketamine Sedation in Children

This session is based upon the RCEM College Best Practice guideline on Ketamine Procedural Sedation for Children in the Emergency Department.
  • Learning Session

Ketamine Sedation in Children

This module is based upon the RCEM College Best Practice guideline on Ketamine Procedural Sedation for Children in the Emergency Department.
  • Learning Session, Pocus

Ultrasound Guided Serratus Anterior Plane Block

Serratus anterior plane block can be used as multimodal analgesia for rib fractures in the trauma patient. This module outlines the ultrasound guided technique.
  • Guideline

Procedural Sedation in the Emergency Department – Guideline

Best practice standards for safe procedural sedation. Includes choice of pharmacological agents and suggested doses. Sets out recommended staffing, competencies, monitoring, location, and discharge criteria.
  • Guideline

Management of Acute Presentations of Sickle Cell Disease in the Emergency Department – Guideline

How to manage acute sickle cell disease. Focus on early analgesia, warmth, hydration, and oxygenation. Recognition and management of specific complications. Criteria for admission and discharge.
  • Guideline

Acute Behavioural Disturbance in Emergency Departments – Guideline

How to recognise and manage patients with Acute Behavioural Disturbance in order to support their emergency care whilst maintaining safety of the patient, staff, and others.
  • Reference

Ultrasound Guided Serratus Anterior Plane Block

Serratus anterior plane block can be used as multimodal analgesia for rib fractures in the trauma patient. This session outlines the ultrasound guided technique.
  • Blog

Paediatric Wound Management – When It has to be Sutures

In the past, paediatric lacerations requiring sutures often required admission and a general anaesthetic for wound closure. This blog looks at how we can provide timely, cost effective and acceptable management in the ED that avoids this paradigm.
  • Podcast

May 2024

This month we have: New in EM - Clonidine for pain, Guidelines for EM - NEXUS Chest CT Rule, an interview with Matt Reed, Coca cola for food boluses and New Online.
  • Blog

Behaviours that Challenge

As emergency medicine clinicians you’ll be used to patients with behaviours that are really challenging. Did you know that there’s an actual definition of this?
  • Podcast

April 2024

This month we have Ketamine and Ondansetron, Hyperemesis Gravidarum, an interview with Vicky Price (SAM), Antibiotics for brain injury and New Online
  • SAQ

Supratherapeutic Paracetamol Overdose

This case describes a therapeutic excess of paracetamol and explores the further management of complications in an unintentional paracetamol overdose.
  • SBA

A Case of Altered Sensation

A 53-year-old man presents to the ED with a 12-hour history of impaired sensation to the right side of his face, right arm and right upper torso.
  • Clinical Case

An Unusual Eversion Injury

A man in his 40s arrives in the Emergency Department with a deformed foot and ankle after falling off a motorised skateboard.
  • Podcast

December 2023

This month we have a brand new Co-host, Liz Farah. And the topics on discussion are Mortality in older patients boarding overnight in the ED, Hypertension in the ED and Cauda Equina Syndrome, Opioids for back pain & New Online
  • Podcast

EMJ Podcast October 2023

This month we discuss: 'You may think that the consultants are great, and they know everything, but they don't', And then a systematic review called 'Why is pain management so difficult in the ED.'
  • Podcast

August 2023

This month we discuss: The STANDING Protocol for Vertigo, Head Injury (Part 2 of 2), A History of A&E Performance with Steve Black, TTA Topical Anaesthetics for Corneal Abrasion and New Online.
  • Reference

Pain Management in Adult Patients

This session covers the pathophysiology of pain, the use of pain assessment tools, typical analgesic agents used in the ED.
  • Learning Session

Pain Management in Adult Patients

This session covers the pathophysiology of pain, the use of pain assessment tools and typical analgesic agents used in the ED.
  • SAQ

The Unexpected Cardiac Arrest

A patient having a large laceration sutured suddenly goes into cardiac arrest.
  • SBA

Lower Back Pain

A 56-year-old plumber attends with lower back pain and urinary incontinence.
  • Reference

Fascia Iliaca Block

The use of FI blocks in the emergency department has been shown to provide effective pain relief in the acute setting and to reduce the use of opiate analgesia.
  • Learning Session

Fascia Iliaca Block

The use of FI blocks in the emergency department has been shown to provide effective pain relief in the acute setting and to reduce the use of opiate analgesia.
  • Podcast

December 2022

This month we discuss Midazolam vs. morphine in heart failure, Sedation (Part 2), TREDTalk, EMTA Survey, New Online.
  • Podcast

November 2022

This month we discuss IV Paracetamol, Sedation, Highlights from the Thames Valley Cardiac Arrest Symposium & New online material from RCEMLearning.
  • Learning Session

Local Anaesthetics

Local anaesthetics are amongst the most widely used drugs in any emergency department. It is, therefore, essential that emergency medicine clinicians can use these drugs safely and effectively.
  • Podcast

September 2022

This month we discuss Laryngospasm in paediatric sedation, Case Based Discussions, Use of Non-Sterile Gloves for Wound Closure, and new online material from RCEMLearning
  • Podcast

EMJ Podcast August 2022

This month Noel and Stephen discuss paediatric fractures.
  • Clinical Case

CDU: Safety or Saving?

A 79-year-old male was admitted to the Clinical Decisions Unit (CDU) following a fall. Was he kept safe?
  • Reference

Common Entrapment Syndromes

Nerve entrapment syndromes are a group of conditions in which peripheral nerves are damaged, through compression or repeated trauma.
  • Learning Session

Common Entrapment Syndromes

Nerve entrapment syndromes are a group of conditions in which peripheral nerves are damaged, through compression or repeated trauma.
  • Reference

Abdominal Pain without Shock

This article covers the generic assessment and management of the pain with abdominal pain without shock.
  • Learning Session

Abdominal Pain without Shock

This session covers the generic assessment and management of abdominal pain without shock.
  • Reference

Primary Headache

Acute, severe headache is a common symptom of patients presenting to the emergency department. In 90% of cases, the cause will be one of the primary headache syndromes.
  • Learning Session

Primary Headache

Acute, severe headache is a common symptom of patients presenting to the emergency department. In 90% of cases, the cause will be one of the primary headache syndromes.
  • Clinical Case

Eight-legged visitor

A 29-year-old farmer presents to your local ED with a bite mark over the upper left calf.

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