Amber Sheeley, PA-C
Starting the conversation about code status and goals of care in the ED matters. Not infrequently, we’re caring for patients with life-threatening injuries, advanced age, or serious medical comorbidities. Our training prepares us to stabilize these acute conditions, but in doing so, we often establish a trajectory for the rest of the hospital stay—one that profoundly impacts both the patient and their family. Having these conversations...
When I joined a Family Medicine practice in July 2004, fresh out of PA school, I was fortunate enough to share an office space with Dr. Robert Wettach, a 76-year-old GP who had spent decades caring for patients in a small town in southeast Iowa. Semi-retired, he still saw patients a few days a week, but his real passion was storytelling.
Acute low back pain is one of the most common reasons patients present to the emergency department. Yet, when it comes to evidence-based management, our approaches often feel like “dealer’s choice.” We know NSAIDs are better than muscle relaxers and opioids, but what about topical options?
You've seen it countless times: a patient walks into the ED with chest pain, and the EKG isn't screaming STEMI. But in follow-up, they end up having a massive myocardial infarction. What is the hidden culprit lurking behind those non-alarming EKGs? Welcome to the Occlusive Myocardial Infarction (OMI) world, where traditional STEMI criteria fall short, and a new paradigm shifts our approach to acute cardiac ischemia.