This case has been inspired by events in the Torres Straits and details have been changed to ensure patient anonymity. History It was a quiet afternoon in the Emergency Department when a call came from the Ambulance Office informing us of 000 call from a boat out on...

Glenn’s Medicare Cheat Sheet for ED  Here is the updated version of the medicare cheat sheet (March 2018), mainly for working out of the Hospital Emergency department. It contains most of the numbers for the commonly billed items. We have these laminated and attached to the triage clip boards...

Clinical question: does magnesium work for leg cramps? Findings 1: Cochrane review, 2012 Both magnesium & placebo reduce the frequency of leg cramps with a non-significant difference between the two groups.  The Cochrane review analysed four RCTs (n=322), two of which were deemed to have a high risk of...

This case has been inspired by events in the Torres Straits and details have been changed to ensure patient anonymity. History A 62-year-old Male trudged into the Emergency Department on a Friday night. There was a downpour of rain outside as the wind was whistling through the windows and...

As we improve our preventative health screening practices in Remote Indigenous Health we inevitably encounter incidental abnormalities in routine pathology.  Given our limited resources and developing recall systems, what do we do about them?  Over the next few weeks we will address a handful of common queries and a...

Island Docs are generalists.  We strive to maintain a breadth of knowledge rather than focus on a particular specialty field.  In our efforts to provide high quality patient care, we work hard to keep up to date with the latest evidence and guidelines.  We are lucky to receive regular...

What is it? Sepsis is defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction secondary to an infection. Early recognition and early management of sepsis is critical. Sepsis kills more than breast or prostate cancer here in Australia. Have a look at this great summary video from JAMA on defining sepsis and septic...

This case has been inspired by events in the Torres Straits and details have been changed to ensure patient anonymity. History A 25-year old previously well female presented to the remote area nurse on an outer island somewhere in the Torres after being carried into the clinic by her...

CPAP and BIPAP can be daunting to commence if you’re not familiar with your emergency department equipment. This week we get started with our NIV machine – the Oxylog 3000. Having a dedicated BIPAP machine is somewhat of a pipe dream for our ED, but on the bright side...