Travis Eastin

The ultrasound challenge 2.0: introducing interinstitutional competition in medical student ultrasound education.

The Ultrasound Challenge was developed at The Ohio State University College of Medicine to introduce focused ultrasound to medical students. The goal was to develop experience in ultrasound through practice and competition. Initially this competition was held between Ohio State University College of Medicine students from years 1 through 4. The Ultrasound Challenge 2.0 was held in 2013. The event expanded on the previous structure by including students from the Wayne State University College of Medicine. The goal of this article is to describe our experiences with expansion of our interinstitutional ultrasound event. The challenge consisted of 6 stations: focused assessment with sonography for trauma, aortic ultrasound, cardiac ultrasound, pelvic ultrasound, musculoskeletal ultrasound, and vascular access. The participants were given a handbook outlining the expectations for each station ahead of time. Vascular access was graded in real time using the Brightness Mode Quality Ultrasound Imaging Examination Technique (B‐QUIET) method. The remainder were timed, saved, and graded after the event by 3 independent faculty members using the B‐QUIET method. The highest score with the fastest time was the winner. The Ultrasound Challenge 2.0 included 40 participants: 31 from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and 9 from the Wayne State University College of Medicine. The makeup of the winners in all categories consisted of 1 first‐year medical student, 7 second‐year medical students, 3 third‐year medical students, and 10 fourth‐year medical students. The Ultrasound Challenge 2.0 was a success for those who participated. It provided the first known interinstitutional medical student ultrasound competition. Students from both institutions were able to practice their image acquisition skills, demonstrate abilities in a competitive environment, and develop collegiality and teamwork.

Are Antifibrinolytic Agents Effective in the Treatment of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Acute subarachnoid hemorrhage is a life-threatening emergency with a mortality rate of nearly 35%; one third of individuals who die never make it to the hospital. Of the immediate survivors, up to 23% will experience episodes of rebleeding that can reduce survival by as much as 50%. Rebleeding may be caused by activation of fibrinolysis around the clot that forms after the acute bleeding event. Some have postulated that antifibrinolytic agents such as tranexamic acid and ε-amino-caproic acid could mitigate this process. In fact, several recent studies have shown that these agents reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with various causes of acute surgical and nonsurgical bleeding.

Emergency medicine residents’ attitudes and opinions of in-training exam preparation

Purpose Emergency Medicine (EM) residents take the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) in-training exam, and performance on this exam has been shown to correlate to performance on the ABEM qualifying exam. Though many residencies have in-training exam preparation activities, there is little data on the effectiveness of these efforts. This study aimed to elicit resident perspectives about the exam and exam preparation in order to generate hypotheses and better inform future preparation efforts. Methods Second- and third-year EM residents at a single institution were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Qualitative methodology was used to analyze the data. Results Thirteen EM residents participated in the study. Eight major themes and 18 sub-themes were identified. These were further characterized as relating to the exam itself or to exam preparation. Residents generally value the in-training exam. Sixty-nine percent noted that it provided an assessment of their current knowledge and deficiencies. Thirty-eight percent noted that it improved familiarity with the qualifying exam. Regarding exam preparation, residents stated that a question format was preferred, especially when accompanying explanations were of high quality. Additionally, practical considerations, such as portability, impacted resident selection of study tools. Conclusion Residents value the in-training exam as a marker of their academic progress and for their ability to gain familiarity with the qualifying exam. They prefer question-based preparation over text-based learning, as long as there is a detailed explanation of each answer. Educators creating structured in-training review may want to focus on question-based material with detailed explanations.

A rare cause for acute chest pain in the emergency setting that is hard to swallow.

Intramural esophageal hematoma is a very rare but important cause of chest pain. This condition shares similarity with the diagnosis of other thoracic emergencies and has a high potential for misdiagnosis. The emergency clinician plays a critical role in the early identification and management of these patients. The management of intramural hematomas is typically conservative, and a misdiagnosis could lead to deleterious effects. Preexisting coagulopathy is one of the major risk factors. With the advent of new anticoagulation medications to prevent thromboembolic events, it is important that emergency medicine providers expand the differential diagnosis of chest pain.