Category
Emergency
Acute care, triage and resuscitation.
Subcategories
Advanced life support, arrest rhythms and post-arrest care.
TraumaPrimary survey, head, chest, abdominal and limb injury.
Airway and Breathing EmergenciesAirway obstruction, acute asthma, pneumothorax and ventilation.
Shock and SepsisRecognition, classification, fluids, vasopressors and the sepsis bundle.
Toxicology and OverdoseToxidromes, antidotes and the approach to the poisoned patient.
Neurological EmergenciesSeizures, stroke, raised intracranial pressure and reduced consciousness.
Metabolic and Endocrine EmergenciesKetoacidosis, hyperkalaemia, adrenal crisis and electrolyte disturbance.
Environmental and Physical InjuryBurns, hypothermia, heat illness, drowning and altitude.
Triage and Emergency AssessmentScoring, escalation, handover and the acutely unwell patient.
Entries in Emergency
Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure
A structured approach to assessing an acutely unwell patient.
Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure, treating as you go
A memory aid for the structured assessment of an acutely unwell patient.
Arterial blood gas
A blood test used to assess oxygenation, carbon dioxide and acid-base status.
Moderate, acute severe, life threatening and near fatal
A memory aid for grading the severity of an acute asthma attack.
ECG first, then troponin, then the diagnosis follows
A memory aid for separating unstable angina, NSTEMI and STEMI.
Staged by creatinine rise or urine output, classified as pre-renal, renal or post-renal
A memory aid for the stages of acute kidney injury and its causes.
FAST to recognise, ROSIER to confirm, CT to exclude haemorrhage
A memory aid for recognising stroke and the thrombolysis pathway.
Two minute cycles, rhythm check, and the shockable or non-shockable arms
A memory aid for the adult ALS algorithm.
Long acting benzodiazepine plus thiamine, with seizure and delirium risk
A memory aid for treating alcohol withdrawal.
Adrenaline intramuscularly into the anterolateral thigh, immediately
A memory aid for recognising and treating anaphylaxis.
Each major poison has a specific antidote acting by a defined mechanism
A memory aid for the specific antidotes and their poisons.
The narrow segment just distal to the left subclavian artery, tethered by the ligamentum arteriosum
A memory aid for the site of traumatic aortic injury.
Resuscitate, identify, decontaminate, give an antidote, enhance elimination
A memory aid for the general management of poisoning.
Features suggesting malignancy, infection, fracture or cauda equina
A memory aid for the sinister causes of back pain.
Bruising behind the ear, base of skull fracture's here
Mnemonic for the clinical sign and significance of Battle's sign.
Hypotension, raised jugular venous pressure, muffled heart sounds
A mnemonic for the three signs of cardiac tamponade.
Two sets, separate sites, adequate volume, before antibiotics
A memory aid for taking and interpreting blood cultures.
Atropine first, then the risk factors for asystole
A memory aid for the management of bradycardia and when pacing is needed.
Subfalcine, uncal, central and tonsillar
A memory aid for the patterns of brain herniation.
Rule of nines for area, Parkland formula for fluid
A memory aid for estimating burn size and calculating fluid replacement.
Correct for albumin, then use the parathyroid hormone
A memory aid for correcting calcium and working out the cause of an abnormal result.
Understand, retain, weigh and communicate
A memory aid for the four elements of decision-making capacity.
Carbon monoxide blocks oxygen carriage; cyanide blocks its use
A memory aid for the two classic poisonings of fire and smoke.
It binds haemoglobin 240 times more avidly than oxygen and shifts the curve left
A memory aid for why carbon monoxide is so dangerous.
Two shockable, two non-shockable, and the four Hs and four Ts
A memory aid for shockable and non-shockable rhythms and the reversible causes.
Equalisation of diastolic pressures with impaired filling and pulsus paradoxus
A memory aid for the haemodynamics of cardiac tamponade.
Immediate tachycardia and hyperventilation, then polycythaemia and pulmonary hypertension
A memory aid for the circulatory adaptations to high altitude.
Cells, protein, glucose and appearance distinguish the meningitides
A memory aid for interpreting a lumbar puncture result.
Neutropenic sepsis, tumour lysis, spinal cord compression and hypercalcaemia
A memory aid for the acute complications of cancer treatment.
Mild or severe, decided by whether the patient can cough effectively
A memory aid for the treatment of foreign body airway obstruction.
A pulse oximeter reads two wavelengths and can be badly misled
A memory aid for carboxyhaemoglobin, methaemoglobin and the pulse oximeter's blind spots.
Essential whenever the patient cannot give a reliable account
A memory aid for when and how to take a collateral history.
Delirium is acute and fluctuating with inattention; dementia is chronic and progressive
A memory aid for distinguishing delirium from dementia.
Controlled oxygen, bronchodilators, steroids, and antibiotics if infected
A mnemonic for treating an acute exacerbation of COPD.
Hypotension, hyponatraemia, hyperkalaemia and hypoglycaemia
A memory aid for the features of adrenal insufficiency.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Emergency chest compressions and rescue measures used in cardiac arrest.
Eye movements, pupils, lids and diplopia together
A memory aid for testing the ocular motor nerves at the bedside.
Feel the notch between shield and ring, that's the emergency door
Mnemonic for the emergency airway landmark of the cricothyroid membrane.
Croup barks and is gradual; epiglottitis drools and is sudden
A memory aid for distinguishing croup from epiglottitis in a child with stridor.
Immediate scanning criteria and the one hour and eight hour rules
A memory aid for who needs a CT head after a head injury.
Cullen's is periumbilical bruising; Grey Turner's is flank bruising
A mnemonic for the two bruising signs of retroperitoneal haemorrhage.
Confusion, Urea, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, age 65
A mnemonic for scoring the severity of community acquired pneumonia.
Hypertension, bradycardia and irregular respiration
A mnemonic for the triad of raised intracranial pressure.
A rule out test only, applied after a clinical probability score
A memory aid for when a D-dimer is useful and when it is not.
Score first, then D-dimer or ultrasound accordingly
A memory aid for the Wells score and the diagnostic pathway for DVT.
Clinical signs graded against percentage body weight loss
A memory aid for grading dehydration in a child.
Onset, course, attention and consciousness separate them
A memory aid for distinguishing delirium from dementia at the bedside.
Fluid first, then fixed rate insulin, watching the potassium
A memory aid for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis.
Insulin deficiency with counter-regulatory excess causes hyperglycaemia and ketogenesis
A memory aid for the mechanism of diabetic ketoacidosis.
Electrocardiogram
A recording of the heart’s electrical activity over time.
Extended FAST
FAST protocol plus additional views to assess for pneumothorax
Hyperkalaemia gives tall T waves and a wide QRS; hypokalaemia gives flat T waves and U waves
A memory aid for the cardiac effects of hyperkalaemia and hypokalaemia.
Falling barometric pressure lowers inspired oxygen, driving hyperventilation and acclimatisation
A memory aid for the respiratory adaptations to altitude.
Pressure rises by one atmosphere for every 10 metres of seawater
A memory aid for the respiratory effects of increased ambient pressure.
Epidural is a lens, subdural is a banana
Mnemonic for the imaging shapes of epidural and subdural bleeds.
Forehead sparing separates the two
A memory aid for distinguishing an upper from a lower motor neurone facial palsy.
What happened, why, and what damage was done
A memory aid for the multifactorial assessment of a patient who has fallen.
Face, Arms, Speech, Time
A stroke recognition mnemonic.
Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma
Rapid bedside ultrasound protocol assessing free fluid in four views
History, observations, examination and charts together
A memory aid for assessing whether a patient is dry or overloaded.
Glasgow Coma Scale
A clinical scale used to assess level of consciousness.
Eyes out of 4, Verbal out of 5, Motor out of 6
A memory aid for the components and scoring of the GCS.
Group and save identifies the blood type; crossmatch reserves specific units
A memory aid for pre-transfusion testing and the safety rules.
Central nervous system dysfunction defines heat stroke
A memory aid for distinguishing heat exhaustion from heat stroke.
Uneven hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction overperfuses some capillaries
A memory aid for the mechanism of high altitude pulmonary oedema.
MUDPILES or GOLDMARK for the unmeasured anions
A mnemonic for the causes of a raised anion gap metabolic acidosis.
Protect the heart, shift it in, then remove it
A mnemonic for the emergency treatment of a high potassium.
Stabilise the membrane, shift potassium into cells, then remove it from the body
A memory aid for the three-step approach to hyperkalaemia.
Extreme hyperglycaemia and dehydration without significant ketosis
A memory aid for contrasting HHS with diabetic ketoacidosis.
Neuromuscular irritability with tetany, Chvostek and Trousseau signs
A memory aid for the signs of low calcium.
Autonomic symptoms first, then neuroglycopenic
A memory aid for recognising and treating hypoglycaemia.
Check osmolality, then volume status, then urine sodium
A memory aid for the stepwise assessment of hyponatraemia.
Graded by core temperature, rewarmed according to severity
A memory aid for grading and rewarming the hypothermic patient.
Extradural, subdural, subarachnoid and intracerebral, each with a characteristic vessel and shape
A memory aid for the patterns of intracranial bleeding.
Type A from hypoperfusion, type B without it
A memory aid for interpreting a raised lactate.
A narrow therapeutic index drug requiring regular level, renal and thyroid monitoring
A memory aid for the safe use of lithium.
Tongue goes up, airway's stuck
Mnemonic for the key danger of Ludwig's angina.
Blood early, in balanced ratios, with tranexamic acid
A memory aid for the management of massive blood loss.
A non-blanching rash in an unwell patient is meningococcal until proven otherwise
A memory aid for recognising and treating meningococcal disease.
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial injury caused by ischaemia, commonly known as a heart attack.
Width tells you where it starts, regularity tells you which one
A memory aid for classifying a tachycardia by QRS width and regularity.
Hypotension with bradycardia and warm peripheries after high spinal cord injury
A memory aid for the distinctive features of neurogenic shock.
The six Ps: pain, pallor, pulselessness, perishing cold, paraesthesia, paralysis
A mnemonic for assessing the acutely ischaemic or injured limb.
Six physiological parameters plus supplemental oxygen
A memory aid for the parameters of the national early warning score.
CPAP for oxygenation, BiPAP for ventilation
A memory aid for when to use CPAP and when to use BiPAP.
The triad of reduced consciousness, respiratory depression and pinpoint pupils
A memory aid for recognising and treating opioid toxicity.
Onset, Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, Time
A pain assessment mnemonic.
Measured minus calculated osmolality, raised by unmeasured osmoles
A memory aid for using the osmolar gap in poisoning.
From nasal cannulae to non-rebreathe and Venturi masks
A memory aid for the oxygen delivery devices and the concentrations they give.
Variable devices depend on the patient's breathing pattern; fixed devices do not
A memory aid for fixed and variable performance oxygen devices.
NAPQI depletes glutathione, causing centrilobular necrosis
A memory aid for the mechanism and monitoring of paracetamol toxicity.
Enter at Larrey's point, left of the xiphoid, aiming for the left shoulder at 30 degrees
A memory aid for the subxiphoid approach to the pericardium.
Uvula runs away from the pus bay
Mnemonic for the direction of uvula deviation in a peritonsillar abscess.
Primary or secondary, with symptoms and size deciding treatment
A memory aid for classifying and treating a pneumothorax.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound
Bedside ultrasound performed at point of care by non-radiologists for diagnosis or guidance
Treat the cause, control physiology, and delay prognostication
A memory aid for the management of a patient after return of spontaneous circulation.
Four categories, plus unstageable and deep tissue injury
A memory aid for grading and preventing pressure ulcers.
Procalcitonin rises in bacterial infection and falls quickly with treatment
A memory aid for the biomarkers used to distinguish bacterial infection.
Score first, then D-dimer or CT pulmonary angiogram
A memory aid for the Wells score and the PE diagnostic pathway.
Black eyes with no punch thrown, anterior fossa fracture shown
Mnemonic for the clinical sign and significance of raccoon eyes.
Muscle injury from any cause, with rhabdomyolysis at the extreme
A memory aid for the causes of a raised creatine kinase.
Reduce brain water, blood volume or cerebrospinal fluid, or increase the space
A memory aid for the physiological measures that lower intracranial pressure.
The seven Ps, from preparation to post-intubation management
A mnemonic for the preparation and steps of rapid sequence induction.
Above the arcuate line it is contained; below it, blood can spread freely
A memory aid for why a rectus sheath haematoma behaves differently above and below the arcuate line.
AEIOU TIPS, covering the structural and metabolic causes
A mnemonic for the causes of a reduced level of consciousness.
Type 1 is hypoxaemia alone; type 2 adds hypercapnia
A memory aid for distinguishing type 1 from type 2 respiratory failure.
Baroreflex tachycardia and vasoconstriction, then fluid shift and hormonal retention
A memory aid for the compensatory response to blood loss.
Danger space, no floor at all, straight down to the chest you fall
Mnemonic for why the retropharyngeal space is called the danger space.
Upper ribs suggest severe force, lower ribs threaten abdominal organs, multiple ribs risk flail chest
A memory aid for the significance of rib fractures at different levels.
Gas on both sides of the bowel wall makes it visible as a thin line
A memory aid for the radiological signs of free intraperitoneal gas.
A mixed respiratory alkalosis and metabolic acidosis, with tinnitus
A memory aid for the features and treatment of aspirin poisoning.
Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
A mnemonic for structured clinical handover and escalation.
Excessive synchronous neuronal discharge from an imbalance of excitation and inhibition
A memory aid for the mechanism of seizures.
Life-threatening organ dysfunction from a dysregulated response to infection
A memory aid for recognising and treating sepsis.
Three in and three out, within one hour
A mnemonic for the six interventions in the first hour of sepsis.
Hypovolaemic, cardiogenic, obstructive and distributive
A memory aid for the four categories of shock and their haemodynamic profiles.
Inadequate tissue perfusion, recognised before hypotension appears
A memory aid for recognising and classifying shock clinically.
Rate, accessory muscles, recession, position and the ability to speak
A memory aid for recognising increased work of breathing.
Site, Onset, Character, Radiation, Associations, Time course, Exacerbating factors, Severity
A mnemonic for taking a complete pain history.
Benzodiazepine twice, then phenytoin or levetiracetam, then anaesthesia
A memory aid for the stepwise treatment of a prolonged seizure.
Presenting complaint, history, past history, drugs, allergies, family, social, systems review
A memory aid for the structure of a full medical history.
Vagal manoeuvres, then adenosine, then rate control
A memory aid for the stepwise treatment of a regular narrow complex tachycardia.
Reflex, orthostatic or cardiac, with cardiac the one that kills
A memory aid for classifying syncope and identifying the dangerous causes.
The hypothalamus compares core temperature with a set point and drives heat loss or gain
A memory aid for the control of body temperature.
A one-way valve traps air, raising intrathoracic pressure and obstructing venous return
A memory aid for why a tension pneumothorax causes cardiovascular collapse.
The paediatric assessment triangle: appearance, breathing, circulation
A memory aid for the rapid assessment of an unwell child.
Down and out, lid's dropping, pupil's blown
Mnemonic for the classic clinical triad of a complete CN III palsy.
Examine the gland, then the status, then the complications
A memory aid for assessing whether a patient is hyperthyroid or hypothyroid.
Anticholinergic, cholinergic, sympathomimetic, opioid and sedative patterns
A memory aid for the classic poisoning syndromes.
Between rings two and three, below the cricoid, that's the key
Mnemonic for the correct level of a surgical tracheostomy.
Acute haemolytic, febrile, allergic, TACO and TRALI
A memory aid for the types of transfusion reaction.
Catastrophic haemorrhage first, then Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure
A mnemonic for the ATLS primary survey in trauma.
Lateral border of pectoralis major, anterior border of latissimus dorsi, and a line above the fifth intercostal space
A memory aid for the boundaries of the safe triangle for chest drain insertion.
Anticholinergic, cardiac and neurological toxicity together
A memory aid for the features and treatment of tricyclic overdose.
Type 1 is a gas exchange problem, type 2 a ventilation problem
A memory aid for classifying respiratory failure and its causes.
Vasopressors squeeze the vessels; inotropes squeeze the heart
A memory aid for classifying vasoactive drugs by their receptor actions.