Contrast has been hotly debated in the radiology and emergency medicine world.  Many of these contrast medications (such as Iohexol above) have demonstrated safety and efficacy.  However, a deep dive has been sorely needed on this subject and with recent relevant papers over the last year this felt like the right time.  Joined by Dr. Paul Schunk, we explore the mysteries and evidence that exists for contrast safety in CTs for acute kidney injury and contrast induced nephropathy.

Soft collars are being supported more with a growing body of literature.  There is growing support for the change from semi-rigid (hard) collars to soft collars by a number of organizations, especially prehospital, in nations such as Australia.  After our initial primer podcast on this subject, we review some of the finer points to this debate on this podcast.  Details on the pros and cons are mentioned more extensively in the podcast itself so take a listen.

How have you taken ACLS?  Most of us will have taken a course in person but what if you are not able to do the course in person before your license expires?  Do you take an online course and if so which one?  In this podcast we review one option, HeartCode ACLS, and discuss the pros/cons of the course.  As always, there is nothing to disclose as any of the courses and organizations mentioned do not have any financial ties with this author.

To some, the rightful place for a rigid cervical collar is in a trash bin, but is it really that easy?  Parts of Australia seem to think so and have made a hard push in that direction.  To prepare us for the debate, this podcast is devoted to an introduction of the issue.  A primer if you will.  Minh Le Cong helps explain more in the podcast.

Dexamethasone (the chemical demonstrated here) is commonly used in the treatment of asthma exacerbations both in adults and children. It is growing popularity with new research that supports its role over traditional alternatives such as prednisone. One key difference is its longer lasting effect. However, this new paper demonstrates some potential limitations as discussed in this review.