​It is so tempting to want to share stories of the things we see, especially in emergency medicine.  Maybe we just want to tell the world about something strange, or maybe we are being more innocent and want feedback or to answer questions.  However, patient confidentiality is a major issue and in the United States specifically we run into the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

Our guest, Eric Steffel, is a paramedic that reached out wanting to discuss active exhalation.  It goes by many other names including "external chest compressions" or "lateral chest compressions" as some sources have indicated.  We decided not to use the term "compression" though because this can quickly lead to someone thinking this is a chest compression similar to what is performed in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).  Eric prefers "active exhalation" and (understanding its potential limitations) is what we use for this podcast to define this procedure.

​There is also some source of news out there that is contributing to misinformation.  As we have talked about before, misinformation is a daily presence but usually we can quickly fact check a source.  Most of these are from sources where the credibility is already questionable.  However, what happens when a major media source misrepresents information in a way that is potentially damaging to medicine and the patients we care for?

We have Tyler Christifulli from FOAMfrat back on to discuss two acronyms (we each developed one) for post-intubation agitation and sedation.  We also talk about the utility of acronyms in general.  As a fair warning, there is some explicit language in the podcast itself.  However, this is not only a great post but is entertaining and sure to help you better understand the topic.