OzEMedicine - Wiki for Australian Emergency Medicine Doctors

ED Mx of vertigo and BPV - [benign positional vertigo (BPV)]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 09:45:46 +0000

ED Mx of vertigo and BPV see also: * neurology * ears, nose and throat surgery (ENT) * anti-emetics * central vs peripheral vertigo * see HINTS exam for vertigo and stroke * Cutting-edge technology helps Eye and Ear patients - Melbourne Neuro-ENT with special interest in vertigo introduction * all vertigo is made worse by moving the head * if vertigo lasts < 1 minute after moving the head, this suggests BPV * most other causes result in vertigo lasting hours to days

obesity and weight management - [risks of obesity]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 08:04:45 +0000

obesity and weight management * the obese patient in the ED * lipoedema * steatohepatitis (fatty liver) * diabetes mellitus * adipokines and adipose-derived hormones * carbohydrates and sugars * Victoria health Pathways Mx of obesity * RCH guideline - obesity and weight management Introduction * obesity is a complex major increasing global health issue * there are 3 types of fat cells: * white fat cells found in white adipose tissue (WAT) which serve mainly as energy reserves

diets and healthy foods - [Timing of food intakes]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:15:34 +0000

diets and healthy foods see also: * healthy living and diets * foods that may be toxic or bad for you * FODMAPs and the low FODMAP diet * salt / sodium in food products * honey * creatine * milk and dairy products * atherosclerosis and primary prevention * 2019 Lancet commission into best diet for health and environment * 2024: Underrated aspects of a true Mediterranean diet: understanding traditional features for worldwide application of a “Planeterranean” diet * accurate evidence…

vitamin D - [low vitamin D levels]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:18:49 +0000

vitamin D see also: * calcium * calcitonin * parathyroid hormone (PTH) * bone physiology * ultraviolet light exposure (UV) * patient information sheets: * RCH - rickets (pdf) introduction * Inadequate vitamin D nutrition is associated with impaired intestinal calcium absorption and must be corrected for ingested calcium to be effective. *

oesophageal cancer - [clinical features]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:20:20 +0000

oesophageal cancer see also: * neoplasia / cancer / tumours Introduction * the most common tumours of the oesophagus are primary oesophageal tumours - in Australia, over 70% are SCC (mainly proximal), the remainder are adenocarcinoma (mainly distal). * survival is still poor, particularly if late diagnosis as metastatic disease at diagnosis reducing 12 month survival rates to a third of those with local disease only.

headache - [introduction:]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 03:49:11 +0000

headache see also: * meningitis * the child with headache * subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) * migraine * acute unilateral headache * cervicogenic headache * a diagnostic approach to the adult with acute headache * AFTB lectures - headache introduction: * patients with headache as a prime feature are a worrying group of patients as there are a number of potentially life threatening or morbid conditions that, although uncommon, are easily missed:

migraine - [migraine triggers:]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 23:34:11 +0000

migraine see also: * Mx of acute migraine * acute unilateral headache * headache * neurology * cervicogenic headache * epidemiology: * the third most common medical condition worldwide * ranks as the seventh most disabling condition in terms of years of life lost to disability * of the general population: * 24% of females aged 40yrs have migraine

air pollution and health risks - [Airborne particulate matter]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 23:33:38 +0000

air pollution and health risks see also: * respiratory medicine * foods that may be toxic or bad for you * risk and the perception of risk * exposome and health * it is not only air pollutants that are bad for you, dry air (eg. prolonged air conditioning) or prolonged exposure to cold air is also bad for you (WHO recommends minimum household temperatures of 18degC)

ECG - biphasic or inverted T waves - [Inverted T waves]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 06:59:55 +0000

ECG - biphasic or inverted T waves see also: * cardiology * basics of the ECG * ECG - tall T waves * ECG - flat T waves * an approach to the ECG with ST elevation * ECG Diagnosis of AMI * the adult patient with chest pain in the ED Introduction * pathologically inverted T waves on an ECG can be very important indicators of significant disease processes Biphasic T waves * may represent life threatening

human respiratory syncytial virus / human orthopneumovirus (HRSV) - [Prevention]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 23:53:59 +0000

human respiratory syncytial virus / human orthopneumovirus (HRSV) see also: * viruses * influenza * * Introduction * now renamed to human orthopneumovirus * it is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus of the family Pneumoviridae. * HRSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children…

diphtheria - [Historical progress and epidemiology]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 23:48:38 +0000

diphtheria * see also: * clinically important bacteria * vaccines Introduction * an potentially life threatening infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae which produces the diphtheria toxin that causes the main symptoms * thanks to widespread vaccination of children with diphtheria vaccines (combined with

localised rashes - [Chronic localised rashes / skin pathology]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:38:42 +0000

localised rashes see also: * facial rashes * the linear skin lesion or rash * paediatric exanthems * acute rashes in adults Usually self-evident acute skin pathology * physical trauma - bruises, etc * thermal burns * chemical caustic burns - acids, alkalis, skin irritants * radiation burns * prolonged exposure to a direct heat source giving the classical reticular

facial rashes - [sarcoidosis]

gary1@undisclosed.example.com (gary1) — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:31:31 +0000

facial rashes see also: * dermatology * non-traumatic facial swelling / oedema * DermNet NZ: facial rashes index acute rashes only affecting the face * herpes zoster (shingles) - dermatomal to one side only * Herpes simplex virus (HSV) * angular cheilitis * circum-oral irritant dermatitis from saliva * tinea corporis may just involve the face * molluscum contagiosum may just involve an area of the face