BOOK AND MEDIA REVIEWS
Basics of Emergency Medicine, 3rd Edition
Review by Angela Creditt, DO and Joey Mazzei, DO
Basics of Emergency Medicine: Pediatrics, 2nd Edition
Review by Kevin Gould, MD and Stephanie Louka, MD
PressorDex, 3rd Edition
Review by Cynthia Oliva, MD
0196-0644/$-see front matter
Copyright © 2018 by the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Basics of Emergency Medicine, 3rd Edition
Habboushe J, Steinberg E, Shah K
EMRA, 2017
32 pages, $15
ISBN 13: 978-1929854479
ISBN 10: 1929854471
While reading the introduction of Basics of Emergency
Medicine, we were immediately transported back to the time
when we were interns. Like most new physicians, we were full
of didactic knowledge but lacking in clinical experience; this
often resulted in incomplete evaluations and disorganized
thoughts. With a tracking board full of various chief complaints
and little understanding on how to approach them, we found
that this book would have been exactly what we needed.
Basics of Emergency Medicine is a lightweight guidebook
developed to provide newly practicing providers a brief
clinical approach to the 20 most common chief complaints
found in a typical emergency department (ED). It begins with
a pictorial table of contents organized by these common chief
complaints and their coordinated pages. Each chapter is one
page long and packs a hefty dose of clinical knowledge,
including differential diagnosis, history, physical examination,
evaluation, possible consultations, and treatment. What is
unique and incredibly useful about the manual is that for each
complaint, it also includes pertinent red flags, general pearls
and pitfalls, indications to use MDCalc, and our personal
favorite, key documentation points. With this book, a student
or practitioner can note the chief complaint of a patient,
review the section for that particular complaint, and then
quickly organize thoughts and approach. The inexperienced
provider will learn what questions to ask, “can’t miss” red
flags, and diagnoses to keep in mind, all before entering the
room. After treating a patient, the provider will then be able to
rereview the section with what he or she has learned, thereby
forming an appropriate evaluation, treatment plan, and the
all-important patient presentation.
As pointed out by the authors, this is not a
comprehensive review. This pocket manual is meant to be
802 Annals of Emergency Medicine
the newly minted provider’s partner in crime while in the
ED. When used as intended, it is indeed helpful but there
are some limitations. For example, diabetic ketoacidosis is
located under “Vomiting,” and although such patients do
frequently present this way, they can also present altered
without vomiting. However, diabetic ketoacidosis is not
mentioned in the “Altered Mental Status” section. For
reasons such as this, when a diagnosis is not listed under a
specific chief complaint, it would have been helpful to have
an index listing each disease process. Additionally, there are
no pediatric conditions included within this guidebook.
Although we can appreciate the complexity of including
pediatrics, it is an integral part of most EDs and all
residency programs. The addition of a brief pediatric-
specific chapter or a pediatric section integrated within
each existing complaint would be highly beneficial.
Basics of Emergency Medicine is a concise pocket manual
that will help guide any new emergency practitioner, from
medical student to advanced practice provider or intern. Its
ability to help organize thoughts, determine appropriate
patient evaluations, establish a differential diagnosis, and
deliver efficient treatment makes this book essential.
Angela Creditt, DO
Joey Mazzei, DO
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2018.01.055
Basics of Emergency Medicine: Pediatrics, 2nd
Edition
Habboushe J, Steinberg E, Cantor R, et al
EMRA, 2015
32 pages, $15
ISBN-13: 978-1929854486
ISBN-10: 192985448X
Comfort in caring for pediatric patients can vary greatly,
depending on how frequently you treat them. Even
Volume 71, no. 6 : June 2018

common complaints such as fever are nuanced, the
evaluation varying greatly by age. There’s a delicate balance
in investigating that which is truly concerning and reducing
the real risks of overtesting. For those new to pediatric
emergency medicine (medical students, interns, and
rotating residents) or those who treat pediatric patients less
frequently, EMRA’s Basics of Emergency Medicine: Pediatrics
is a great resource.
To be sure, this is more of a quick reference pocket
guide than a book, but this format can be the most
helpful when one might need on-the-fly help recalling
the differential diagnosis for vomiting in a neonate. The
pocket guide is organized logically by chief complaint from
head to toe, giving the reader a quick rundown of red flags,
pertinent findings on the history and physical, evidence-
based recommended laboratory tests and imaging, and
likely disposition. To round things out, it includes a few
pearls, potential pitfalls, and even documentation hints.
The chart of normal vital signs by age is positioned at the
front of the guide for easy access. Laceration repair is
covered in just the right depth to get a novice through the
procedure. Often a topic difficult to approach,
nonaccidental trauma (suspected child abuse) is addressed
in a step-by-step manner, tackling medical, social, and
legal considerations. Unique and exceptional to this guide
are the MDCalc icons, which correspond to the famed
online calculator tool of the same name, reminding readers
to use evidence-based diagnostic decision tools when
warranted.
Its incredible compactness is both this guide’s greatest
strength and weakness. Although the guide offers broad
differential diagnoses for a variety of chief complaints, it
falls short in several areas. Often the guide suggests
obtaining diagnostic testing but does not include what
pathologic signs would confirm the diagnosis (ie, posterior
fat pad on elbow radiograph¼condylar fracture of the
humerus). Additionally, the guide makes antibiotic
recommendations by source and drug class, but stops short
of selecting specific agents or duration. You will still need to
reference your EMRA Antibiotic Guide, UptoDate, or
Harriett Lane Handbook for this one.
Other topics surprisingly absent include the stages of
dehydration, the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied
Research Network head trauma rules, syncope evaluation,
and the Philadelphia/Rochester fever guidelines. Yes, this
might have added a few extra pages, but because these are
common complaints in the pediatric emergency
department, their inclusion would be helpful.
Finally, although this guide does a good job answering
the "what" when it comes to a child’s illness, it does not
answer the "why" that so many parents ask in regard to
Volume 71, no. 6 : June 2018
Book and Media Reviews
their child’s prognosis. For this, one will be better off
returning to cornerstone texts.
Overall, this is a great pocket reference for learners in
pediatric emergency medicine or the seasoned emergency
medicine provider who treats pediatric patients less
frequently. It fills a gap not provided by other print or
digital resources, but do not expect it to become a
substitute for the staples in your pediatric emergency
medicine arsenal.
Stephanie Louka, MD
Kevin Gould, MD
Department of Emergency Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Richmond, VA
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2018.01.056
PressorDex, 3rd Edition
Greenwood JC, Emlet L, Mallemat H, et al
EMRA, 2017
124 pages, $27
ISBN-13: 978-1929854462
ISBN-10: 1929854463
PressorDex is much more than what its simple title implies.
There is certainly a great review of vasopressors. It provides
information on dosing and indications from push-dose
pressors to infusions; however, it is much more than just this
small set of medications. As their mission stated, the authors
have created a “simplified, goal-directed therapeutic guide to
the myriad medications required by those who are critically ill.”
The book covers a wide variety of topics, which are color
coded for easy access, and their associated pharmacologic
therapies. Topics are broken down by organ systems,
including a section for pediatrics. Conditions range from
structural problems, such as aortic insults, to more systemic
issues such as tumor lysis syndrome. Additionally, there is
an excellent toxicology review that covers common
overdoses and rare exposures. At the end of each chapter,
there are valuable pearls of clinical knowledge, such as
“Bromocriptine may worsen serotonin syndrome if
misdiagnosed as neuroleptic malignant syndrome.” There is
even a section at the end titled “Protocols.” This section has
not expanded since the last edition, but provides an
excellent guide to targeted temperature management in
comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
PressorDex provides quick access for critical information
in less commonly encountered conditions such as eclampsia
and pit viper envenomation. Additionally, it provides easy
access to important things you do not want to rely on your
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