WhiteBoard Medicine - Emergency And Critical Care

Distributive shock is one of the most important shock states to recognize in emergency and critical care medicine. In this high-yield breakdown, we cover pathophysiology, clinical presentation, hemodynamics, and evidence-based management — including sepsis, anaphylaxis, and neurogenic shock.

You’ll learn: ↓ SVR and “relative hypovolemia” Warm shock vs late cold shock progression Hyperdynamic cardiac output in early sepsis Neurogeni...

Pulmonary artery catheters (PACs), also known as Swan-Ganz catheters, provide a detailed window into a patient’s hemodynamics.

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In this episode, we cover: What a PAC is and what it measures (RA, RV, PA, PAOP, CO, SvO₂). When to use ...

Spontaneous Breathing Trials (SBTs) are the gold-standard test to determine whether a patient can be safely extubated from mechanical ventilation.

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In this episode, we break down everything you need to know: What SBTs are and why th...

Unlock the world of anti-arrhythmic drugs in this high-yield medical education episode! Perfect for medical students, residents, and healthcare professionals preparing for exams or clinical practice. We’ll start with the basics of cardiac electrophysiology and the action potential phases, then move into the Vaughan Williams classification system.

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In this comprehensive episode, we combine our earlier discussions on beta-blocker overdose and calcium channel blocker overdose into one high-yield comparison. These are two of the most dangerous cardiovascular toxicities encountered in emergency medicine and critical care.

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In this episode, we break down the critical differences between beta-blocker overdose and calcium channel blocker overdose — two high-risk toxicologic emergencies that every emergency medicine and critical care clinician must recognize.

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How do you truly master fluid assessment in critical care? 💧

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You’ll learn: Step-by-step how to use each tool 🛠️ Clinical applications and pitfalls ⚠️ Evidence base behind dynamic vs static indices 📚 A practical bedside algorithm...

Can ChatGPT help you write high-quality practice questions for medical education and exam prep? ✅

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In this episode, we cover: Why AI-generated questions can accelerate active learning and save educators time 🤖 Step-by-step: how to...

How do you assess fluid status at the bedside? In this episode, we break down the four main fluid assessment strategies used in emergency and critical care: 🔹 Central Venous Pressure (CVP) – static, trend-based but poor predictor of fluid responsiveness 🔹 Pulse Pressure Variation (PPV) – dynamic and strong evidence in the right conditions 🔹 Passive Leg Raise (PLR) – safe, reversible preload challenge valid across rhythms and ven...

Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) ultrasound is a simple, fast, and non-invasive bedside tool for estimating volume status and fluid responsiveness. By assessing the IVC diameter and its respiratory variation, clinicians can better guide resuscitation — especially in shock or critically ill patients.

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The Passive Leg Raise (PLR) test is one of the most reliable and safest ways to assess fluid responsiveness at the bedside — without giving unnecessary IV fluids. By mobilizing ~300–500 mL of venous blood centrally, PLR provides a reversible preload challenge that can guide resuscitation in critically ill patients.

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Pulse Pressure Variation (PPV) is one of the most reliable bedside tools for assessing fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated ICU patients. Unlike static measures such as CVP, PPV uses arterial waveform analysis to predict whether a patient will benefit from fluids.

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Sympathomimetic toxicity is a common emergency medicine presentation, often caused by cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and stimulant medications. These cases can mimic other toxidromes and may progress to life-threatening hyperthermia, arrhythmias, seizures, or multi-organ failure.

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Beta blocker overdose is one of the most dangerous cardiovascular emergencies, leading to bradycardia, hypotension, seizures, and cardiogenic shock. Agents like propranolol, metoprolol, carvedilol, and atenolol can cause life-threatening toxicity, especially with ER formulations or co-ingestions.

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The Shock Index (SI) is one of the simplest but most powerful bedside tools in emergency medicine and critical care. Defined as heart rate divided by systolic blood pressure (HR ÷ SBP), SI often outperforms vital signs alone for detecting occult shock.

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Sepsis and septic shock remain some of the most critical conditions in emergency medicine and critical care. 🦠 In this video, we start with the basics of sepsis and septic shock before moving into more advanced topics: sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, sepsis pathophysiology, and sepsis phenotypes. Learn how to recognize, understand, and manage sepsis from the ground up.

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In this episode, we break down how to approach acute hypoxemic respiratory failure at the bedside. You’ll learn step-by-step interpretation of arterial blood gases (ABG), venous blood gases (VBG), alveolar-arterial (Aa) gradient, and using the chest x-ray and ABG to diagnose the cause. We’ll cover the physiology, practical interpretation pearls, and common pitfalls so you can confidently apply this knowledge in the ICU, ED, or ward...

Master the fundamentals of cardiac physiology — from chamber pressures and cardiac output to preload, afterload, contractility, and the Fick equation. 🫀 This episode breaks down complex hemodynamics and devices into simple, high-yield concepts for exams and bedside care. Perfect for medical students, residents, fellows, nurses, physiologists, and clinicians in emergency medicine, critical care, and cardiology.

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Master the key pressures in mechanical ventilation: peak inspiratory pressure, plateau pressure, and driving pressure. In this episode, we break down what each pressure means, how to measure them, and why they’re critical for managing patients in the ICU and emergency department. Perfect for medical students, residents, critical care fellows, respiratory therapists, emergency nurses, critical care nurse, and anyone preparing for ex...