The Hallway Consult

The Hallway Consult

The EM literature, translated for your next shift.

The Hallway Consult — Issue #16: Migraine Fluids, SPG Block Dosing, and Difficult IV Access

Aug 10, 2026

•

5 min read

The Hallway Consult — Issue #16: Migraine Fluids, SPG Block Dosing, and Difficult IV Access

Three common ED habits are up for audit. The first is the migraine liter hanging next to the NSAID as if fluid itself were analgesia. The second is the elegant-sounding sphenopalatine ganglion block, where more anesthetic turns out not to mean more durable relief. The third is the hard-stick patient, where a simple transillumination device may help more than most of us would have guessed — but only if we treat it as an early adjunct, not a magic wand.

Matthew Barmmer
Matthew Barmmer
The Hallway Consult — Issue #15: Cardiac Arrest Access, AI Chest X-Rays, and Trauma Ketamine

Aug 3, 2026

•

5 min read

The Hallway Consult — Issue #15: Cardiac Arrest Access, AI Chest X-Rays, and Trauma Ketamine

In cardiac arrest, should IO really come before IV? On chest x-ray, does AI meaningfully help, or just shift the error pattern? And for trauma pain without a line, is intranasal ketamine actually the better non-IV route? Let’s get into it.

Matthew Barmmer
Matthew Barmmer
The Hallway Consult — Issue #14: Prehospital Whole Blood, Suspected PE in Pregnancy, and Video EMS Dispatch

Jul 27, 2026

•

5 min read

The Hallway Consult — Issue #14: Prehospital Whole Blood, Suspected PE in Pregnancy, and Video EMS Dispatch

Whole blood in the field, PE workup in pregnancy, and what happens when dispatch can actually see the scene. Three questions the ED doesn't always get to ask — but should.

Matthew Barmmer
Matthew Barmmer
The Hallway Consult — Issue #13: Acetaminophen Overdose, TBI Osmotherapy, and Pediatric Appendicitis

Jul 20, 2026

•

4 min read

The Hallway Consult — Issue #13: Acetaminophen Overdose, TBI Osmotherapy, and Pediatric Appendicitis

Three decisions that look simpler than they are. Can you stop NAC early in a low-risk acetaminophen overdose? Does hypertonic saline actually change meaningful outcomes in traumatic brain injury, or just make the ICP monitor look better? And in pediatric appendicitis, has antibiotics-first really caught surgery yet? Let's get into it.

Matthew Barmmer
Matthew Barmmer
The Hallway Consult — Issue #12: DOAC Bleeding, Agitation, and Pediatric DKA Fluids

Jul 13, 2026

•

5 min read

The Hallway Consult — Issue #12: DOAC Bleeding, Agitation, and Pediatric DKA Fluids

Should you reverse anticoagulation in a GI bleeder — and with what? What do you actually reach for when someone is dangerously agitated? And when a child with DKA needs fluid, is normal saline still the best default? Let's get into it.

Matthew Barmmer
Matthew Barmmer
The Hallway Consult — Issue #11: Renal Colic, Acute AF, and Hip Fracture Pain

Jul 6, 2026

•

4 min read

The Hallway Consult — Issue #11: Renal Colic, Acute AF, and Hip Fracture Pain

The EM literature, translated for your next shift.

Matthew Barmmer
Matthew Barmmer
Load more