Department Blog

Larry D. Weiss, MD, JD, with colleagues from the University of California Irvine, analyzed records from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) related to allegations of patient dumping (refusing to provide service to patients for financial reasons). They found documentation of more than 6000 investigations, 40% of which found violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986. Three percent of the violations resulted in fines against hospitals and physicians, primarily for failing to screen and stabilize patients with emergency medical conditions. The findings are presented in the May issue of the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine (17:245‒251).

Two emergency medicine faculty members have been elected to officer positions in the Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine (AWAEM). Kinjal Sethuraman, MD, MPH, was elected as the Academy’s president-elect, and Wan-Tsu Wendy Chang, MD, was elected as its secretary. The purpose of the AWAEM, which is affiliated with the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, is to promote the recruitment, retention, advancement, and leadership of women in academic emergency medicine through networking, mentoring, and research.

R. Gentry Wilkerson, MD, Hong Kim, MD, MPH, T. Andrew Windsor, MD, and Darren Mareiniss, MD, JD, published the article titled “The Opioid Epidemic in the United States” in the May issue of Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America. It includes a review of current laws designed to curb opioid abuse and a description of efforts to distribute the antidote, naloxone, to at-risk individuals for use in the out-of-hospital setting.

Stephen Thom, MD, PhD, Ming Yang, MD, and Veena Bhopale, PhD, along with their colleagues from the University of Split in Croatia and the University of Novi Sad in Serbia, published the article titled “The Impact of Predive Exercise on Repetitive SCUBA Diving” in the May issue of Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging.

Dr. Mike Winters has been elected to the office of treasurer on the Medical Executive Committee, the leadership body of the physician staff at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The committee is responsible for approving applications for medical staff appointments, overseeing the granting of medical privileges, and ensuring the quality of care provided through all of the medical center’s services. According to the medical staff bylaws, candidates for the elected officer positions must have demonstrated executive and administrative abilities and a history of constructive participation in medical staff activities. Their election is recognition from their peers of their clinical competence and leadership skills. Congratulations, Dr. Winters!

Amal Mattu, MD, traveled to Denver in mid-June as a faculty member for the 43rd Annual Rocky Mountain Trauma and Emergency Medicine Conference. He led a 4-hour pre-conference workshop on cardiac ischemia electrocardiography and presented a keynote address, “High Risk Arrhythmias in Which ACLS Will Fail.”

Joe Martinez, MD, was a guest editor for the May 2016 issue of Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America, which focuses on abdominal and gastrointestinal emergencies. In addition, he co-authored the article “Abdominal Vascular Catastrophes.” Christina Tupe, MD, and Thuy Pham, MD, contributed the article titled “Anorectal Complaints in the Emergency Department.” The foreword for the issue ("Oh, My Aching Belly") was written by Amal Mattu, MD, consulting editor for EMCNA.

Ryan Daro, MD, a second-year EM resident, is a co-author of the article titled "Incidence of Pulmonary Emboli on Chest Computed Tomography Angiography Based Upon Referral Patterns," published in the June issue of Emergency Radiology. Based on a review of 6400 charts, the authors found no difference in the incidence of PE in CTA studies requested by residents, attendings, or physician extenders. The highest incidence was in studies requested from inpatient settings. Their article can be read at this address: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10140-016-1391-4

Ben Lawner, DO, MS, EMT-P, presented the lecture “Post Arrest Emergency Care: Hypothermia, STEMI, CV Bundle, Hot Topics" at the Maryland Resuscitation Academy, held in Marriottsville last week. The 2-day symposium focused on increasing survival and improving neurologic outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. It was sponsored by the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services and the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems.

Amal Mattu, MD, and his colleagues from the University of Virginia published a review titled “ED Evaluation and Management of Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator Electrical Shocks,” in the June issue of the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. In this article, the authors review the function of defibrillators; discuss the causes of appropriate and inappropriate shocks; and present algorithms for the assessment and stabilization of patients who have experienced one, multiple, or phantom "firings."