Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
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alaurx.bsky.social
Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
@alaurx.bsky.social
EM Pharmacist & Hockey Goalie & Travelist | Living & appreciating life to the fullest | Sharing what I learn everyday. Opinions are my own, RTs not endorsements #MedSky #EMsky #PharmSky
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
Incr safe apneic time important in improving 1st pass success
-Preox w/ NIV: Incr PaO2, recruit alveoli
-Oxygenate + intubate in Bed Up, Head Elevated
-Apneic O2 w/ flush rate NC
-Use rocuronium instead of succinylcholine (up to 45 sec more safe apneic time)

youtube.com/shorts/-3MFR...
#EMIMCC
Safe Apneic Time #emergencymedicine #criticalcare #intubation #airway
YouTube video by EMSwami
youtube.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
Endovasc Stroke Tx + Airway
-High risk airway decomp: High NIHSS, AMS or Posterior Stroke
-Etomidate a great agent: HD stable
-Avoid hypocarbia (cerebral vasoconstriction)
-After intubation, lie patient flat. Studies (PMID: 40465238) show improved outcomes

youtube.com/shorts/LChtQ...
#EMIMCC
Intubating in Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke #emergencymedicine #criticalcare #intubation
YouTube video by EMSwami
youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Inspired by @pulmcrit.bsky.social’s recent post on PCN allergies! Thought I’d repost a skeetorial on PCN allergies to add to the great discussion. Link below:

bsky.app/profile/alau...

#medsky #pharmsky #EMsky #RNsky #GPsky #FOAMed #EMIMCC #IDsky
I continue to be shocked by how PCN allergies are misunderstood

This is from UpToDate on neutropenic fever

It's wrong

With PCN allergy, you can absolutely use cefepime, piptazo, or meropenem

The R-chain structure that determines allergy is different

emcrit.org/ibcc/penicil... #EMIMCC #IDsky
October 30, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
Intubating in elevated ICP
-BP control w/ clevidipine/nicardipine
-Fentanyl: blunt catechol response
-Osmotic agents: 30 cc of 23.4% hypertonic
-Etomidate + rocuronium (no fasciculations, longer safe apneic time)
-Sedation/analgesia ready(bucking tube spikes ICP)

youtube.com/shorts/747a9...
#EMIMCC
Intubating Increased ICP #emergencymedicine #criticalcare
YouTube video by EMSwami
youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
Largest ever study of peripheral 23.4% NaCl with 863 administrations 😀

Some extravasation did occur, but it *didn't* lead to any major problems (tissue necrosis etc)

If someone is having an ICP crisis, you should worry about their BRAIN and not their ARM - their arm will be fine #EMIMCC
October 28, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
I continue to be shocked by how PCN allergies are misunderstood

This is from UpToDate on neutropenic fever

It's wrong

With PCN allergy, you can absolutely use cefepime, piptazo, or meropenem

The R-chain structure that determines allergy is different

emcrit.org/ibcc/penicil... #EMIMCC #IDsky
October 28, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
For #criticallyill patients who had both severe metabolic acidemia and moderate to severe acute kidney injury, sodium bicarbonate therapy did not significantly decrease day 90 all-cause mortality.

#LIVES2025 @esicm.bsky.social

ja.ma/3Ll9Exv
October 29, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
The BICAR-ICU-2 trial just dropped!

RCT involving IV bicarb in metabolic acidosis among patients with mod-severe AKI

Bicarb didn't affect mortality but it reduced the need for dialysis & risk of bacteremia

VERY similar conclusions to BICAR-ICU-1

🧵 #1/

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... #EMIMCC
October 29, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
MASSIVE RCT from Kenya showing that steroids reduce mortality in CAP

Mortality benefit easier to demonstrate w/ less resources available to salvage pts

Should allay the hype that the negative REMAP-CAP steroid RCT received (despite being woefully underpowered)

www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1... #EMIMCC
October 29, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
unpopular opinion: if ICP is unequivocally elevated due to cardiac arrest (eg >25mm), that suggests severe brain injury with a poor prognosis, no matter what you do.

this explains why trials of higher MAP targets after cardiac arrest (eg BOX trial) are all neutral. #EMIMCC
Read the latest Educational Pearl on Elevated ICP in the Post-ROSC Patient at https://umem.org/educational_pearls/4906/
October 22, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
Bed-Up-Head-Elevated (BUHE) positioning is an easy, effective way to increase safe apneic time and reduce intubation related complications PMID: 26866753

youtube.com/shorts/BnZz0...

#EMIMCC
Head of Bed Elevated for Airway Management #emergencymedicine #criticalcare #intubation
YouTube video by EMSwami
youtube.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
CDI recurrence affects about 14% to 16% of patients with CDI, and the risk of recurrence increases with each CDI episode
🆕💫🌟 JAMA Insights
Recurrent Clostridioides difficile Infections
🟢Epidemiology and Risk factors
🟢Diagnosis
🟢Treatment
#IDSky #EMIMCC
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
October 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Wow! This is pretty innovative!! 🤯
The future of dental flossing may include vaccine delivery!
www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
October 17, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
October 17, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
DKA Tip #3: HypoK the big killer
-All DKA patients total body K depleted
-Some p/w hyperK due to acidosis shifting K
-K < 3.5, replete prior to starting insulin. > 3.5 start insulin + K together
-Skip bolus: no faster resolution of DKA but incr risk of hypoK

youtube.com/shorts/PK_qF...
#EMIMCC
HypoK in DKA #emergencymedicine #criticalcare #dka
YouTube video by EMSwami
youtube.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
DKA Tip #2: Urine dip can mislead
-Body produces 3 ketones: acetoacetate, acetone + beta hydroxybutarate (BHB0
-UA only looks for acetoacetate. BHB dominates in early in DKA
-If worried about DKA, get a chem/blood gas for bicarb + pH + serum BHB

youtube.com/shorts/3KnuI...
#EMIMCC
Ketones in DKA #emergencymedicine #criticalcare #dka
YouTube video by EMSwami
youtube.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
Hot take:

You WANT the #creatinine to go up while diuresing in #cardiorenal syndrome AKI.

It’ll come back down when they’re better.

It’s a feature, not a bug.

#Medsky #Nephsky #cardiosky #cardiology #criticalcare @pulmcrit.bsky.social @imcrit.bsky.social #AKI #heartfailure #diuresis
October 12, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
Role of insulin in DKA isn’t to drop sugar, it’s to shut of ketogenesis + close AG
-Don't stop insulin just because glucose hits 250 mg/dl
-Stop when AG closes, acidosis mainly resolved (bicarb greater than 18), long acting insulin on board + glucose controlled

youtube.com/shorts/z7prN...
#EMIMCC
Insulin in DKA #emergencymedicine #criticalcare #dka
YouTube video by EMSwami
youtube.com
October 13, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
pharmacokinetics trick:

let’s say a med (eg metoprolol) is used q12hr as an outpatient

if you’re worried about causing instability, you *can* cut the dose in half and give it q6hr

there is no law that it MUST be given q12hr

smaller intervals = smoother effect & greater titratability

#EMIMCC
a close up of a man 's face with the word smoooooth written on it .
ALT: a close up of a man 's face with the word smoooooth written on it .
media.tenor.com
October 7, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
normal mentation *doesn't* indicate adequate systemic perfusion

especially in cardiogenic shock, people can mentate well despite terrible CO & systemic perfusion

poor mentation is sometimes an early sign of *septic* shock, but often a very late indicator of other shock states #EMIMCC
Sad Sad Bean GIF
ALT: Sad Sad Bean GIF
media.tenor.com
October 8, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
Fresh blog: Six pearls on heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) in 2025

💎 enoxaparin causes 10x less HIT than UFH

💎 HEP score

💎 approach to intermediate 4T score?

💎 rising use of DOACs

💎 autoimmune HITT

💎 IVIG for immediate inhibition of HIT antibodies

blog emcrit.org/pulmcrit/hit... #EMIMCC
October 4, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
Updated the IBCC DKA chapter 🍭

Biggest changes were organizational, there is now a pretty clear & streamlined 8-step guide

Biggest content change was a rewrite of the definition of DKA (but - spoiler alert - the definition remains unclear & controversial)…

emcrit.org/ibcc/dka/#top #EMIMCC
a woman in a checkered shirt says way too much sugar in a kitchen
ALT: a woman in a checkered shirt says way too much sugar in a kitchen
media.tenor.com
October 5, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
IV insulin is a backbone tx in hyperK
Standard: 10 units IVP w/ dextrose
2021 meta(PMID: 33993515) looked at 10 units vs < 10 units
No difference in reduction in serum K.
Reduced risk of hypoglycemic + severe hypoglycemic events w/ reduced insulin dose

youtube.com/shorts/Sz9Zy...
#EMIMCC
Reduced Dose Insulin in HyperK #emergencymedicine #criticalcare
YouTube video by EMSwami
youtube.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Reposted by Anthony Lau, PharmD BCPS
"consensus" guideline on the management of DKA & HHS

with ZERO input from:
- anyone in emergency medicine
- anyone in critical care
- anyone in hospital medicine

the guidelines (published in 2024) contain many antiquated practices and big errors... 🧵#1/3 #EMIMCC

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39052901/
September 28, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Experience Lasting Moments, a #fundraising event with stunning #photography & limited-edition prints supporting TWCC’s #palliative care work in South Asia

📅 Oct 25: Join us in Abbotsford, BC! lnkd.in/gZB98e8T

🌐 Everywhere else? Our online Square-Print Sale Oct 15–30 twoworldscancer.ca/cart
September 28, 2025 at 8:20 PM