The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine

Date: October 6, 2026 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Ryan Stanton, creator of the EM podcast Front Line and the new President of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Reference: Zhou et al. HOPE investigators. Alteplase for Acute Ischemic Stroke at 4.5 to 24 Hours: The HOPE Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2025 Case: Mr. Wei Zhang is a 73-year-old retired teacher with hypertension and atrial fibrillation (not on anticoagulation), who is brought to the emergency department (ED) at 09:30 after

Reference: Kersten HB, et al; American Academy of Pediatrics and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnosis and Management of Faltering Weight. Pediatrics. 2026. Date: September 15, 2026 Dr. Salina Khushal Guest Skeptic: Dr. Salina Khushal is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist at the Pediatric Specialists of Virginia. She completed her fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and her pediatrics residency

Date: September 30, 2026 Dr. Aaron Skolnik Guest Skeptic: Dr. Aaron Skolnik is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and Vice Chair of Critical Care Medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona. Aaron is a full-time multidisciplinary intensivist and is the medical student clerkship director for critical care. Reference: ZhangJian et al. Incidence of Adverse Events in Peripheral Intravenous Vasopressor Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Netw Open

Date: September 22, 2026 Dr. Sergey Motov Guest Skeptic: Dr. Sergey Motov is an Emergency Physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center in New York City. He is also one of the world’s leading researchers on pain management in the emergency department. Reference: Sharabun et al. Oral Ibuprofen Versus Intramuscular Ketorolac for Acute Musculoskeletal Back Pain in the Emergency Department: A Prospective Analysis. Journal of Pharmacy Practice. 2026 Case: A 42-year-old

Date: Sept 13, 2026 Caitlin Jones PhD Guest Skeptic: Dr. Caitlin Jones is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Sydney University’s Institute for Musculoskeletal Health. Her research evaluates the benefits and harms of treatments for musculoskeletal conditions with a particular interest in high-risk treatment options such as opioid medicines and spinal cord stimulators for pain. She aims to improve patient outcomes and reduce harm from inappropriate treatments. Reference: Cattin et al. Morphine P

Date: September 4, 2026 This is an SGEM Xtra looking in the rearview mirror at 14 years of The SGEM and looking forward to Season#15. Season 15 is traditionally the crystal anniversary. Crystal is transparent; it can help us see things more clearly, and it can also shatter if you drop it. So, basically, a great metaphor for medical evidence. Cue some 80s music. Because if I could turn back time. Unfortunately, I don’t have a DeLorean, a flux capacitor, or 1.21 gigawatts. What I do have is a micr