24/5/26 Diphtheria alert
There is currently an outbreak of Diphtheria in parts of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. Please be alert for cases of oropharyngeal and cutaneous Diphtheria in patients who have been to these regions, particularly Indigenous patients.
Important copyright and AI information
Please be reminded that unauthorised reproduction of the Manual in any form, including creation of summaries, audio or animation, or copying content into any machine learning tool is not permitted. Breaches of this agreement will result in immediate, and permanent, termination of access and legal action for breach of copyright.
Dedication
This manual is dedicated to the memory of Dr Edward William Brentnall FACEM, MBE, OAM, KStJ 05/08/1929-01/10/2024. Ed was a guiding light for generations of emergency physicians who sheltered, mentored and inspired many of us. See the full dedication here.
Latest updates
Penetrating neck trauma
The Penetrating neck trauma page has had a number of updates.
Intussusception
The Paediatric abdominal conditions page has been updated with additional information about intussusception.
Lung US for the diagnosis of pneumonia
The Community acquired pneumonia page has been updated with an expanded section on lung US.
LFTs and muscle disease
The Liver function tests page has been updated to reflect that AST and ALT can rarely be elevated in metabolic myopathies,
Other causes of optic nerve swelling
The Assessment of vision page has been updated with an expanded segment on other causes of optic nerve swelling.
Papilloedema
The Assessment of vision page has been updated with an expanded segment on papilloedema.
Pseudopapilloedema
The Assessment of vision page has been updated with an expanded segment on pseudopapilloedema.
Antidepressant effects of ketamine
The Induction agents page has been updated with some additional information about the antidepressant effects of ketamine.
![]()