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
Sterile gown for LP optional
The Lumbar puncture page has been updated with the recommendation that a sterile gown when doing an LP is optional in many situations. This follows a similar recommendation by multiple Anaesthesia organisations that a sterile gown is not mandatory for single shot spinal anaesthesia.
Blood cultures from central lines
The CVC insertion technique page has been updated with information about taking blood cultures through a central line.
Head position in stroke
The Management of stroke page has been updated with additional information about the positioning of the head in stroke.
Definition of fever
The Body temperature page has been updated with a short segment on the definition of fever.
CSF findings following status epilepticus
The Status epilepticus page has been updated with information about the CSF findings in patients following status epilepticus.
CT perfusion findings in seizures
The Assessment of isolated seizures page has been updated with additional information about the CT perfusion findings in seizures.
Kayser Fleischer ring image
The Hepatic diseases page has been updated with an image of a Kayser Fleischer ring.
Penetrating neck trauma
The Penetrating neck trauma page has had a number of updates.
