Florida Emergency Physicians 9(th) Annual Symposium on Emergency Medicine, April 8-11 2009

At the Florida Emergency Physicians Annual Symposium on Emergency Medicine, several important updates that could have a direct impact on patient care were presented by nationally recognized leaders in emergency medicine, critical care and trauma. All the topics presented were relevant to more than one specialty and included detailed discussions on optimal ventilator tidal volume, tissue oxygen saturation, ideal blood sugar levels, timing of intubation, appropriate blood transfusions and vasopressor use in the critical care patient. This article will focus on three aspects: Optimal ventilator tidal volume in the critical care patient, the use of a new hemostatic agent for hemorrhage control and vasopressor use in the early resuscitation of hemorrhagic shock.