A 43 year old woman presented to the Emergency Department with a 6 week history of intermittent fevers and chronic bilateral hip pain. She was evaluated in the Emergency Department and discharged but later diagnosed with a buttocks abscess. I was asked to opine on alleged failure to diagnose the abscess during the Emergency Department visit.

A 29 year old male presented to the Emergency Department complaining of shortness of breath and dizziness. He was evaluated in the Emergency Department, diagnosed with extensive pulmonary embolism, started on heparin, and admitted. Several hours later, he sustained a cardiac arrest. At issue were the timeliness of the Emergency Department evaluation and treatment and whether treatment in the Emergency Department met the standard of care for an emergency physician.

A 30 year old female presented to the Emergency Department complaining of a worsening headache. Four days after evaluation in the Emergency Department and discharge home, she was found unresponsive and found to have suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, which ultimately proved fatal. I was asked to opine whether the Emergency Department evaluation and treatment met the standard of care for a reasonable emergency physician.

A 49 year old man presented to the Emergency Department complaining of shortness of breath one day status post lithotripsy and suprapubic catheter placement. Two days after Emergency Department evaluation and discharge home, he presented to another hospital with abdominal pain and wound drainage and was diagnosed with an iatrogenic small bowel perforation and enteric contents in the abdomen. The issues at hand were whether the emergency department evaluation conformed to the standard of care for a reasonable emergency physician and whether the small bowel injury should have been diagnosed in the Emergency Department.

A man suffered a displaced fracture of the radius and ulna secondary to a fall. In the Emergency Department, an initial reduction and splinting were performed, and he was referred to an orthopedist for definitive fracture care. I was asked to opine on whether there was any deviation from the standard of care in the Emergency Department.

A young woman was observed in distress after taking multiple drugs at a house party. About 8 hours later, she was noted to be cyanotic and apneic and EMS was called. After resuscitation from asystole and a brief hospitalization, she died from anoxic brain injury and multi-organ failure. I was asked to review the events leading up to the death and render an opinion as to whether this young woman would have survived had medical care been rendered sooner and as to whether she experienced conscious pain and suffering before her death.

A gentleman was evaluated in the Emergency Department for chest and neck pain and hypertension and admitted to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment. He later deteriorated and died while in hospital and was found at autopsy to have methicillin-resistant staph aureus sepsis. I was asked to consider multiple issues including alleged failure to diagnose sepsis in the Emergency Department, failure to begin treatment with antibiotics in the Emergency Department and whether initiation of antibiotics in the Emergency Department would have changed the outcome in this case.

A 45 year old female struck her head during a fall at home. During evaluation in the Emergency Department, she became confused and ultimately died after emergency neurosurgery for traumatic intracranial bleeding. I was asked to opine on the timeliness of the Emergency Department evaluation and on whether the Emergency Department management of the intracranial bleeding met the standard of care for an emergency physician.

A 36 year old woman presented to the Emergency Department 9 days after a C-section complaining of fever, chills and abdominal pain. She was evaluated in the Emergency Department and discharged with a diagnosis of urinary tract infection. Five days later, she was admitted to another hospital and diagnosed with an intra-abdominal abscess. At issue was whether the diagnostic testing in the Emergency Department was appropriate and if the diagnosis of intra-abdominal abscess should have been made in the Emergency Department.

A 14 year old male presented to the Emergency Department for evaluation of abdominal pain and was evaluated and discharged. He was diagnosed with appendicitis with perforation and abscess several days later. The issues in this case revolved around the Emergency Department evaluation of abdominal pain and possible appendicitis in a pediatric patient and proper interpretation of abdominal ultrasound in the setting of a pediatric patient with right lower quadrant pain.

A 43 year old man presented to the Emergency Department after a seizure and fall. He suffered recurrent seizures and was admitted to ICU. While in the hospital, he was diagnosed with a fracture-dislocation of the shoulder. The issues in this case were the proper Emergency Department evaluation of associated injuries in a critically ill patient and whether attempted closed reduction in the Emergency Department caused the patient’s fracture.

An adult man presented to the Emergency Department with chest pain and was evaluated and discharged. He died shortly thereafter, and autopsy showed an acute myocardial infarction. I was asked to opine on whether the emergency medicine standard of care was met for Emergency Department evaluation of a patient with chest pain.

A young man presented to the Emergency Department with a history of fever, neck pain and shortness of breath. He sustained acute airway obstruction and cardiac arrest and autopsy showed acute epiglottitis. At issue were the timeliness of diagnosis of epiglottitis and emergency airway management.

A young adult man presented to the Emergency Department with severe pain 2 weeks after hand surgery. After evaluation and discharge from the Emergency Department, he was diagnosed with a post-operative hematoma and pseudoaneurysm with residual nerve damage. I was asked to opine whether there was a deviation from the Emergency Department standard of care and whether a hand surgery consult should have been obtained in the Emergency Department.

A 49 year old woman with chest pain was evaluated and discharged from the Emergency Department. She subsequently returned with an acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). At issue were the appropriateness of the Emergency Department evaluation and whether an acute coronary syndrome or myocardial infarction should have been diagnosed on the first Emergency Department visit.