This month we've got a few papers on dealing with smoking - and not smoking - in the emergency department. The episode starts off with a discussion of a paper on automating high-flow nasal oxygen, and the importance of titration of oxygen levels - critical for patients with COPD. Then there's a paper questioning, can nicotine replacement therapy in the ED really work? This is followed by a research paper addressing the gaps in tracking of vaping and substance use - should doctors be asking more about use of vapes? To finish off the episode there's an analysis of the shifting trends in ED attendance, with case complexity seeing a dramatic increase.

Read the highlights: Primary survey

• Automated titration of nasal high flow oxygen in the emergency department: a randomised controlled trial
• Emergency department interventions for smoking cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Assessment of vaping and substance use documentation in the emergency department and acute medical unit
• Shifting patterns in emergency department attendance: a time series analysis

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody) Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Senior Associate Editor and Social Media Editor, Royal Derby Hospital, UK (@drsarahedwards)

You can subscribe to the EMJ podcast on all podcast platforms to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the EMJ Podcast Apple (https://apple.co/4bfcMU0) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3ufutSL) page.

What happens to an emergency department when staff go on strike? A new study published in EMJ examines this challenging scenario and its impact on patient flow. Another paper looks at the hybrid-warfare attack carried out in Lebanon, where exploding pagers caused a mass casualty incident, and what emergency departments can learn from managing that event. EMJ editor Prof. Richard Body adds some of his own reflections from the Ariana Grande concert terror attack in Manchester. Two more complex situations round out the list of papers for this episode, covering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in pregnant patients, and magnet ingestion in children.

Read the highlights: Primary survey

• Prehospital resuscitative hysterotomy: a practice review
• The pager explosions: lessons learnt from a hybrid-warfare mass casualty incident
• What health systems should learn from the Lebanon pager attack
• Diagnosis and management of paediatric magnet ingestion: a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines
• Evaluating the impact of NHS strikes on patient flow through emergency departments

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Deputy Editor, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody) Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Senior Associate Editor and Social Media Editor, Royal Derby Hospital, UK (@drsarahedwards)

You can subscribe to the EMJ podcast on all podcast platforms to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the EMJ Podcast Apple (https://apple.co/4bfcMU0) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3ufutSL) page.

"Should we be giving blood transfusions to patients with traumatic cardiac arrest?" EMJ editor Prof. Richard Body and associate editor Dr. Sarah Edwards talk through some original research on the value of blood transfusions in this difficult situation. Next is the new UNCORKED study from the Trainee Emergency Research Network (TERN), with some sobering statistics on the prevalence of emergency care carried out in non-standard treatment places across the UK. Then we move to a world of high-pressure injuries, often caused by industrial spraying equipment, where things on the surface aren't quite as they seem. The last paper returns to the theme of cardiac arrests, examining the predictive value of end-tidal CO2 usage. Read the highlights: Primary survey:

• The association of blood transfusion and sustained return of spontaneous circulation in blunt traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
• Understanding corridor and escalation area care in 165 UK emergency departments: a multicentre cross-sectional snapshot study
• Recognising high-pressure injection injuries to the hand: a practice review with guidance for emergency physicians
• Prognostic accuracy of end-tidal carbon dioxide in cardiac arrest: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The EMJ podcast is hosted by:

Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Editor-in-Chief, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody) Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Senior Associate Editor and Social Media Editor, Royal Derby Hospital, UK (@drsarahedwards)

You can subscribe to the EMJ podcast on all podcast platforms to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the EMJ Podcast Apple (https://apple.co/4bfcMU0) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3ufutSL) page.