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In this episode of EMERGE in EM, Dr. Mohamed Hagahmed sits down with cardiology fellow Dr. Njeri Kuria to discuss Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD)—an often underrecognized cause of acute myocardial infarction that predominantly affects young and otherwise healthy women.

Through a real clinical case, they explore how SCAD presents, why it's frequently mistaken for more common conditions, how it's diagnosed, and what makes its management fundamentally different from traditional heart attacks. They also discuss pregnancy-associated SCAD, recurrence, long-term follow-up, and the critical role of recognizing cognitive biases when evaluating chest pain.

Whether you're an emergency clinician, cardiologist, paramedic, nurse, medical student, or simply interested in understanding heart health, this episode offers practical insights that could change the way you think about chest pain—and perhaps even save a life.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why SCAD is one of the leading causes of heart attacks in women under 50
• How to recognize high-risk patients in the emergency setting
• Why PCI isn't always the best treatment
• The role of fibromuscular dysplasia and pregnancy
• Long-term management, recurrence, and patient counseling
• Key clinical pearls for healthcare professionals

🎧 Tune in for an engaging conversation that challenges common assumptions about heart disease and highlights the importance of listening to patients, recognizing bias, and delivering thoughtful, evidence-based care.

Resources

📖 New England Journal of Medicine Review: Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra2001524

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and leave a review—it helps us reach more listeners.

📱 Connect with me for more educational content, clinical pearls, podcast clips, and behind-the-scenes updates:

• Instagram: @HagahmedMD
• YouTube: @HagahmedMD

Thank you for being part of the EMERGE in EM community. Until next time, stay curious, keep learning, and continue to EMERGE.

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Welcome to Public Health Briefs — a new series from EMERGE in EM where we break down the public health stories shaping our world through the lens of emergency medicine, critical care, and frontline science.

In this episode, we tackle the growing public concern surrounding hantavirus after recent viral headlines and online speculation sparked fear across social media. Joined by infectious disease specialist Dr. Yassin, I take a deep dive into what hantavirus actually is, how it spreads, why certain strains raise concern for person-to-person transmission, and what clinicians and the public truly need to know.

We discuss rodent exposure, incubation periods, cardio-pulmonary syndrome, ECMO considerations, diagnostic challenges, public health response, quarantine recommendations, and the dangers of misinformation during emerging infectious disease events.

This conversation is not about panic — it’s about perspective, preparedness, and evidence-based medicine.

Because in public health, the goal is always the same: awareness over fear, science over speculation, and protecting communities through accurate information.

Thank you for listening to Public Health Briefs on EMERGE in EM.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and leave a review—it helps us reach more listeners.

📱 Connect with me for more educational content, clinical pearls, podcast clips, and behind-the-scenes updates:

• Instagram: @HagahmedMD
• YouTube: @HagahmedMD

Thank you for being part of the EMERGE in EM community. Until next time, stay curious, keep learning, and continue to EMERGE.

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What happens after the pulse comes back?

In this episode, we dive into one of the most practical — and controversial — questions in post-cardiac arrest care: Which vasopressor should clinicians reach for first after ROSC? Epinephrine or norepinephrine?

Joining me is Dr. Nathalie Van Der Rijst, pulmonary and critical care physician from Philadelphia, for an energetic and evidence-driven debate exploring the physiology, pharmacology, real-world logistics, and limitations of current research surrounding post-cardiac arrest hypotension.

Together, we tackle:

• Why post-ROSC hypotension remains so deadly
• The physiologic argument for epinephrine vs. norepinephrine
• Myocardial stunning, vasoplegia, and recurrent arrest
• What observational studies and limited randomized data actually show
• Why prehospital realities matter when choosing vasopressors
• The challenges EMS agencies face with pumps, medications, and resources
• How ICU and emergency medicine perspectives sometimes differ — and where they align

Along the way, expect spirited Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia banter, ICU vs. ER jabs, practical resuscitation pearls, and an honest discussion about the gap between ideal medicine and real-world medicine.

Whether you work in EMS, emergency medicine, critical care, anesthesia, or hospital medicine, this conversation will challenge the way you think about post-cardiac arrest shock and the critical minutes after ROSC.

As always, thank you for listening, sharing feedback, and helping grow this community focused on resuscitation, emergency medicine, critical care, and public health.

If you enjoy the episode, please share it with a colleague and send along topics you’d like covered in future episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and leave a review—it helps us reach more listeners.

📱 Connect with me for more educational content, clinical pearls, podcast clips, and behind-the-scenes updates:

• Instagram: @HagahmedMD
• YouTube: @HagahmedMD

Thank you for being part of the EMERGE in EM community. Until next time, stay curious, keep learning, and continue to EMERGE.