Comprehensive introduction to the core specialty area of emergency medicine

Presented in a user-friendly format, combining flowcharts and high-quality illustrations together for an easy-to-read experience, this Fifth Edition of The RCEM Lecture Notes: Emergency Medicine has been thoroughly revised to reflect recent advances in the field of emergency medicine and to give readers a comprehensive and highly accessible overview of the field.

Contributions made by a variety of healthcare professionals with significant firsthand experience in the field, The RCEM Lecture Notes: Emergency Medicine contains information on:

Major trauma and injuries.
Burns, contamination, irradiation, and poisoning.
Acute medical, surgical and obstetric conditions relevant to emergency medicine.
Paediatric emergency medicine.
Mental health and medicolegal aspects of emergency medicine.
The RCEM Lecture Notes: Emergency Medicine, Fifth Edition presents important 'need to know' information for all those involved in treating patients in an emergency setting. The text serves as an excellent starting point to support initial teaching on the subject and reference or revision at the end of a module, rotation, or final exams.


Catherine Williams FRCEM, Consultant in Emergency Medicine with dual accreditation in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Royal Bolton Hospital. Training programme director for Intermediate Emergency Medicine training, Health Education North West.


Amy Nickson FRCEM DTM&H DLM DRCOG, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Royal Bolton Hospital. Sexual Offences Examiner, Lancashire SAFE Centre.


Preface to the fifth edition

Preface to the fourth edition

Preface to the second edition

Preface to the first edition

List of Contributors

Chapter 1 What every emergency physician must know

Catherine Williams

Chapter 2 Major Trauma and multiple injuries

Alan Weir

Chapter 3 Head injuries

Kate Clayton

Chapter 4 The neck and the back

Fiqry Fadillah and Catherine Williams

Chapter 5 Facial Injuries

Abu Hassan

Chapter 6 Injuries to the Trunk

Fiqry Fadillah

Chapter 7 The lower limb

Abu Hassan

Chapter 8 The Upper Limb

Katie Fulcher and Abu Hassan

Chapter 9 The hand

Shah Rahman and Sophie Jeffreys

Chapter 10 Burns, Contamination and irradiation

Jodie Wilkinson

Chapter 11 Cardiac arrest and dysrhythmias

Rob Summerhayes

Chapter 12 Chest pain

Vivek Chhabra and Amy Nickson

Chapter 13 Respiratory distress

Amy Nickson

Chapter 14 Collapse and sudden illness

Amy Nickson

Chapter 15 Poisoning

Jodie Wilkinson

Chapter 16 Abdominal pain and GI problems

Catherine Williams

Chapter 17 Obstetric, gynaecological, genitourinary and perineal problems

Amy Nickson

Chapter 18 Children's problems in the Emergency Department

Catherine Williams

Chapter 19 The disturbed patient

Antonia Hazelrigg and Laura Cottey

Chapter 20 Medicolegal aspects of Emergency Medicine

Amy Nickson

Chapter 21 Small wounds and localised infections

Catherine Williams

Chapter 22 Opthalmic, ENT and facial conditions

Amy Nickson

Chapter 23 Global health

Tony Redmond

Index