Book excerpt: The Second Edition of Blueprints Emergency Medicine covers the essentials of emergency medicine that students need to know during their rotation and while preparing for the USMLE. The thoroughly updated and reorganized Second Edition features coverage of the most common conditions encountered on the wards. Completely reorganized to cover the most common acute conditions first, followed by a systems-based approach to emergency medicine Expanded coverage of trauma, bioterrorism, and pediatric emergencies Greatly increased number of figures, tables, and algorithms 75 board-format Q&As with answer explanations Now includes evidence-based references Totally revised, thoroughly updated, and trusted by students, the Blueprints series keeps getting better.