UpToDate® and Emergency Medicine News are collaborating to present select newly released UpToDate Emergency Medicine content synopses, such as the examples below. UpToDate is the premier evidence-based, clinical support resource used by anesthesiology professionals and health care practitioners worldwide to make informed clinical decisions at the point of care. Please note that the examples below are accurate as of the month/year indicated next to each topic excerpt. To ensure you are accessing the most current clinical information, subscribe to UpToDate. To subscribe, visit https://www.uptodate.com/contents/whats-new-in-emergency-medicine. Ibuprofen for acute pediatric musculoskeletal injuries (January 2026) Most experts recommend nonopioid medications as first-line therapy for acute pain in children. However, for children with acute musculoskeletal injuries (eg, fractures and sprains), some clinicians and caregivers have concerns that pain could be undertreated without opioids. A recent trial randomly assigned nearly 700 children with nonoperative musculoskeletal extremity injuries (primarily nondisplaced fractures and sprains) and moderate pain to ibuprofen alone, ibuprofen plus acetaminophen, or ibuprofen plus an oral opioid (hydromorphone).1 Ibuprofen alone provided similar analgesia as the combined analgesia strategies and was associated with fewer adverse effects compared with ibuprofen plus hydromorphone. These findings confirm that nonopioid medications alone are sufficient for most children with acute musculoskeletal pain, and the addition of an opioid only increases the risk of adverse events. Updated resuscitation guidelines for adults (January 2026) The American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council have published updated guidelines for adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency care.2,3 Resuscitation updates include: urgent electrical cardioversion for patients who are unstable and those with rate-related ischemia caused by atrial fibrillation or flutter; immediate defibrillation for all adult patients with sustained polymorphic ventricular tachycardia; and increased support for using extracorporeal devices for potentially reversible causes of cardiac arrest where resources are available. Post-resuscitation updates include a normocapnic ventilation target and recommendations for a target temperature ≤37.5°C for a minimum of 36 hours following return of spontaneous circulation.