How to Be Cool
A 27-year-old man with an unknown past medical history presented with altered mental status. Bystanders found him on the sidewalk acting strangely, according to EMS. The patient was drowsy with incomprehensible speech on arrival. He was diaphoretic, tachycardic, and combative. No signs of trauma were noted. His heart rate was 130 bpm, blood pressure 169/90 mm Hg, respiratory rate 30 bpm, SPO2 98% on room air, and temperature 105.3°F. His blood glucose was 150. The patient continued to be minimally responsive.Etiologies of HyperthermiaNeuroleptic malignant syndromeSerotonin syndromeAnticholinergic syndromeSympathomim...
Source: The Tox Cave - September 1, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Research and Reviews in the Fastlane 178
LITFL: Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog
LITFL: Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
Welcome to the 178th edition of Research and Reviews in the Fastlane. R&R in the Fastlane is a free resource that harnesses the power of social media to allow some of the best and brightest emergency medicine and critical care clinicians from all over the world tell us what they think is worth reading from the published literature.
This edition contains 5 recommended reads. The R&R Editorial Team includes Jeremy Fried, Nudrat Rashid, Justin Morgenstern and Chris Ni...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - April 6, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Nudrat Rashid Tags: Intensive Care Pediatrics Procedure R&R in the FASTLANE Radiology Respiratory Resuscitation Toxicology and Toxinology Education emergency Emergency Medicine recommendations Review Source Type: blogs
Therapeutic hypothermia after in hospital cardiac arrest
(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)
Source: Notes from Dr. RW - March 20, 2017 Category: Internal Medicine Tags: cardiovascular critical care hospital medicine neurology Source Type: blogs
Winter Wives ’ Tale
The University of Maryland Children’s Hospital sets the record straight…
“Put on your hat since you lose most of your body heat through your head.”
This is not necessarily true! Your body heat escapes from any exposed area- so if you had on snow pants and a T-shirt and you forget your hat and jacket, the most amount of heat would escape through your arms- since that would be the largest exposed part of your body. Putting on winter accessories such as hats, mittens and scarves is still a very good idea to avoid the outside dangers of frostbite and hypothermia.
“You will get sick if you go outside with wet...
Source: Life in a Medical Center - February 13, 2017 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Chris Lindsley Tags: Children's Health Health Tips Kids pediatrics University of Maryland Children's Hospital University of Maryland Medical Center winter weather Source Type: blogs
On binge drinkers
Doing hospital medicine, we often have patients come in for complications of binge drinking – acute pancreatitis, GI bleeding, trauma, hypothermia, etc. Many such patients know they are alcoholics, and have spent considerable time not drinking. Over time (often I am a slow learner) I have realized that most such patients are drinking to become numb.
I should have known. How often do we watch a television show or movie and see a character go off on a bender because of some traumatic event? Just last night I was watching Lethal Weapon (the TV show). Riggs (the main character) starts drinking very heavily as t...
Source: DB's Medical Rants - January 26, 2017 Category: Internal Medicine Authors: rcentor Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs
LITFL Review 265
Welcome to the 265th LITFL Review! Your regular and reliable source for the highest highlights, sneakiest sneak peeks and loudest shout-outs from the webbed world of emergency medicine and critical care. Each week the LITFL team casts the spotlight on the blogosphere’s best and brightest and deliver a bite-sized chunk of FOAM.
The Most Fair Dinkum Ripper Beauts of the Week
Sergey Motov, Reuben Strayer and Lewis Nelson this week launched the first free, open-access online pain management book for acute care. It’s an absolutely monstrous undertaking with chapters to roll out serially as they become available. [AS]
...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - January 15, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Marjorie Lazoff, MD Tags: Education LITFL review Source Type: blogs
Don't Be a Holiday Fool
Sobering Up ––Myths and FactsMyth: You can drive as long as you are not slurring your words or acting erratically.Fact: The coordination needed for driving is compromised long before the signs of intoxication are visible and one ’s reaction time is slowed. Plus, the sedative effects of alcohol increase the risk of nodding off or losing attention behind the wheel.Myth: Drink coffee. Caffeine will sober you up.Fact: Caffeine may help with drowsiness, but not with the effects of alcohol on decision-making or coordination. The body needs time to metabolize (break down) alcohol and then to return to normal. Also, when caf...
Source: Addiction Inbox - December 30, 2016 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
The Otter Newborn Warmer: A Low-cost Alternative to Complex Incubators
Design that Matters (DtM), a non-profit with the goal of developing medical devices to help combat pneumonia, jaundice, and hypothermia, is in the process of developing the Otter, a low-cost warming bassinet for newborns. The device is conceived as an alternative to complex and expensive incubators that are not always available in healthcare facilities in developing countries.
Unfortunately, a lack of appropriate medical facilities in developing countries contributes to the death of four million children each year, who die within a month of birth because of complications associated with prematurity, infections, and low bir...
Source: Medgadget - December 13, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: News Source Type: blogs
Decision Making at the End of Life: Joint #patientpref and #hpm Tweetchat
By Meredith MacMartinFred was a sick guy. He had been diagnosed with COPD years ago, and more recently developed heart failure, and although he and his wife Nancy tried to stick with his medication regimen and monitor his salt intake, his shortness of breath had been making it harder and harder to even get around the house. He followed regularly with his primary care doctor, and talked about what he would want in terms of medical care if and when he got sicker. His wife knew that he didn ’t want to go to the hospital if it could be avoided, and that he definitely did not want to end up in an ICU on a ventilator, or getti...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - December 7, 2016 Category: Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, September 26th 2016
This study included 647 patients 80 to 106 years of age who had audiometric evaluations at an academic medical center (141 had multiple audiograms). The degree of hearing loss was compared across the following age brackets: 80 to 84 years, 85 to 89 years, 90 to 94 years, and 95 years and older. From an individual perspective, the rate of hearing decrease between 2 audiograms was compared with age. The researchers found that changes in hearing among age brackets were higher during the 10th decade of life than the 9th decade at all frequencies for all the patients (average age, 90 years). Correspondingly, the annual rate of ...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 25, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
A Selection of Views on Cryonics from the Cryonics Community
Here I'll point out a good article on cryonics and its nuances in the online press; it includes thoughts from people working at cryonics providers, people signed up for cryopreservation, and advocates with various viewpoints. Like any community there are a range of opinions on what constitutes progress and the best strategy for moving ahead, and just as many motivations as there are individuals involved. What is cryonics? It is the low-temperature preservation of at least the brain as closely following death as possible. Early preservations in the 1960s and 1970s were a matter of straight freezing, and thus the preserved i...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 24, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Healthy Life Extension Community Source Type: blogs
Research and Reviews in the Fastlane 152
Welcome to the 152nd edition of Research and Reviews in the Fastlane. R&R in the Fastlane is a free resource that harnesses the power of social media to allow some of the best and brightest emergency medicine and critical care clinicians from all over the world tell us what they think is worth reading from the published literature.
This edition contains 5 recommended reads. The R&R Editorial Team includes Jeremy Fried, Nudrat Rashid, Soren Rudolph, Justin Morgenstern and, of course, Chris Nickson. Find more R&R in the Fastlane reviews in the R&R Archive, read more about the R&R project or check o...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - September 21, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Nudrat Rashid Tags: Airway Anaesthetics Education Emergency Medicine Intensive Care Pediatrics R&R in the FASTLANE Resuscitation Trauma critical care literature recommendations research and reviews Source Type: blogs
Lactate Intolerant
A 76-year-old woman presented to the ED with altered mental status. Her family said she had increasing fatigue for two days. That morning, the patient had nausea, vomiting, and shoulder pain. EMS found she had a blood glucose of 34. She was given an ampule of D50 and brought to the ED.The patient reported dizziness and fatigue in the ED, and stated that she had not eaten for a few days. Her initial vital signs included temperature 94.1℉, pulse 76 bpm, blood pressure 120/67 mm Hg, respiratory rate 18 bpm, and pulse oximetry 99% on room air. Her physical examination is unremarkable.Initial laboratory values are remarkable ...
Source: The Tox Cave - September 1, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
