A 40-something without past history presents with wide complex tachycardia and crushing chest pain
See Ken Grauer ' s important and detailed ECG analysis at the bottom.CaseA 40-something with no PMH presented with palpitations, tachycardia, and crushing chest pain.This was the prehospital ECG.Sustained wide complex tachycardia. Is it VT or SVT with Aberrancy?Also: there is no concordant ST segments or clearly excessively discordant ST segments, so superimposed Occlusion MI (OMI) is unlikely.There is a regular wide complex tachycardia, without P-waves, and anLBBB configuration andinferior axis. [LBBB "configuration" is different from LBBB: it means that there is a predominant S-wave in V1 and V2 and...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - February 14, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Funding Opportunities: The ARDS, Pneumonia, and Sepsis Phenotyping Consortium
We want the research community to know about two funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) that NIGMS has joined as part of an NHLBI initiative to support the formation of a multisite study, the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Pneumonia, and Sepsis Phenotyping (APS) Consortium. The study seeks to better define the heterogeneity underlying critical illness syndromes and to identify the mechanisms of illness development and recovery, as well as relationships and overlap between these syndromes. The FOAs are:
RFA-HL-23-001, ARDS, Pneumonia, and Sepsis Phenotyping Consortium Clinical Centers (U01...
Source: NIGMS Feedback Loop Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - February 2, 2022 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Funding Opportunities Sepsis Research Source Type: blogs
Our Canary in the Coal Mine: The Rapid Viral Testing Mini-Lab
Like a beggar telling other beggars where to find bread, I have to talk about our pediatric emergency department mini-lab for rapid viral testing and its undeniable positive impact on our practice during the pandemic. We had begun discussions with Abbott Laboratories months before the COVID-19 pandemic about setting up rapid testing for flu, RSV, and strep. Hospital administration approved moving forward with the concept, but like most big endeavors, administrative delays and other distractions resulted in many months passing without much apparent movement on the contract. And then it happened: The COVID-19 pandemic...
Source: M2E Too! Mellick's Multimedia EduBlog - February 1, 2022 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
The next plague
Here ' s a discussion by Kelly Piper of the ominous implications of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Most people are thinking that in the long run, it ' s good news that we have this highly contagious, but less virulent strain of the virus. Once we get past the surge and the problems of overwhelmed hospitals and too many people out sick, we ' ll have a degree of herd immunity and it will be comparable to flu and other respiratory viruses that we already live with.That may be true, although it ' s too soon to tell. Another more dangerous variant may yet emerge. But it also points to a danger -- this highly contagious virus ...
Source: Stayin' Alive - January 28, 2022 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
These Vitamins Help Fight COVID-19
These vitamins could reduce respiratory conditions and COVID-19 infections. (Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog)
Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog - January 28, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Mina Dean Tags: COVID19 Source Type: blogs
Acute respiratory distress: Correct interpretation of the initial and serial ECG findings, with aggressive management, might have saved his life.
Written by Pendell Meyers with edits by SmithA man in his 60s called EMS apparently for shortness of breath. EMS found him in distress and hypoxemic requiring 4 L nasal cannula to maintain oxygen saturation greater than 93%.Here is his triage ECG:What do you think?An old ECG was available on file, from 2 years ago:RBBB, otherwise normal.The triage ECG is diagnostic of life threatening hyperkalemia (sodium channel blockade would also produce this pattern, but the patient was not known to be on any sodium blocking medications). There is the very common brugada pattern STEMI mimic seen in V1 and partially in V3 and aVR....
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - January 16, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
The Vitamin That Helps Fight Off COVID-19
The vitamin helps ward off respiratory infections and enhances the immune response to the virus. (Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog)
Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog - January 15, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Mina Dean Tags: Nutrition Source Type: blogs
It Is Good To See There Is Some Evidence That Telehealth Works Well And Is Safe.
This appeared last week: January 3, 2022 Telemedicine as Good as In-Person for Many Health Conditions: Review Dennis Thompson MONDAY, Jan. 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Chatting with your doctor via video about your health issues works just as well as an in-person office visit, at least when it comes to managing chronic illnesses, a new review suggests. Replacing office visits with video checkups delivered results that were just as effective for patients being treated for conditions like diabetes, respiratory illnesses, chronic pain, heart problems and neurological disorders, researchers reported recently in the Annals of In...
Source: Australian Health Information Technology - January 13, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Dr David G More MB PhD Source Type: blogs
Study: A few slow-paced breaths are enough to significantly reduce physiological stress
This study is the first to show that taking a few slow, deep breaths in an everyday setting can have a significant effect on a child’s stress physiology,” said the study’s lead author, Jelena Obradovic, an associate professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) and director of the Stanford Project on Adaptation and Resilience in Kids (SPARK Lab). “But just telling children to take a deep breath may not be enough – children need scaffolding. So we’re excited that we can also offer an easy-to-use tool to help kids learn this technique.”
The study, which was coauthored by GSE research associate Michae...
Source: SharpBrains - January 12, 2022 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Stanford Graduate School of Education Tags: Education & Lifelong Learning deep breath deep breathing physiological physiological stress response young children Source Type: blogs
Finger Clip for Blood Pressure Monitoring
At the University of Missouri a team of researchers developed a custom finger clip device that can continuously measure a variety of vitals, including blood pressure. The novel device represents a new way to measure vitals, and contains two commercial photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors that operate at two different points on the finger. This approach allows the researchers to simultaneously calculate pulse wave velocity and also measure blood oxygen saturation, body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate.
Continuous blood pressure measurements can reveal trends that a single measurement can miss. Moreover, the ve...
Source: Medgadget - January 5, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Anesthesiology Cardiology Critical Care Medicine Source Type: blogs
Ring Removal Techniques and Challenges
Unfortunately, rings sometimes need to be removed emergently. Other times, ring removal is more prudent than emergent, such as when further swelling may occur (i.e., after distal radius fracture), preoperatively, prior to MRI, and postmortem. Allergic reactions, anasarca, digital trauma, age-related changes, late pregnancy, and excessive weight gain are common causes of acute and chronic changes in finger circumference.Metal rings also need to be removed emergently when placed on the penis and scrotum for sexual purposes and become entrapped. Cutting is generally the first line of management for removal.Scores of anecdo...
Source: M2E Too! Mellick's Multimedia EduBlog - January 4, 2022 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
How to check for pulsus paradoxus?
Pulsus paradoxus is an exaggeration of the normal inspiratory fall in blood pressure. The paradox in pulsus paradoxus is that the pulse is not well felt when the heart sounds are still audible. The extent of fall in inspiratory pressure can be documented using a sphygmomanometer.
Pulsus paradoxus
Pulsus paradoxus is the typical finding in cardiac tamponade, though it can occur more commonly in obstructive airways disease. In obstructive airways disease, it is due to the wide swing in intrathoracic pressure. Other less likely causes are constrictive pericarditis and restrictive cardiomyopathy. It has also been reported in ...
Source: Cardiophile MD - December 31, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Should we activate the lab? A simple but important lesson
Written by Pendell MeyersA man in his 60s called EMS for sudden chest pain and shortness of breath. He was found in moderate respiratory distress, hypertensive, diaphoretic, and hypoxemic. He was given aspirin, nitroglycerin, and placed on noninvasive positive pressure ventilation during transport. Medics recorded a 12-lead and transmitted it to the provider, asking if they wanted to activate the cath lab.Here is the ECG:What do you think?Sinus rhythm. In this EMS ECG, as is true for many EMS ECGs, the machine cuts off the S wave voltage at 10 mm. You can see this visually by the subtle but noticeable squared-off waveform ...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - December 31, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
New Wearable Detects Respiratory Exacerbations: Interview with Dr. Maria Artunduaga, CEO of Respira Labs
Respira Labs, a medtech company based in California, created the Sylvee sensor, an adhesive patch that the user wears on their lower rib cage, and which monitors respiratory health. The device works through acoustic resonance, whereby it emits sound into the chest cavity and analyzes the echoed vibrations.
The measured data provide information on lung air volume and correlate with the amount of air that is trapped in the lungs, which can offer a warning sign that a respiratory exacerbation is possible. With many COVID-19 patients experiencing impaired breathing for sustained periods after their initial infection has sub...
Source: Medgadget - December 21, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Cardiology Diagnostics Exclusive Medicine respiralabs Source Type: blogs
Test Detects SARS-CoV-2 in Breath, May Work as COVID Alarm in Enclosed Spaces
Researchers at Brown University have developed a breath test for COVID-19. The breathalyzer, which they have termed the Bubbler, consists of a tube that someone blows into for fifteen seconds. The tube contains a mix of enzymes that reverse transcribe the RNA in viral particles into DNA, which allows for a subsequent benchtop PCR test.
Breathalyzers were bathed in UV light to maintain sterile field prior to construction of kits prepared for the clinical trial at Rhode Island Hospital. Top image: Bubbler kits were processed in a negative pressure bench top box to prevent contamination of amplicon particles in the labora...
Source: Medgadget - December 20, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Genetics Public Health brown university Source Type: blogs
