February 2012
68 posts
Heparin and Coumadin
…think of the number 10…
H E P A R I N (7 letters) + 3 (PTT) = 10 (or the 2 T’s look like an H)
C O U M A D I N (8 letters) + 2 (PT) = 10 Antidotes: Heparin- Protamine sulfate (just remember P M S) Coumadin- Vitamin K (just remember the hard “C” at the beginning of coumadin!)
20 Old School Surgical Tools that will give you... →
cranquis:
My favorite is the one that explains where the phrase “to blow smoke up one’s ass” comes from. But they’re all grotesquely delightful. Thanks for Facebook Fan/Cranquistador Sandra Divnick for the link!
Mrs. Cranquis’ astute comment: “I wonder which modern medical tools will end up on a similar list 200 years from now?” I’d guess the “glove-encased gel-coated finger”, for one.
2 tags
becomeunafraid:
Why physicians should care about Amanda Trujillo http://ow.ly/9ikp1
New cancer drug sabotages tumour's escape route →
ohyeahdevelopmentalbiology:
Some untreatable cancers could soon be held in check by an experimental drug that targets not only the tumour itself, but also how it evolves to spread through the body.
The new drug, Cabozantinib, or cabo for short, simultaneously neutralises two mechanisms cancers need to survive. First, it chokes each tumour’s blood supply by blocking a molecule on the surface of...
What to do in a Medical Emergency.
fuckyeahmedicalstuff:
It is essential to know how to recognize the signs of a medical emergency – because correctly interpreting and acting on these signs could potentially save the life of a loved one — or your own life — one day. Many people experience the symptoms of an emergency, such as a stroke or a heart attack, but for various reasons (such as fear), delay seeking care right away. For...
Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass (OPCAB)
fuckyeahmedicalstuff:
Patient Selection
Expert Beating Heart Surgeon (> 50 beating heart cases)
With experience OPCAB can be performed safely in the vast majority of cases (>90%). However it is not advisable to perform OPCAB if MULTIPLE unfavorable characteristics are present (e.g. cardiomegaly in a patient with LVEF 25% and small targets)
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Endocarditis.
fuckyeahmedicalstuff:
What is endocarditis?
Endocarditis is a serious infection of one of the four heart valves.
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Peripheral Vascular Disease
fuckyeahmedicalstuff:
What is peripheral vascular disease?
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) refers to diseases of the blood vessels (arteries and veins) located outside the heart and brain. While there are many causes of peripheral vascular disease, doctors commonly use the term peripheral vascular disease to refer to peripheral artery disease (peripheral arterial disease, PAD), a condition...
TSK: Dead eyes with a blank stare, and me with my...
Cranquis: So the nurse said you are feeling really angry at your parents?
30-something female Army veteran with multiple psych issues: YES THEY MAKE ME SO MAD THAT MY HEAD WANTS TO IMPLODE. I COULD SHOOT MY DAD IN THE BRAINPAN AND I WOULDN'T EVEN CARE.
Cranquis: Do you have any firearms available to you?
Patient: NO BUT I'M ARMY TRAINED, I COULD KILL MY MOM WITH A PENCIL THROUGH THE EYE SOCKET. I'M A DANGEROUS BITCH.
Cranquis: I think maybe you need to return to the psych hospital that you were in a couple weeks ago, don't you?
Patient: OH YEAH, I NEED A VACATION FROM THIS CRAP. PLEASE CALL THE COPS TO COME GET ME.
Cranquis: I'm on it!
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Just Lie Back and Think of Florence — Or Not «... →
Those Emergency Blues
Nurse K, possibly the doyenne of nurse bloggers, gives her two cents on Amanda Trujillo. Her advice is to surrender:
Nurses Make a Difference: EMERGENCY DRUG... →
nurse-on-duty:
1. Epinephrine 1:10,000 (0.1mg/ml)
0.01mg/kg= __mg
2. Epinephrine 1:1000 (1.0mg/ml)
0.1mg/kg= __mg
3. Atropine (0.1mg/ml)
0.02mg/kg= __mg (max dose=0.5mg, minimum dose-0.1mg)
4. CaCl2 10% (100mg/ml)
20mg/kg= __mg
5. Adenosine (3mg/ml)
0.1mg/kg= __mg
6. Dextrose 25% (25g/100ml)…
Nurses Make a Difference: COMMON CARDIAC RHYTHMS →
nurse-on-duty:
1. Normal Sinus Rhythm
Rate: 60-100
Rhythm: regular
P waves: similar; 1:1 with QRS
PR: 0.12-0.20 sec; constant
QRS: equal to or less than 0.1 sec
2. Sinus Bradycardia
Rate: <60
Rhythm: regular
P waves: similar; 1:1 with QRS
PR: 0.12-0.20 sec; constant
QRS:…
Nurses Make a Difference: EMERGENCY CARDIAC DRUGS... →
nurse-on-duty:
1. Adenosine
6mg rapid IVP, then 12mg IV q 1-2min X 2 prn
half life <10sec; give at closest IV port, follow with IV flush
-symptomatic SVT
2. Alteplase (tPA)
15mg IV bolus followed by infusion 0.75mg/kg over next 20minutes followed by infusion 0.5mg/kg over next 60minutes
…
Stem cells used to 'heal' heart attack scars
femininescience:
Damage caused by a heart attack has been healed using stem cells gathered from the patient’s own heart, according to doctors in the US.
Our Unrealistic Attitudes About Death, Through a... →
I know where this phone call is going. I’m on the hospital wards, and a physician in the emergency room downstairs is talking to me about an elderly patient who needs to be admitted to the hospital. The patient is new to me, but the story is familiar: He has several chronic conditions — heart failure, weak kidneys, anemia, Parkinson’s and mild dementia — all tentatively held in check by a...
Life in The ER: Code Blue →
ermedicine:
Yesterday I attended my first Code Blue in which we were unable to resuscitate the patient.
This specific patient came into the ER the day before with complaints of hypertension (above usual) and pedal edema. He had ESRF (End stage renal failure) and got dialysis twice a week. The ER physician…
Dr. Cranquis' Mumbled Gripes: Fast Lane Reply:... →
First, I would like to give you a little background:
My grandfather was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease about 5 years ago. He is a very bad patient. His doctor told him that he can never recover from the disease. (My grandfather also suffers from selective hearing and…
BLOOPZ...: Diabetes →
bloopz:
Diabetes: Chronic Complications Diabetes can lead to serious, long-term complications. Eyes, feet, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels, as well as other parts of the body can be affected. The primary contributors to the development of complications are: 1) high blood glucose levels 2)…
'DNA robot' targets cancer cells →
ohyeahdevelopmentalbiology:
Scientists have developed and tested a “DNA robot” that delivers payloads such as drug molecules to specific cells.
The container was made using a method called “DNA origami”, in which long DNA chains are folded in a prescribed way.
Then, so-called aptamers - which can recognise specific cell types - were used to lock the barrel-shaped robot.
New Article
Original...
collapsingsupernova-deactivated asked: I love your blog! I'm in second year right right now and this blog is great for a laugh and helpful too :)
Life in The ER: Psych Symptoms Prevalent in Kids... →
missmd2be:
“In a snapshot study of children and adolescents with HIV, about a third met criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder, researchers reported.
But there were only a few associations between psychiatric disorders with such HIV variables as viral load, and a clear picture did…
2 tags
18 Patient Identifiers HIPAA Defines as Off Limits... →
The Nerdy Nurse blogging about HIPAA.
sosanguine asked: Thx for posting the ethics article. Right after I read it I opened my homework for my Nursing policies class I'm taking and it involves an ethics case study about a non-compliant patient on dialysis. Ha! What a coincidence!
2 tags
Tara Spradley RN BSN presents: “Ethical Issues in... →
I work ina 29 bed Medical ICU [micu], we have a large number of ESRD and face these Ethical issues dailey. Nurses this is a good read.
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How to Handle a Patient’s Death |... →
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Can We All Get Along? The Doctor-Nurse... →
Interesting read. I’m lucky to work with a great group of physicians, we know and respect each other, We all work as a team to do the best we can for our patients.
(Living with a Family Member with) Cancer
cranquis:
zoradomain submitted (2 months ago! Oops, sorry for the late reply!):
So, i’ve had a rought time trying to submit to your ask box. This is something I have wanted to know about for a while, however, now i realize it as not much of a question as it once was.
I guess I’ll kind of introduce myself, Im julie and I’m only eighteen but my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer this past...
The World’s First Heartless Alive Man
fuckyeahmedicalstuff:
In March of last year, Craig Lewis, 55, was dying from a heart condition that caused build-ups of abnormal proteins, and not even a pacemaker could help save his life.
But two doctors from the Texas Heart Institute proposed a revolutionary new solution – install a ‘continuous flow’ device that would allow blood to circulate his body without a pulse.
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Metastatic cancer.
fuckyeahmedicalstuff:
What is metastatic cancer?
Metastatic cancer is cancer that has spread from the place where it first started to another place in the body. A tumor formed by metastatic cancer cells is called a metastatic tumor or a metastasis. The process by which cancer cells spread to other parts of the body is also called metastasis.
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