ECG Interpretation
One of the most common things I’m asked about from new providers is for a good resource to learn 12-lead ECG interpretation. 32bravo711 has a couple of really nice series on YouTube that cover rhythm strip analysis and 12-lead ECG interpretation. It starts with the basics and explains things pretty simply without sacrificing quality.
Brain MRI
This is a subject that I get asked about a lot by students. MRIs are tougher that CTs to read and yet can offer a lot of diagnostic assistance. I’ll be honest, 99% of the time, I rely on the neurologists or neuroradiologists to read these studies. That works for me because, honestly, we never…
Coronary Artery Dominance
Knowing which coronary artery has the blockage can help you understand the effects of an MI on the myocardium. And seeing regional wall motion abnormalities on echo can often tell you which coronary artery has the blockage. Because certain areas of the heart are supplied by certain coronary arteries. But, there is a trick. In…
Viral Serologies
Viral serologies can be really confusing. But, these make really good boards questions for those of us in acute care medicine. In this Twitter post, @POCUSmedicine shares a really nice infographic about Hepatitis B serologies. While the top left corner is specific to HBV, the general pattern of interpreting serology results is true of all…
Airway Notes: The Laryngoscope
In this week’s installment of Airway Notes, we take a look at the laryngoscope used for direct laryngoscopy (DL). DL is becoming a less commonly used skill in favor of video laryngoscopy (VL), but I think it is still an essential skill for airway management. There are 2 main types of blades, the Miller and…
NG Tube Placement
The nasogastric tube, or NG tube, is one of the most commonly used devices in the ICU. It can be used for removing things from the stomach or adding them (in the form of medication and tube feeding). Although the small bore feeding tube (AKA Dobhoff tube) is becoming the go-to for feeding and oral…
Frank Starling’s Curve
OK, it’s not actually Frank Starling’s curve, it’s the Frank-Starling curve, named for Otto Frank and Ernst Starling. But for some reason, a lot of people refer to it as if it is named for some guy named Frank Starling. It’s a pedantic pet peeve of mine. But, I digress… The Frank-Starling Curve, often referred…
Airway Notes: Bag Mask Ventilation
So, I’m starting a new mini-series called “Airway Notes” over on my Instagram. Each Friday (sorry it’s a day late for the first one!), I’ll be covering a little bit of airway management. This week, we’re going to discuss the most important airway management skill, bag mask ventilation. So, head on over to Instagram and…
Vasopressor Receptors
Different vasopressors have different functions and these functions dictate why we choose certain pressors at certain times. We’re all familiar (hopefully) with the fact that epinephrine is a positive inotrope as well as a vasopressor while phenylephrine is pure vasoconstrictor. This is why we choose epi over phenylephrine when we need inotropy and why phenylephrine…
Hepatorenal Syndrome
Have you heard of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) but don’t really understand it? At it’s core, HRS is renal dysfunction as a result of liver disease. It’s common in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and among patients undergoing liver transplant. The good news for the kidney is, its not really a kidney problem. It’s a…
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critical care notes 