How much FIO2 do you get from that non-rebreather (NRB) mask? (aka There’s a hole in breather, dear Liza, a hole)

THE BOTTOM LINE A non-rebreather (NRB) mask ONLY delivers high FIO2 when the flow meter valve is opened fully and even then only gets to about 90%. THE DETAILS I find great joy in reading old literature. I’m pretty sure I would be camped out in a medical library if it weren’t for the interwebs, […]

Recent Recommendations in Neonatal Resuscitation 2019 UPDATE

Sometimes we need a reminder and update on the basics… Your Welcome.. Recent Recommendations and Emerging Science in Neonatal Resuscitation. Pediatr Clin N Am 66 (2019) 309–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2018.12.002 TIMING OF UMBILICAL CORD CLAMPING – The 2017 NRP guidelines recommend a 30- to 60-second delay in clamping in all term and preterm infants not requiring resuscitation. – […]

Cardiac Arrest in Pregnancy: An 2019 UPDATE

Sometimes we need a reminder and update on the basics… Your Welcome.. Cardiac arrest in pregnancy. SEMINARS IN PERINATOLOGY 42(2018)33–38. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.semperi.2017.11.007 MATERNAL PHYSIOLOGY – The maternal heart rate increases by 20–30% or 15–20 beats per minute – Cardiac output increases by 30–50% or 1.8 L per minute with the uterus receiving approximately 17% of maternal cardiac […]

SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW CELLULITIS?

Sometimes things aren’t as they seem. As an attending I often hear from a resident “Hey got an easy one for ya, 50 y/o diabetic with bilateral cellulitis vanc given, I’ll get some admit labs” followed by a precipitous mic drop. I was told once that a good attending “makes a difficult case simple and […]

Aspirin for All Comer Chest Pain: Is it Naughty or Nice

Like it or not, we do a fair amount of primary care medicine in the emergency department. Therefore, we need to know some of the basics about primary care. One of the most fundamental concepts is the use of aspirin for prevention of MI either before the first one (primary) OR after (secondary) your patient […]

The Basics: How to interpret a chart review

I can’t stress enough how important it is to understand how to read the literature. It makes a world of difference in interpreting the results. When I read a study I always read the methods and the results section only. Then I make my interpretations and see if they match the authors conclusion. But to […]

Anti-Platelets in PCI: Which one and Why?

Pharmacology is a favorite subject of mine and so I think it super interesting to discuss. Unfortunately, this post may be one of my most boring write ups. Luckily, the content makes up for it! (Hopefully). I bolded the key points to help. This one is a quickie. Clopridogrel (Plavix) Loading Dose: 300mg or 600mg […]

How to interpret a Forest Plot

Let’s take a short trip into the woods and discuss Forest Plots (They are called that because if you lay the graph on its side ups and downs look like tree line…or maybe because everyone gets lost in them…). Let’s look at the one below from a Cochrane review 1. It looks daunting but really […]