January 17th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, Research, True Stories
Tags: Back Board, Emergency Medicine, EMS, Hannibal Lecter, Immobilization, Neck Trauma, Neurosurgery, Transport, Trauma
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Hmmmm:
Emergency spine immobilization may do more harm than good, study says
January 11, 2010 | 3:57 pm
When emergency responders reach a gunshot or stabbing victim, they try to immobilize the spine to reduce the danger of paralysis upon movement of the victim. That effort, however, can have a fatal toll.
A study published in the Journal of Trauma has found that, among these types of trauma victims, those whose spines are held still are twice as likely to die as those whose spines aren’t immobilized.
Read the news article, but they’re talking only (apparently, I don’t get this journal) about penetrating trauma. Those discussing the article wonder if the reason for the increased mortality is “Stay and Play” vs “Load and Go”, the two basic precepts of transporting the ill and injured in prehospital medicine. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
January 16th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Call in sick, Cardiology, H1N1, Infectious Disease, Sick Day, URI
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Recently, I’ve been recovering from some form of upper respiratory illness – of what form, I have no clue – but it was probably the dreaded H1N1 influenza virus or its equivalent (yes, I took the shots, but to no avail). Last Friday, with surprising reluctance, I conceded defeat and called in sick – something I almost never do. Somehow the thought of spreading contagion while wearing a mask while croaking, sniffling, coughing my way though conversations just didn’t seem like the best thing for me or my patients. Gratefully, I’m on the upswing and only now have a slightly hoarse voice and an occasional cough that’s improving, but it is interesting to reflect on why, despite knowing better, I felt so inclined to keep seeing patients despite my illness. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
January 15th, 2010 by Bongi in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Emergency Medicine, Fasciotomy, Gang, Gang Members, Gunman, Kalafong, Karma, Murder, Pretoria, Sepsis, South Africa, Surgery, Vascular Surgery
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Being South African these days sometimes means we see things in a slightly skewed way. It seems to be the way we have become. I have touched on this before, but there is another story which illustrates the point.
The recent run of hijackings were fresh in all our minds because the perpetrators had shot and killed, execution style, a mother and her three year old child just the previous week. There were reports that one specific gang was working the area and were responsible for most if not all the hijackings and associated killings in the area. So when our patient came in, even before the police told us so, we just assumed he was one of this gang. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at other things amanzi*
January 13th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, True Stories
Tags: Advocacy, Cancer, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Medical Communications, Navigating the healthcare system, Oncology, Orthopedics, Patient Advocate, Phone Call, Primary Care
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I’ve always wanted to be a doctor.
Never a writer.
With a new year and a new decade, I am determined to become a better writer not because of some childhood dream or expectation from others, but because of a near mishap that occurred at the beginning of 2000. A simple phone call changed the destiny of my brother from having a good outcome to having a great outcome. A simple phone call may have been the difference between “you are cancer free” to “I’m sorry to tell you it’s come back.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
January 12th, 2010 by Shadowfax in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Baby, Brain, CAT Scan, Depressed Fracture, Emergency Medicine, Head Trauma, Hematoma, infant, Patient Historian, Pediatrics, Signs
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Exaggeration, drama, and histrionics are very much the rule of thumb in the ER. Someone comes in and claims they were stabbed with an eight-inch butcher’s knife, and the police later bring in the actual weapon, and it turns out to be a three-inch penknife. Someone claims to have taken a whole bottle of tylenol, but their serum levels turn out to be nowhere near the toxic level (or even zero). A patient reports to you that their last pneumonia was so bad their doctor didn’t think they’d pull through, but you check the records and see they weren’t even in the ICU. (The sole exception to this rule, of course, is the stated alcohol intake, which is usually about half to a third the actual alcohol intake.) Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*
