Critical Care Scenarios

We explore the controversial area of using hypertonic saline to support hemodynamics, protect the kidneys, and facilitate diuresis in the critically ill patient. Our guest is Dr. Sean Barnett, hypertonic aficionado and nephrologist with a focus in critical care. Takeaway lessons The furosemide stress test in the shocked patient is a useful means to assess … Continue reading "Episode 51: Resuscitat...

Ruminations on nursing post-nominals, understated wealth, and how it’s easiest to not show your power when you already plenty of it.

Continuing the discussion from last Lightning Rounds about presenting at conferences, Brandon and Bryan chat about writing for peer-reviewed journals: why, how, and the process from choosing co-authors to choosing journals to navigating the submission.

How do PAs and other APPs compare with physicians in the clinical context?

We look at the rib fracture patient requiring ICU admission, including a discussion of surgical repair, with Dr. Ron Barbosa (@rbarbosa91), Portland trauma surgeon and SICU director at Legacy Emmanual Medical Center. Takeaway lessons Algorithms and protocols for admitting disposition exist but are generally poorly predictive. ICU admission in rib fracture patients is still most … Continue reading...

Brandon and Bryan chat about academic presentations… how to prepare and submit them, selecting the right venue, giving a good talk, and the elephant in the room: why to do it at all.

How the arc of disease peaks and falls, and how the curve of our care should match it to avoid under- or over-treatment.

We discuss invasive aspergillosis, with a focus on when to consider and how to make this difficult diagnosis in the general ICU population—with Dr. Shmuel Shoham (@ShohamTxID), Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins, transplant infectious disease physician, and an extensively published expert in invasive fungal infections as well as host of the Transplant ID … Continue reading "Episode 4...

Time is always a factor in the ICU, but some time matters more than other time.

Brandon and Bryan share their approaches to the chest x-ray in the ICU. Plus: Bryan’s an FCCM! Here’s the Radiology Masterclass.

Some musings in response to people who are impressed by the work we do.

Brandon walks Bryan through a case of new, unexplained hypotension in the ICU, with a focus on approaching shock, the use of POCUS, and risk stratifying unexplained problems. Takeaway lessons Sudden changes in vital signs or other status are often due to precipitating factors, such as iatrogenic stimuli, whereas more gradual changes are often due … Continue reading "Episode 48: Undifferentiated hy...

Advanced techniques for manipulating the guidewire during non-fluoroscopic bedside procedures such as central line placement.

Brandon and Bryan talk about how they assemble, implement, and leverage case-based learning, from this podcast to simulation to oral scenarios to internal visualization.

When it’s a bad idea to help out others with their work.

Discussing ICU triage, risk stratification, and patient disposition with intensivist Eddy Joe Gutierrez (@eddyjoemd) of the Saving Lives Podcast. For 20% off the upcoming Resuscitative TEE courses (through July 23, 2022), listen to the show for a promo code for CCS listeners! Takeaway lessons When a patient has borderline indications for requiring the ICU, generally, … Continue reading "Episode 47...

A selection of lesser-known quotes relevant to the practice of medicine.

Bryan and Brand talk about night shifts, how to handle them, managing the disruption of your circadian rhythm, and more. For 20% off the upcoming Resuscitative TEE courses (through July 23, 2022), listen to the show for a promo code for CCS listeners!

The relationship between skin warmth and color, cardiac output, and systemic vascular resistance. For 20% off the upcoming Resuscitative TEE courses (through July 23, 2022), listen to the show for a promo code for CCS listeners!

We review a case of massive intraparenchymal hemorrhage progressing to brain death, including the process of brain death testing and declaration, with Dr. Casey Albin (@CaseyAlbin), neurologist and neurointensivist, assistant professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Emory and part of the NeuroEmcrit team. For 20% off the upcoming Resuscitative TEE courses (through July 23, 2022), … Continue read...

A practical approach to choosing and escalating vasopressors for patients in shock.

Brandon and Bryan discuss a practical approach to abdominal compartment syndrome: when to suspect it, confirming the diagnosis with bladder pressure or other monitoring, management, and prognosis. Sorry for the audio on this one!

Reviewing the different approaches to placing central venous catheters in the subclavian vein.

We discuss the clinical presentation and management of AFE with guests Dr. Stephanie Martin (Twitter: @OBCriticalCare, Instagram: @criticalcareob), medical director for Clinical Concepts in Obstetrics and a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist in Scottsdale, Arizona with expertise in critical care obstetrics. She is also co-host of the Critical Care Obstetrics podcast. We’re also joined for a … Cont...