Rapid Response RN

Sometimes V-fib doesn't respond to the shock at all. Sometimes it converts and comes right back. Those are two completely different problems. In this episode, Sarah breaks down the science behind why defibrillation fails, how to recognize the difference between refractory and recurrent V-fib, and respond when shocks aren't working. You'll learn how to start approaching the electrical storm at the...

Imagine being able to cut your hospital's code blue events outside of critical care in HALF in just six months. That's exactly what happened when Sarah built her hospital's rapid response team from the ground up. Nurse Gwenny takes over the show to find out how she did it, from the pitch that got the program started to the skills that actually matter on rapid response teams. She also shares what d...

We all know the many challenges facing the Nursing profession today. Nursing takes so much from us… but it also has so much to offer. Recorded live at NurseCon at Sea, Sarah sits down with two nurses who hit their breaking point and found a way to keep showing up. This episode goes deep into the messy reality of nursing burnout, from the struggle to put yourself first to the boundaries, mindset sh...

Getting ROSC is not always the win we sometimes think it is. It's what we're looking for the entire resuscitation, but the real challenge begins once we get it… and what we do in the next few hours has a major impact on patient outcomes. In this episode, Sarah shares a real rapid response case to walk through the physiology, decision-making, and advocacy of post-arrest care. The 2025 AHA post resu...

The AHA just updated the playbook on acute pulmonary embolism. The old classification system is gone. Heparin drips are no longer the default. And if your instinct is to push for intubation, that could be the thing that makes your patient worse. In this episode, Dr. Mark Creager, lead author of the 2026 AHA Multi-Society Guideline on Acute Pulmonary Embolism, breaks down exactly what's changed, ho...

"There has to be a better way." We've all thought it. This episode is proof that nurses can be the ones to make it happen. In this episode, Sarah is joined by Kat Siaron, rapid response nurse and co-author of the RRT STAR study that shows what happens when nurses are empowered to act before a clear stroke diagnosis is made. They walk through a patient case that exposed a dangerous gap in inpatient...

The stroke guidelines just changed and it’s exciting and nuanced! What you do in the first 30 minutes could drastically change your patient's outcome. In this episode, Dr. Shyam Prabhakaran, neurologist and chief writer of the new 2026 AHA Stroke Guidelines, explains what's changed and how these guidelines are changing practice at the bedside. Stroke treatment decisions are getting faster, more nu...

ARDS is one of the more complex syndromes we manage in critical care. More than just pulmonary edema, we are battling stiff lungs, refractory hypoxemia, rising pressures, and frequently making decisions that can either protect the lung or make things worse. In this episode, I’m joined by respiratory therapist Melody Bishop for a deep dive into ARDS ventilator management through the lens of physiol...

A transplant saves a life… but can also make the body attack itself. That's what Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) does, and why nurses need to catch it early. You may have never seen it before, but this episode will tell you what it looks like at the bedside and the early clues you can’t afford to miss. Through a real patient case, Anthony, RN explains why GVHD is easy to overlook, how to think th...

You know those moments when something just “feels off?” That’s when you should trust your instincts and speak up because timing can completely change a patient’s outcome. In this episode, Sarah is joined by Dr. Oscar Mitchell, Associate Director of the Center for Resuscitation Science and Director of the Medical Rapid Response Team at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. They break down...

The science is finally catching up to what clinicians have long known: more fluids aren't always the answer to septic shock. In this episode, host Sarah Lorenzini and Jaclyn Bond MSN-LM, MBA-HM explain what the ANDROMEDA-SHOCK 2 trial reveals about physiology-guided sepsis resuscitation and why fixed-volume fluid strategies can lead to avoidable harm. They break down how dynamic fluid responsivene...

Pulmonary embolisms don’t always announce themselves... sometimes they ambush. One minute your patient is walking with physical therapy, the next they’re hypotensive, hypoxic, and coding. This re-released early episode dives deep into why PE patients can look deceptively stable… right up until they aren’t. In this episode, I revisit one of my earliest case-based teachings on pulmonary embolism, up...

Some of the most common respiratory myths are still showing up at the bedside. But it's not your fault — most of us were never taught what an oxygenation problem versus a ventilation problem looks like in real time. In this episode, Melody Bishop RT explains how respiratory therapists think through oxygenation and ventilation to choose the right intervention and recognize when a patient is ready t...

Rural nursing is anything but simple. They have limited resources, fewer specialists, and often have to send patients hours away from their families for a higher level of care. But all that is changing as new tech like Zeto brings monitoring right to the bedside and keeps more patients close to home. In this episode, ICU nurse leader Kristen RN shares how point-of-care EEG has empowered her team t...

Your pneumonia patient is hypotensive, tachycardic, and not responding to fluids… what did you miss? It could be sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, a common under-recognized shock state you could see at the bedside. In this episode, Dr. Mahmoud Ibrahim MD and host Sarah Lorenzini use a case study to highlight how nurses, intensivists and the ICU team can work together to recognize the signs of sepsis-...

Every five years, resuscitation guidelines get a refresh. This year, a few have changed, many have stayed the same, and some are creating major controversy. In this episode, Dr. Ashish Panchal, Chair of the AHA Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee, helps us unpack what’s new, what might surprise you, and the science behind each decision. You'll learn why there’s serious debate around epinephrin...

Differential diagnosis is part physiology, part detective work. Especially in heart failure, where similar vital signs can mean very different things. In this episode, Natalie RN is back on the show to break down two pediatric cases that looked almost identical on arrival to the ED but their workups led to two very different treatment plans. She shares the assessment findings, diagnostics, and cli...

Every trauma nurse knows this feeling: your stable patient suddenly starts to decompensate and instinct tells you there’s more to the story. Today’s case starts with a stable, post-arrest patient and ends in a full-blown tension pneumothorax. Hear why this patient went from stable to crashing in minutes, how delayed recognition changed the course of care, what diagnostics and assessments could hav...

This is one of those cases that tests you in every way as a nurse. A toddler is pulled out of a pool and rushed to the ER, unresponsive and deteriorating fast. Today, Nurse Amber walks us through the critical moments that followed and how this case inspired her to turn her grief into a positive resource for nurses. We discuss what was going on at the alveolar level in this patient, the interventio...

Some conditions hide in your genes, without any symptoms. One of these conditions is genetic arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, an inherited condition that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest — even if you feel completely fine. In this episode, Sarah and Leslie talk about their shared diagnosis of FLNC cardiomyopathy — from how this gene mutation affects the function of the heart to how they're managing...

What happens when a trauma patient isn’t just a trauma patient? In today’s episode, we’re diving into “Trauma Plus” — those high-stakes situations where comorbidities, medications, environmental exposures, or underlying medical emergencies complicate recognition of decompensation and change everything about how we care for our patients. I’m joined by Flight Nurse Gwenny , who brings her expertise...

Why would a healthy newborn suddenly stop eating and start vomiting? When a fussy baby comes into the ER, it's easy to assume it's nothing urgent — like colic or gas. But in today's case, there were small signs that pointed to something more. This episode unpacks the high-risk condition and treatment of neonatal cardiogenic shock with Natalie Pleiman, pediatric nurse and clinical coach. From the e...

One unstable patient, three departments, and every nurse on alert... Let's break down what really happens during a high-risk STEMI. This episode follows the case of a 62-year old patient from ER to the Cath Lab to the ICU. Nurses Sarah Vance and Caitlyn Nichols help us explore the role of nurses in each stage of care, from stabilizing the patient to placing an Impella device. We cover everything f...

Often, the first symptom of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is sudden death. But sometimes, we get a warning— and that’s where clinical judgment at the bedside saves lives. Today, Sarah goes over the case of her patient Ben, a 20-year-old experiencing syncope and chest pain. As his condition quickly deteriorated, the team had to carefully manage the patient before reaching a diagnosis of hypertrophic...

Remember when we used to use stacked shocks for ventricular arrhythmias or load patients up with high doses of epinephrine and bicarb? Over the last 25 years, resuscitation guidelines have evolved and it’s our job to stay updated on the current protocols. Here to help us break down what’s changed and what still works is Dr. Ashish Panchal, Chair of Emergency Cardiovascular Care for the AHA and hos...