Rapid Response RN

It’s a hard conversation, but priapism is a medical emergency! Sarah Lorenzini is joined by her friend and co-worker, Walker, to discuss the symptoms, causes and treatments of priapism. Walker introduces his priapism patient, and walks us through his initial assessment and treatment. You’ll even learn a little bit of its history, and hear Sarah’s firsthand experiences with priapism. They explain w...

Join your host Sarah Lorenzini as she’s interviewed by Keith Carlson, fellow nursing podcaster at The Nurse Keith Show . With the ability to stay grounded and alert during chaotic situations, Sarah is the epitome of being an anchor in a storm. In this episode, she shares how she found her niche in nursing, why rapid response nursing suits her work style, and how she coaches other nurses through th...

As health care professionals, it is our job to advocate for our patients, even if our efforts are not well received initially. Especially when we are deeply concerned, or uncomfortable with the situation. This can be tough, but it is essential for the health of the patient.  What happens when we are expressing real urgent concern and the provider on the other end doesn’t feel your urgency?&nb...

Nurses, for the most part, spend significantly more time with patients compared to physicians. Regardless, it can be difficult for nurses to have their voice heard. For instance, how many times have YOU found yourself apologizing to a physician for just doing your job? The education from nursing school teaches a lot of vital skills, but one that’s ignored is the need to effectively communicate wit...

One Sunday during football season, after being pressured by his wife, a reluctant patient gave in and decided to finally come into the ER. His calcium levels were high, but his EKG came back normal, he was experiencing no pain, and seemed healthy and responsive — until he wasn’t. Telling her story of treating this patient is host Sarah Lorenzini’s friend and fellow nurse, Kisha RN, CEN. She detail...

We are all praying for Buffalo Bills’ safety, Damar Hamlin, after he was hit, causing a cardiac event, sending him to the ICU. This is a nightmare for any athlete, and disheartening for family, friends and fans. As nurses, medical students, even parents, when viewing these types of tragic events, it is natural to think about what you would do in an emergency situation like this. Especially a paren...

The most concerning type of syncope!  When a patient suddenly passes out from either an arrhythmia or a structural abnormality of the heart... this needs to be investigated and treated... next time they might not wake up from it! If you love learning from other people's mistakes, you will love this episode of when I didn't realize my patient was in V-tach and walked him back to his room! We d...

This episode covers the two types of orthostatic syncope: Neurally mediated orthostatic syncope (from conditions with autonomic dysfunction) and "non-neurally mediated" orthostatic syncope which is from medications or hypovolemia. We discuss the diagnostic value and dangers of orthostatic vital signs and how to determine what type of orthostatic syncope your patient has had. This is part 3 of a 4...

Part 2 of a 4 part series on  syncope. Syncope is one of the top reasons why a rapid response is called... but the question is, what precipitated the syncope? In this episode we discuss a classic case of vasovagal syncope, in which Annie's patient had a six second pause on his ECG in response to some overwhelming news.  We break down why atropine might not be the best intervention for th...

This episode is Part 1 in a 4 part series on syncope. Syncope and seizure can both present with unresponsiveness.  It can be difficult to differentiate between the two very different causes for an unresponsive episode.  Fortunately, there are some things to look for to help rule out seizure or confirm that it is the culprit... and they probably aren't the ones you thought you knew.

If you are a cardiac nurse, this is your nightmare case!  Cardiac Tamponade is a surgical emergency that requires you know more than ACLS to save this patient.  The signs and symptoms are subtle and takes an astute clinician to figure it out. In this episode we discuss all the classic textbook assessment findings from Beck's Triad to pulsus paradoxus as well as some of the more subtle cl...

This patient was so backed up, his abdomen looked like he was 9 months pregnant!  It was so bad that he was tachycardic and hypotensive.  In this episode we talk about common post-surgical complications from constipation, to an ileus, to a small bowel obstruction.  We break down diagnostics, pharmacological interventions, and surgical options. Ever given neostigmine?  Then you...

Nursing pre-shift anxiety is a thing!  Many of us stress ourselves out so much leading up to our shift that we don't sleep or eat well or we feel overwhelmed by the thought of another 12 hour shift and we haven't even stepped foot in the hospital yet.  But there is hope... This episode does not have any hacks for erasing pre-shift anxiety... but rather how to face it. Sarah discusses the...

Do you want to grasp ABGs more?  Arterial Blood Gases are tricky! It's one thing to memorize the normal ranges for each value, but an astute clinician is able to see the combination of abnormal values and determine what led to this derangement and what to do about it. In this episode, guest Christian Guzman, Critical Care APRN shares an interesting case of... SPOILER ALERT: Necrotizing Fascii...

This episode is jam packed with everything you need to know for your next stroke alert! I was interviewed by Annie Fulton from the Up My Nursing Game Podcast and we got to talk about all things stroke from differentiating between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke to the life saving interventions of tPA, thrombectomy, ventriculostomies, and the pharmacological interventions for stroke.  We discu...

Is work life balance even possible as a nurse? I would say yes... absolutely!  But it takes some effort and intentionality.   As a full time nurse, wife, mother of 5, and podcast host, I get to do a lot of juggling. In this episode, I share 2 nuggets of wisdom that have helped me achieve work/life balance.     Find me on Instagram @TheRapidResponseRN Facebook: Rapid Response RN...

What about when the patient refuses care that they consented to just yesterday? What about when the family disagrees about the patient's wishes? What all am I supposed to document when something goes wrong? What is my role as a Nurse in discussing end of life goals of care with the family?   These are questions that I get all the time in my inbox and so I invited someone who has to daily navi...

Here is the link to the youtube video if you prefer to watch the interview:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1qSfXjx_Zg&t=141s   check out more from Cup of Nurses here: Cup of Nurses: https://fanlink.to/CONsite   Frontline Warriors: https://fanlink.to/FWsite   Apple https://fanlink.to/Applepodcast   Spotify https://fanlink.to/Spotifypodcast

Ever heard of "broken heart syndrome"?... it's a real thing. It's also called Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy or stress induced cardiomyopathy. In this episode we discuss a case of a patient who developed this unexpectedly, came very close to death, but made a full recovery. We break down the cause, presentation, and pathophysiology of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy as well as treatment and prognosis.

How do you know where you would enjoy working and where you would thrive as a nurse? Well, having worked both ED and ICU and having spent a fair amount of time on the Med-Surg units, I have a lot of observations and perspectives to share. In this episode we talk about what makes each specialty great, what makes it challenging, and what types of nurses do well in each environment. If you are just s...

Lets talk through the pathophysiology of Atrial Fibrillation, why it's a problem, and how to treat it. Guest Dr. G the NP, a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner helps drop some knowledge about this very common arrhythmia

Ever wondered what you can do in a code? You are not alone! The most common question I receive regarding emergencies is, "What can I do to be helpful in a code blue situation? I don't want to get in the way". Well, there are a lot of important roles you can take on. In this episode we break down all the roles available and what is expected from each one.

A conversation with COVID ICU, PCU, and Med/Surg Nurses about their experiences during the pandemic. We discuss some of our memories from this challenging season, the lessons we have learned, and how it has changed us as nurses.

Two very different presentations of anaphylaxis help provide an introduction to how to make the diagnosis of anaphylaxis, what to expect from the clinical presentation and evolution towards shock, the pathophysiology of anaphylaxis, and how to treat it.

DKA is so complicated... especially when the patient presents with a normal blood glucose! This case really sets the stage for explaining all of the dangerous aspects of DKA and the multifactorial approach to treating it. Christian and Sarah discuss the pathophysiology... down to the cellular level... of what's happening when patients go into DKA, some of the tests used to diagnose DKA like ABGs,...