TopMedTalk

"It's heartbreaking - we have to recognise the fact, and continue to think; 'we've all got it, we can all get it and we can all give it!'" This urgent release from TopMedTalk will force the many leaders in our profession to tackle a very serious and important subject, what does the data reveal regarding COVID deaths among staff members and healthcare workers? Stark questions need to be asked; why...

The Intubate Covid project is an essential contribution to an evidence based answer to the issue posed by dangers of health care workers contracting and spreading the virus. By both collecting and sharing data the project gives you both a track record of where you are, in relation to your own safety, as well as the knowledge you are contributing to vital research. Find out more about the project b...

"The concept of 'disruptive innovation' in healthcare and that's what this has been; a major challenge to healthcare has forced us to do something very differently, very quickly." This piece starts with a quick update on the current situation from Monty and Desiree regarding where they are, London and Louisville Kentucky, in both the US and UK respectively. We then move to the fascinating and inev...

This is the second and concluding part of our real life case study of a COVID 19 patient. In this instance our Editor in Chief Monty Mythen has - during the course of presenting this series - contracted COVID 19. Fortunately for us, it was a comparatively mild case. This short documentary takes the story up right after Monty's decision to take a test to see if his symptoms were as we feared. Prese...

This piece looks at our recent archive and pieces together the story of our Editor in Chief, Monty Mythen's bout of COVID 19. From the start TopMedTalk was keen to reflect the global battle against this terrible virus and - as you will hear - concerns for our friends and contributors in the medical world was never far from our minds. In retrospect it is particularly interesting listening to how ev...

A quick surprising poll of perioperative practitioners sets the tone for a robust advocation of the responsibility of surgeons and practitioners to do surgery right; as opposed to being inclined to feeling it must be done "right now!". A data driven approach combined with a patient focused attitude are at the centre of the argument. How do these factors combine to produce a business case which all...

The UK has accelerated the graduation of medical students to help fight COVID 19. We speak to some of Britain's newest doctors to hear what it's like getting ready for - and going into - action against one of the most dramatic health crisis in living memory. Discussions about palliative care, end of life decisions and rapid patient decline are just some of the experiences they are learning to cope...

All treatments have unintended consequences, "locking down" most of The Western World is certainly no exception. In the medical world we're faced with a familiar set of problems which has been intensified thanks to the sidelining and postponement of treatment for people who do not have the corona virus. It's a complicated debate, with many strands, here we focus upon how prehabilitation, specifica...

This piece digs deep into the realities of coping with COVID 19 patients who have had their care escalated to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU); "we don't seem to be looking at our typical sepsis patients who get multiple organ failure in the classical way" and "you're surprised at how young some of the patients are...". Our guest provides us further insight; a 'household name' in the haemodynamic mon...

"It was taken pretty seriously, right from the start" After a quick update with both Monty, UK, and Desiree, US, we join one of our friends and colleagues at the University of Hong Kong; what's the situation there? What useful comparisons can be drawn from speculation about the differences between Hong Kong's response in contrast to ours? How can it be that in spite of such proximity to the epicen...

"It's airway, breathing, circulation" This piece focuses upon treating patients outside of Philidelphia at an "all COVID unit"; what can we learn from someone who stands at the cutting edge of fighting this terrible virus? How are staffing concerns being dealt with? What about on the job training and upskilling? How do we maximise human resources during this crisis? There is also a detailed conver...

Why does the US have the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed country? This piece tackles a very controversial issue in healthcare head on, could the problem be due to racism? The chances of a serious issue is "substantially higher if you come from a minority group, in particular if you are African-American". We also cover the issue of postpartum hemorrhage, what are the key signs that...

This piece sees the welcome return of our favorite live musician, Jeremy Sassoon, intended as a chance for listeners to TopMedTalk to both raise money for the effort to tackle COVID 19 and fight the 'burnout blues' while doing so. If you enjoyed this piece please check out this live video (which features on the podcast) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbdJAFpRz34 And find Jeremy Sassoon here...

"The peak keeps getting pushed..." What's the difference between a strategy of rationing as compared with one where the aim is concordence? As the crisis rumbles on, how do we decide who should have surgery, as well as the pressing question of how and where? The principles of perioperative medicine kick in here, pre-optimisation and enhanced recovery are uniquely suited within the profession to as...

"Increasing the richness and the reach of what we do" is the mantra of 'Anesthesiology'; hear from its Editor in Chief how it managed to self study and discover the essential idea behind the journal: "trusted evidence, from discovery to practice". Conversation then moves on to methadone, the overlooked opiate; where do you use it and what sort of dose is appropriate? What are the benefits of inclu...

"If you ring up and start to apply pressure to them to say 'have you thought about giving my loved one drug A or drug B?' It might be helping them to get better but you might be encouraging them to do something that might hurt your loved one; so we have to do this with trials". This piece gets into one of the debates surrounding the treatment of COVID 19. What do we mean when we suggest people thi...

The UK has accelerated the graduation of medical students to help fight COVID 19. We speak to some of Britain's newest doctors to hear what it's like getting ready for - and going into - action against one of the most dramatic health crisis in living memory. Discussions about palliative care, end of life decisions and rapid patient decline are just some of the experiences they are learning to cope...

(REPOST) After a quick update from Desiree and Monty this piece focuses on Philadelphia Pennsylvania and gets into specifics regarding caring for COVID 19 positive patients. As regards The Jefferson Hospital; where has the ICU "take over" expanded to? Have critical care ventilators been deployed to all new ICU beds or have acceptable compromises been made? "Staffing is tougher than the equipment"...

This piece is intended as a chance for listeners to TopMedTalk to both raise money for the effort to tackle COVID 19 and have a bit of relaxation and entertainment while doing so. Our Editor in Chief Monty Mythen will be joining our guest, Jeremy Sassoon live on Facebook at 5pm on Saturday 11th of April. In advance of that this piece explains how the two of them got to know each other along with s...

This piece is both a chance to relax and an opportunity to join the TopMedTalk team online as we unwind to our favourite Jazz musician, Jeremy Sassoon. As well as being an excellent and renowned musical talent he also happens to be a school friend of Monty's so we managed to convince him to join us for an exclusive interview tomorrow, in advance of which we're giving you a heads up that he will be...

Smoking is bad for you, there's little debate about that, even among users of the drug. However, further to the widely known consequences, the bottom line in the perioperative period is that smokers are 40% more likely to die after major surgery. Do patients also know this? Tissue healing, increased risk of infection and increased possiblities of complications with the anaesthetic; with these risk...

TopMedTalk in Collaboration with MacMillan Cancer Support in the UK developed this podcast series to support patients during their cancer journey amidst the COVID 19 crisis. It's vital you remain active after a cancer diagnosis, why is this? Hear the fascinating story behind the discovery that activity not only reduces your overall levels of fatigue but also improves your chances of recuperation....

TopMedTalk in Collaboration with MacMillan Cancer Support in the UK developed this podcast series to support patients during their cancer journey amidst the COVID 19 crisis. We know food gives us energy "but it also provides so much more". This podcast looks at the raw materials you'll need, when facing a cancer diagnosis, to get a better outcome; the vitamins, minerals and proteins, as well as th...

TopMedTalk in Collaboration with MacMillan Cancer Support in the UK developed this podcast series to support patients during their cancer journey amidst the COVID 19 crisis. "It's very normal to sit with some difficult thoughts and feelings" after a cancer diagnosis. Broadly there are two types of mindsets; anxiety, which can be helpful, an element of wanting to 'do something' and, on the other ha...

After a quick update from Desiree and Monty this piece focuses on Philadelphia Pennsylvania and gets into specifics regarding caring for COVID 19 positive patients. As regards The Jefferson Hospital; where has the ICU "take over" expanded to? Have critical care ventilators been deployed to all new ICU beds or have acceptable compromises been made? "Staffing is tougher than the equipment" but how h...