Deep Sulcus Sign
A pneumothorax occurs when air fills the pleural space between the lungs and chest wall. This can cause partial or total lung collapse leading to difficulties with alveolar ventilation, hemodynamic lability, etc.
Category: Education
-
-
Tension Pneumothorax
Here’s an example of a large, right-sided tension pneumothorax (PTX). Disruption in the lung leads to a one-way valve where air fills the pleural space and expands the PTX during inspiration but cannot escape during expiration.
-
Air Bronchograms
In this portable x-ray of a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia, one can clearly see the right and left mainstem bronchi as well as more distal segments (arrows indicate several “air bronchograms”). This occurs because the air-filled, patent bronchi don’t attenuate x-ray radiation and appear dark compared to the surrounding airspace…
-
How mRNA Vaccines Work – Gene Transcription And Translation
Conventional vaccines typically involve growing a virus in various cell lines, injecting a part of the virus into the host, and relying on the host to mount an immunologic response (ie, create antibodies and “memory”) for the next time the virus is encountered. This process can be time-consuming, expensive, and…
-
WHO Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Groups
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a broad topic encompassing primary and secondary etiologies. Like systemic hypertension, PH refers to elevated pressures in the pulmonary vessels. It’s essential to understand how PH is classified and which specific vessels are involved: pulmonary arteries → pulmonary capillaries → pulmonary veins. PRE-capillary PH refers to…
-
Type A Dissection
Acute ascending aortic dissection (type A) is a true surgical emergency. Arterial walls are comprised of the intima (innermost layer), media, and adventitia (outermost layer). In a dissection, an intimal tear creates a plane between the intima and media and a “false lumen” that can compromise blood flow to branches…
-
Banana Bag
The “banana bag” is a colloquial term referring to isotonic crystalloid fluid premixed with thiamine, folic acid, and a multivitamin (which creates the characteristic yellow coloration). Some clinicians opt for a banana bag when treating acute alcohol intoxication due to the associated vitamin and mineral deficiency.
-
Angiotensin II
Synthetic human angiotensin II (Giapreza) is an intravenous vasopressor approved in late 2017 for septic or other distributive shock states. Normally, renin is released by the kidneys in response to decreased perfusion pressure in the renal arterioles, decreased salt concentration at the macula densa, and increased sympathetic stimulation. Renin cleaves…
-
Situs Inversus Totalis
Situs inversus totalis is a rare (0.01% of the population) condition where patients have a mirror-image reversal of their internal chest and abdominal organs. For example, the heart is in the right chest, the liver in the left upper abdominal quadrant, and the stomach/spleen in the right upper quadrant. Because…
-
What’s A Hemolung RAS?
The Hemolung Respiratory Assist System (RAS) is an investigative extracorporeal carbon dioxide (CO2) removal (ECCO2R) therapy. This system uses a centrifugal pump and blood gas exchanger to create respiratory dialysis – a form of low-flow VV-ECMO – where CO2 is removed, and oxygen (O2) is added to the blood through…