icu

In medicine, concentrations are often expressed as milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L). But what's the difference? A mole is the International System of Units (SI) base unit for the amount of...

Intravenous (IV) fluids are ubiquitous in medicine. Crystalloid fluids consist of electrolytes and/or dextrose. They are traditionally used to replace ongoing fluid losses, hydrate patients who cannot tolerate enteral intake, reconstitute medications, etc. Colloids...

Patients with suspected diaphragm paralysis (e.g., elevated hemidiaphragm on chest x-ray, a surgery that is high risk for compromising the phrenic nerve, etc.) can be evaluated using motion mode ("M-mode") ultrasonography at the bedside....

As a cardiothoracic (CT) intensive care unit (ICU) physician, knowing how to balance resuscitation with inotrope and vasopressor support is a large part of my job. For patients on post-operative days (POD) 0 or...

As an intensivist and cardiothoracic anesthesiologist, bronchoscopy is an incredibly common procedure I perform in the ICU (from in front of the patient) and OR (from behind the patient). A small camera on the...

Targeted temperature management (TTM) following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has been shown to confer survival and neuroprotective benefits. A 2016 review in Resuscitation found this to also apply to a wide scope of patients...

As a follow-up to my perioperative and critical care reference sheet, I've created a similar one for mechanical circulatory support (MCS). Same rules apply: This sheet doesn't constitute medical advice, and I'm NOT responsible for...

Code blues requiring advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) can be anxiety-ridden for anyone. This post will not discuss the actual algorithms but rather what I call the "3 Cs" of running a good code...