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#ATS2022 – The American Thoracic Society Meeting
We went to talks about the science, but also about the challenge. Holding that we are mothers and also doctors and that we felt we failed at both. We failed at so many things. But we didn’t fail. Because we were there. And here we are. Holding that we took calls about who gets the last ECMO bed or the last ICU bed. Holding these decisions and feeling the weight of it and the guilt, and also holding other places, where those decisions were made differently. How many people did we kill? How many did we help? We did the best we could – is that enough? They tell us it is, and yet some of us are holding and turning things over in our minds, because maybe we could have done more. Maybe we should have turned right when we took a left, but we can’t quite see that left was better. Was it?
Weekly update 8/26/2021
Dear Riverton team, We are so grateful to be here with you. We hear you and we see you. This week we were excited to share your great work with Dr. Harrison. He was able to hear from some of our frontline caregivers and to offer support, gratitude and to take back feedback. We really … Continue reading
A play in 3 acts’; Weighing the Risks vs. Benefits of Research
Act I. Can women intubate? Two South Korean authors asked whether physician gender has a significant impact on intubation success, and found that “Female physicians are not inferior to male physicians in performing emergency endotracheal intubation.” Act II. It’s not about American women – South Korea is really sexist. The article had a swift and … Continue reading
Brute force vs. Skill: A play in 3 acts
Act I. Can women intubate? A study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine showing that “Female physicians are not inferior to male physicians in performing emergency endotracheal intubation.” Act II. It’s not about American women – South Korea is really sexist. Blogpost giving some background after the backlash on Twitter. “Why did they … Continue reading
Mortality Predictions in COPD patients: LIVE Score vs. COPD Exacerbation frequency
Summary of our two recently published articles on COPD and risk stratification: LIVE Score prediction of mortality and COPD exacerbation frequency in three cohorts. COPD exacerbation frequency and mortality and COPD exacerbation frequency prediction in three cohorts. LIVE score, which incorporates data on multimorbidity in COPD patients, is better predictor likely because mortality and healthcare … Continue reading
Hospital at Home
Mr. Smith was a sixty-eight year old man who came to the Veterans Affairs hospital where I was a medical student complaining of chest pain. “With chest pain, it’s all about the story,” my resident, the physician in charge of our team, said. We talked to him to find out what he was doing when … Continue reading
Ebola
“If I get a call about smallpox from the ER I’m not coming in,” an Infectious Disease doctor said to a colleague in the hospital where I was working. It was the early days of 9/11 and anything seemed possible. “Are you all OK with providing care for Ebola patients?” our section chief asked. Our ICU is the … Continue reading
Code
“They need you in room 13” she said when I answered the phone and I ran back to the ICU. The patient was coding and for each minute that felt like an hour, we tried, and failed, to save her. She wasn’t breathing, her heart wasn’t working, and despite the 30 people gathered in the room, … Continue reading
Time to bring back morbidity and mortality conferences
My post on the changing culture of medicine as reflected in the way we talk about our errors in M&Ms is up at kevinMD. http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2014/07/time-bring-back-morbidity-mortality-conferences.html
mybetterdoctor 