Mar 31, 2025
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD
Educational Pearls:
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Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is used to assess cardiac activity during cardiac arrest and can identify potential reversible causes such as pericardial tamponade
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Ultrasound could be beneficial in another way during cardiac arrest as well: pulse checks
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Manual...
Mar 24, 2025
Contributor: Travis Barlock, MD
Educational Pearls:
What is Hoover’s sign used to identify?
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This physical exam maneuver differentiates between organic vs. functional (previously known as psychogenic) leg weakness.
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Organic causes include disease processes such as stroke, MS, spinal cord compression, guillain-barre,...
Mar 17, 2025
Contributor: Jorge Chalit-Hernandez, OMS3
Educational Pearls:
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CYP enzymes are responsible for the metabolism of many medications, drugs, and other substances
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CYP3A4 is responsible for the majority
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Other common ones include CYP2D6 (antidepressants), CYP2E1 (alcohol), and CYP1A2 (cigarettes)
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CYP inducers lead to...
Mar 10, 2025
Educational Pearls:
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Physiologic stimulation of ventilation occurs through changes in levels of:
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Arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2)
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Arterial oxygen (PaO2)
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Hypercapnia is an elevated level of CO2 in the blood - this primarily drives ventilation
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Hypoxia is a decreased level of O2 in the body’s tissues - the...
Mar 3, 2025
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD
Educational Pearls:
Quick background info
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Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping blood for any reason. This is different from a heart attack in which the heart is still working but the muscle itself is starting to die.
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One cause of cardiac arrest is when the electrical signals...