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Med Glossary, Part 5Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
"I thought nothing of it."As in, "I had this pain that shot up from my hip bone to my left ear, and I thought nothing of it, but then I got this tingly sensation in my right pinky so I decided I'd better go to the ER."What he really means is, 1) I've been worrying about that 5 second pain constantly ever since it happened. And see how swollen my hands are? And what is this coating on my tongue?2) My auntie just had a stroke, and I don't want to die. The doctor told her there was nothing wrong with her too.3) On the internet I read that shooting pains on the left side can be signs of a heart attack.4) I'm out of my Xanax. I...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - September 6, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: glossary Source Type: blogs

PauseEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - August 24, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Source Type: blogs

How to Fall Off the WagonEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Don't just fail a random drug test. That's boring.Don't get photographed staggering out of a bar at closing time. Yawn. Everybody does that.No, you should have a series of photos taken with you laying down ON TOP OF the bar with three hot women (your wife apparently not among them) who are licking whipped cream from your bare chest and you from theirs as you do body shots with them.Way to go Josh Hamilton. You really are an All Star. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - August 10, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: drunks addictions huckfeads fame and fortune Source Type: blogs

Part 2 - The PatientsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
First let me begin by admitting that I don't have an MBA or even a degree in economics. I haven't hashed out any numbers to see if this plan would even get off the ground, I have no authority to implement my recommendations, I have no illusions that these suggestions will ever become the blueprint for any sort of significant healthcare reform, and I fully expect to instead be led like the rest of you by the yoke of Hillarycare Obamacare over the cliff of doom as we plummet into a lobotomized pile of decaying socialized medicine zombies. But it's my blog, and I don't have to support my assertions with facts. These are just ...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - August 6, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: health care crisis Source Type: blogs

Part 3 - Why Incentives are ImportantEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The goals of my solution to the healthcare crisis are as follows:1) Restore the free market system to the medical industry 2) Incentives should encourage personal responsibility3) Increase access to medical care for all groupsInstead of eliminating the concept of multi-tiered medical services, I suggest that we nurture and develop it. The different groups of people I discussed in my last post do not all need the same sort of coverage, and they do not all deserve identical healthcare services just because they happen to have a social security number and a pulse (or not). Some people bring more to the table than others, and ...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - August 6, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: health care crisis Source Type: blogs

"I'm Not a Doctor...."Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - August 3, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: huckfeads health care crisis Source Type: blogs

Agent of ChaosEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
via Newsbusters (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - August 2, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: politics Source Type: blogs

Obama - Don't Mess With TexasEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry, raising the specter of a showdown with the Obama administration, suggested Thursday that he would consider invoking states’ rights protections under the 10th Amendment to resist the president’s healthcare plan, which he said would be "disastrous" for Texas."I think you’ll hear states and governors standing up and saying 'no’ to this type of encroachment on the states with their healthcare," Perry said. "So my hope is that we never have to have that stand-up. But I’m certainly willing and ready for the fight if this administration continues to try to force their very expansive governmen...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - July 25, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: health care crisis Texas Source Type: blogs

Cool Pic of the DayEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Buy it here.More here.via Conservative Grapevine. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - July 16, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: pictures photochops Source Type: blogs

Farewell, Backboards and BandaidsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I hope all is well, EE. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - July 12, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: goodbyes Source Type: blogs

Why I Read Charts (of my admitted patients)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I recently treated two patients, one with chest pain and one without. The one without chest pain was much sicker with some dangerous arrhythmias, and while his initial cardiac enzymes in the ER were negative, the following morning his troponin was over 50. Yet he survives, so far, despite his advanced age.The one with chest pain didn't seem particularly sick at all, and his Cardiologist was unimpressed with my presentation. Stable ECG, negative cardiac enzymes, and atypical features in an anxious patient with a previously negative workup suggests maybe he could go home, said he. Fortunately the Hospitalist agreed to admit ...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - July 12, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: pencil-pushing idiots patients health care crisis Source Type: blogs

Why Freestanding ERs love EMTALAEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
As we have previously discussed, EMTALA applies only to "participating hospitals" -- i.e., to hospitals which have entered into "provider agreements" under which they will accept payment from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under the Medicare program for services provided to beneficiaries of that program.Most freestanding ERs do not participate in the Medicare program, so we are not bound by the onerous restrictions of EMTALA. Hospitals, on the other hand, are not so fortunate. A seldom-mentioned clause of the EMTALA law states that:A participating hospital that...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - June 26, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: health care crisis ER Source Type: blogs

The Texas Freestanding ER ActEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Last week Governor Rick Perry signed C.S.H.B. (Committee Substitute House Bill) No. 1357 which regulates and defines freestanding emergency facilities.A "freestanding emergency medical care facility" means a facility, structurally separate and distinct from a hospital and not affiliated with a hospital licensed under Chapter 241, that receives an individual and provides medical treatment or stabilization to the individual in an emergency or for a condition that requires immediate medical care.C.S.H.B. 1357 establishes procedures for license application, issuance, denial, suspension, probation, and revocation. The bill prov...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - June 24, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: health care crisis ER Source Type: blogs

Drive Through Vicodin ClinicEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
My new ER has a little window on the side like the drive through at a McDonald's, and I was joking with my friend today that I could use it as a drive through vicodin clinic. Then I saw that Dr. Whitecoat linked to this article about a Stanford University experiment which pilots the concept of drive through triage. That caused me to erect a capitalist tent of sorts, as I pondered that one could easily make a fortune with such an enterprise. I can already bill a 99283 ER visit and a level 1 facility fee without ever touching the smelly patients, now they don't even have to come in the door!Procedure Code: CPT 99283 – Emer...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - June 17, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: ER satire pain Source Type: blogs

Obama Reduces DeficitEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A recent study found that African-Americans scored higher on standardized tests if they were reminded of President Obama's accomplishments before the test -- narrowing the achievement gap between black and white test takers and suggesting a tangible effect of Obama's presidency. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - June 10, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: politics Source Type: blogs

Make an Appointment in the EREmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Here is an e-mail I received from Tyler Kiley, the founder of InQuickER. I am always amazed to see that people really do read our blogs! I have no financial interest in this company, and as usual I am never paid for any content I place on my blog. I post this because I am impressed with their innovative concept and because it refutes some of the false assumptions made on other blogs about this type of service. Adapt or fail, folks.Hello!My name is Tyler Kiley, and I'm the CEO and founder of InQuickER. We've maintained a low profile and quiet existence for the past two years, but I see our company has become the talk of the...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - June 4, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: ER letters Source Type: blogs

What is an ER For?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Evaluating patients for the presence of emergency conditions.Stabilizing and treating patients if necessary, and making an appropriate disposition.Reassuring patients if they do not have an emergency medical condition.Educating them about warning signs that might indicate their condition is becoming an emergency.Arrogantly dismissing their complaints as trivial wastes of our time. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - June 4, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: nurses ER crayzee Source Type: blogs

Video Game PoisoningEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
If you use a generator to power your X-box after a hurricane, you might get sick. And you might cause Al Gore to have angina.So use a long extension cord.Money quote: “We usually have patients arriving in the emergency department with carbon monoxide poisoning because they tried to keep food fresh, run a fan or home air conditioner, but not power electronic gadgets,” Dr. Caroline Fife, a UT associate professor of medicine, said in a news release. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 27, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: global warming hurricane Source Type: blogs

Memorial DayEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Thanks to those who gave all to protect our freedoms.More from Cox and Forkum (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 25, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: heroes Source Type: blogs

Tool TimeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A doctor in rural Australia used a handyman's power drill to bore a hole into the skull of a boy with a severe head injury, saving his life.Nicholas Rossi fell off his bike on Friday in the small Victoria state city of Maryborough, hitting his head on the pavement, his father, Michael, said Wednesday. By the time Rossi got to the hospital, he was slipping in and out of consciousness.The doctor on duty, Rob Carson, quickly recognized the boy was experiencing potentially fatal bleeding on the brain and knew he had only minutes to make a hole in the boy's skull to relieve the pressure.But the small hospital was not equipped w...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 20, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: ER big balls heroes Source Type: blogs

What is an ER?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
ERP and I had a discussion yesterday that raised some interesting questions which I believe warrant further consideration. His post was about the frustration with the unpaid mandate of EMTALA and the related lawsuit by some California physicians seeking increased reimbursement for their treatment of Medicaid patients.He complained that since ER docs are legally required to see these patients, it isn't fair that we aren't reimbursed adequately for our services. I reminded him that a new model of emergency medicine is emerging, the freestanding ERs, some of which do not accept Medicare or Medicaid and therefore are not legal...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 19, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: health care crisis ER rants Source Type: blogs

Quote of the Year (So Far)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
"Status post bitch-stompin'" (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 19, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: quotes links to greatness Source Type: blogs

Comedy of ErrorsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Administrators require emergency nurses to document a lot of crap that has nothing to do with the patient's actual emergency condition. We have domestic violence screening questions, tuberculosis screening questions, immunization status queries, and so on and so on. These add a significant amount of time and effort to the triage process. Fortunately, we now use electronic medical records which have little checkboxes for those questions in order to speed up the process.I'm not certain, but I suspect these boxes must be checked or else the triage note cannot be completed. The combination of these two faulty systems sometimes...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 16, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: WTF pencil-pushing idiots EMR Source Type: blogs

A Lesson for the LA LakersEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I see you've been struggling at the free throw line lately, and I thought you could use a little help from Coach Kige. Please watch this video carefully, and good luck tonight.And for our National League opponents, here's a baseball lesson from the coach.via the Z Report (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 12, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: tips Source Type: blogs

Happy Mother's DayEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Mom, when I think of you, I think of your wisdom, kindness, temperance, and patience and wish I had more of those qualities. Although we don't see each other much anymore, I think of you often. As I get older and try to raise my own children as you raised me, I appreciate you more every year. And as your grandchildren enter their teenage years, I pray that they don't give me as much grief as I gave you, but if they do, I pray that I am able to be as strong and supportive as you were (and still are). Thank you for always being there for me.Love,Your sonAnd Happy Mother's Day to all the other mothers reading this too. (Sourc...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 10, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Source Type: blogs

How Would You Respond?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
You are suturing the wound of an elderly demented woman who, while discussing the long wait to be seen, correctly states that "There sure were a lot of blacks in the waiting room." Her family is horrified and embarrassed.You:1) Inform the patient that it's not politically correct to make any comments whatsoever about people of another race, even if accurate.2) Cite the study you read in the Annals about the relative overutilization of Emergency Departments by African-Americans.3) Reply "Yes, we're pretty busy tonight" as you sew faster.4) Say "Wow, the Aricept must be working!"5) Tell an off-color joke.6) _________________...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 9, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: getting old full moon surveys ER Source Type: blogs

Quote of the DayEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
"I too eat flour. I find that Martha White self-rising flour is the best. I just can't stay away from it. I just love the stuff!If flour was crack I would be hurtin' bad!! I am glad to read that I am NOT alone. I felt like I was carrying around a dirty little secret.So all of you flour-eating people, lets raise our flour filled bowls and spoons and eat like we just don't care!!! Party over here!!!" (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - May 6, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: addictions quotes Source Type: blogs

Starting the Hypothermia ProtocolEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I'm not calling the code, so don't even ask about harvesting bits and pieces. There might be some life left in this blog yet, but it's been having some serious rhythm disturbances recently, and now it's been flatline for a month. That last post was just an agonal beat after Nurse K activated the shock collar. I'm just going to pack it in ice for now and see what happens.The good news is, I've been working on starting my own business. The bad news is, it takes up a lot of my free time (and money), so this blog is officially on hiatus for the time being. Thanks for visiting, and don't hold your breath, but I might see you la...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - April 7, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: blogging goodbyes Source Type: blogs

The John Galt Memorial Freestanding Emergency CenterEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Coming soon, to a neighborhood near you.Looters and moochers not welcome. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - March 28, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: cryptic M.D.O.D. teaser posts Source Type: blogs

On VacationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Aloha. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - March 13, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: vacation Source Type: blogs

Goodbye Blogrolling.comEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Dear Blogrolling.com,Your decision to sabotage your program by placing mandatory advertisements on every linked page has led me to discontinue using your service. Oh by the way, your incredibly annoying ads also interfere with the ability to post comments on other blogs by somehow making the word verification device unreadable. And no, I'm not paying you $20 to use your formerly free blog tool. Thanks for the memories. Your formerly satisfied user,Scalpel (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - March 7, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: blogging Source Type: blogs

MisunderstandingEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A nurse walks into the room and greets her patient, who is busy typing on his laptop in no apparent distress. He looks up at her briefly but says nothing and continues his work."So tell me what brings you in to see us," says the nurse, a bit perturbed by his rudeness. He completely ignores her and continues to type without saying a word.She leaves the room in a huff and tells her colleagues about the jerk in room 2, only to learn that he is a deaf-mute patient who communicates by typing. When she returned, she found he had finished typing his chief complaint and a brief history. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - March 4, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: perception patients nurses Source Type: blogs

Self-censoring the Medical RecordEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A patient presented to the ER with a benign complaint at 3 am. She was incidentally noted to have moderately elevated blood pressure, and she appeared much more awake and talkative than the usual 3 am patient. She admitted to recent cocaine use but requested that I not mention that fact in the medical record for fear of possible repercussions. She was a HENRY with good insurance and didn't want to jeopardize those things if her secret were somehow discovered.Since the blood pressure wasn't dangerously high and the drug use was not even tangentially related to her initial presenting complaint, I complied with her request, d...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - March 2, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: patients health care crisis defensive medicine Source Type: blogs

Night NurseEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Tell her try your best just to make it quickWhom attend to the sick'Cause there must be something she can doThis heart is broken in twoTell her it's a case of emergencyThere's a patient by the name of GregoryNight nurseOnly you alone can quench this Jah thirstMy night nurse, oh goshOh the pain it's getting worseI don't wanna see no docI need attendance from my nurse around the clock'Cause there's no prescription for meShe's the one, the only remedy (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - March 2, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: nurses nightshifts music Source Type: blogs

Doomed to FailureEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
My initial impression of President Obama's healthcare plan is one of suspicion laced with grave concern and sprinkled with disdain. Surely he must realize that expanding Medicaid is not providing universal healthcare - Medicaid patients are turned away from many (most?) outpatient facilities already because the reimbursement rates are so low that each patient is a money-loser for the practice. I'm suspicious that he's using this plan as a token gesture to claim that he's fixed the uninsured problem. Guaranteeing coverage does not guarantee access, particularly when that coverage is pathetically insufficient. Even raising r...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 26, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: health care crisis Source Type: blogs

On Needing EyeglassesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I've noticed some decline in my visual acuity for quite some time now, but as with most inconveniences, one makes allowances and carries on. Thanks to some poor planning with my FLEX account, I discovered that I needed to spend a big pile of cash on either my teeth or my eyes within the next month or else donate the funds to people who I've never met and whose very existence I hypothetically despise. Since I've already spent a bundle to fix my teeth in the past couple of years, the eye exam was a logical choice.I was secretly hoping that my vision wasn't so bad after all, but I was only fooling myself. I could barely read ...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 25, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: getting old eyeglasses Source Type: blogs

A Pitibull Situation in ChicagoEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Shadowfax has been following the case of the child in Chicago who was attacked by a Pit Bull and discharged from the ER without his apparently severe facial lacerations being closed. This post started as a reply but got too long, so here it is.Delayed wound closure, even of a dog bite to the face, is not necessarily unethical and in some cases (heavy contamination, lack of specialist availability, delayed presentation) is itself the standard of care. Referral of uninsured or Medicaid patients to county facilities is not unethical either, and in many situations is the only reasonable option available. More and more physicia...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 24, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: health care crisis links to greatness Source Type: blogs

The Obesity EpidemicEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Are there contributing factors other than overeating and lack of exercise? Some interesting theories here, including viruses, microwave ovens, air conditioning, and artificial sweeteners. via Conservative Grapevine (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 23, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: excuses Source Type: blogs

Duck Hunt Made EasyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
From the comments: "The weapon of choice for the zombie apocalypse." (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 23, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: guns Source Type: blogs

Get Rid of Your Medical InsuranceEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
It makes good economic sense for many people to dump their medical insurance. For those who rent apartments and ride the bus, it doesn't matter if their credit rating gets destroyed by a collection agency or three, so there is no reason they need to pay for their EMTALA-mandated emergency medical visits. They should save that money to buy their prescriptions (and staples like food, cigarettes, and booze).Those middle class folks stuck in homes they can't sell in the depressed housing market and resigned to driving beat-up old cars during the Obama recession aren't looking at taking out a loan in the near future anyway, so ...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 20, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: health care crisis satire Source Type: blogs

JizzedEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Mr. President, you're like a hero to meCan't turn away when you're on TVSo enthralled by your style and graceYour baritone sends me to outer spaceEverything you say just seems so rightSo I lie awake in bed at nightAnd disregard the corrupt baggageAs I dream about your stimulus packageAnd I JIZZ IN MY PANTSDon't act like I'm the only manWho's been aroused by your natural tanIf only I could be your friendTogether we could tax and spendBarack now please don't get nervousThat's why you have the Secret ServiceWe'll fly together toward the SunCruising inside Air Force One 'till IJIZZ IN MY PANTSPacing outside on the sidewalk in ...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 20, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: satire politics Source Type: blogs

Controversial Cartoon of the DayEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Outrage!Chimpy McHitler was unavailable for comment. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 18, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: politics economy Source Type: blogs

Symbolism and IronyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Obama coins are like his presidency - not the change many had hoped for.via Gateway Pundit (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 16, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: scammers lying punks politics Source Type: blogs

I am the WolfEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I solve problems. I've had an interesting variety of patients lately. That's the best part about my job - dealing with the unexpected. A sudden life-altering event has occurred, and a frightened family fears the worst. They seem to think their adrenaline should be contagious, that we should all be as frantic and scared as they are. They don't understand that my adrenaline only makes me think faster and more clearly. Outwardly my demeanor never changes, except that I might dispense with some of the usual pleasantries.If I'm curt with you it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast and I need you guys to act fas...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 15, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: worried mothers Source Type: blogs

Tough GuysEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
I can't get it to embed for some reason, so you have to go here. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 13, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: self defense Source Type: blogs

The StingerEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Cervical spine injuries cause about 6000 deaths and 5000 new cases of quadriplegia per year. These well-known consequences of a "broken neck" usually mean that patients with these injuries are brought by EMS crews to the ER already taped to a rigid and uncomfortable backboard with a stiff cervical collar preventing any movement of the spinal column until we can "clear" them of a dangerous fracture or subluxation.Not everyone with a neck injury calls 911, however, and some of them walk in themselves. Such was the case of a high school football player whose coaches thought had suffered a "stinger" during a game. After a tack...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 7, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: patients teenagers Source Type: blogs

Quote of the DayEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Sorry about the dearth of medical posts, I haven't had the BUMA lately. But this quote is simply delicious:"Here's a question for (Tom) Daschle : When you amended your taxes and coughed up about $140,000 in back taxes plus interest, did you feel like you were stimulating the economy as much as you would have if you had spent that money yourself?"And for that matter, did you feel more patriotic?via Instapundit (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - February 3, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: quotes politics links to greatness Source Type: blogs

Super Bowl Stadium Snack TrayEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
TOTAL CALORIES: 24,375TOTAL GRAMS OF FAT: 1,285TOTAL COST: $86.47Step by step instructions here. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - January 29, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: links to greatness Source Type: blogs

Four Chord SongsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Pretty cool.h/t Ace. (Source: Scalpel or Sword?)
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - January 27, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: music links to greatness Source Type: blogs

The Uselessness of the TIMI Risk ScoreEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Supposedly one of the measures which is evaluated during the process of "Chest Pain Center Accreditation" is the use of the TIMI Risk Score in the Emergency Department:Age over 65 yearsMore than 3 risk factors for CAD Known CAD (stenosis ≥ 50%) ASA Use in Past 7 daysSevere angina (≥ 2 episodes within 24 hrs)ST changes ≥ 0.5mm Positive Cardiac MarkerAdd one point for each factor, total up the points, and you now have an estimate of the likelihood in the next 14 days of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, or severe recurrent ischemia requiring urgent revascularization.In theory this sounds like a neat way to st...
Source: Scalpel or Sword? - January 23, 2009 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Tags: chest pain ER Source Type: blogs