On Call With RK.md

Assist control (AC) ventilation is traditionally broken down into two flavors – pressure-control (PC, an inspiratory pressure is set) and volume-control (VC, a target tidal volume in set). Both styles of ventilation allow parameters like the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2), respiratory rate (RR), and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) to be adjusted as well. Newer …

Whenever my residents/fellows or I place central venous catheters (CVCs) in the operating room in a case where we’ll be performing intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), I always place the TEE probe beforehand. I obtain a midesophageal bicaval view looking for preexisting hardware in the patient’s right atrium (RA) such as ICD wires, PICC lines, etc. …

Throughout the course of my collegiate and medical training, the manner in which I've studied has evolved tremendously. In this podcast, I'll share this process and outline how I study these days. Check out this post with book references too!

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Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are becoming more prevalent and sophisticated with each passing year. In this episode, I'll briefly cover some of the basics for intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs), Impella, CentriMag, ProtekDuo, TANDEMHEART, and ECMO. As always, drop me a comment with your questions and thoughts!

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Many healthcare workers become jaded by taking care of patients who regularly abuse drugs and seek more potent medications during their admissions (oftentimes saying they have an "allergy" to more traditional analgesics). I'm not naive to this; however, as an anesthesiologist, I'm also very mindful of appropriate pain management in the OR and ICU settings. Every patient should be treated individually, and consideration must be given that we are undertreating pain based on the clinical situation, tolerance, drug metabolism, etc.

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As a follow-up to episode 003 where I discussed inotropes and pressors I routinely use as a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and intensivist, in this episode, I'll discuss some of the anti-hypertensives I use in the same settings.

As always, drop me a comment below with questions! :-)

I purchased this domain name over a decade ago, and in that time, I’ve transitioned through so many user interfaces and backend features! In the process, I’ve learned so much about the evolution of the Internet from its basic underpinnings to the extent that we can push performance, security, and web design. For 2020, I’m …

Working in both the ICU and OR settings, I've come to learn the workflow and considerations unique to each environment. However, with all the required tasks one must complete, I feel like patient care is sometimes jeopardized. Join me in this episode where I discuss two of my biggest pet peeves related to patient care.

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As a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist, I have been trained extensively in cases which require cardiopulmonary bypass (“the heart-lung machine”). CPB is similar to VA-ECMO in many ways, but for the purposes of surgery, it allows the surgeons to have a motionless and bloodless field when combined with cardioplegic arrest. […]