Grand Rounds Recap 03.25.20

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Grand Rounds Recap 03.25.20

In our first ever teleconferenced Grand Rounds - this week Dr. Kathryn Banning presented us with opportunities to improve the care we deliver in our monthly morbidity and mortality conference. Then, our panel of expert clinicians and self-aware humans engaged us all in a discussion of wellness and longevity that was at times vulnerable and candid, but also enlightening from start to finish. Finally, we learned more about radio operations and reflected on both failures and victories in HEMS CQI cases with our Air Care leadership team.

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Grand Rounds Recap - 3/11/15

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Grand Rounds Recap - 3/11/15

Health Care Disparities with Dr. Ford

There is a well established distrust of the medical system by minorities, especially African Americans. The historic causes of this distrust are widespread and seen in nearly all stages of American Healthcare. A great resource is Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington. Some key examples of the use of AA in medical advances: 

1800s: Slaves referred to as "clinical material" in medical schools and journal publications. Slave bought and used for experiments and experimental surgeries including the first successful vesicovaginal fistula repair (caused by forcep deliveries) which was done without anesthesia. 

1900-1930: "malaria therapy" with fatal falciparum used to try and treat syphilis. Tuskeegee experiments- subjects recruited under false pretense of "free testing and medical treatment" for syphilis experiment with no intention to treat despite PCN being widely available. "The future of the negro lies in the research laboratory..." Patients were offered a free burial when they died from the disease so that an autopsy may be performed. "as I see it, we have no further interest in these patients until they die..."

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Approach to Reading MRI of the Spine

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Approach to Reading MRI of the Spine

It's another back pain type of day in Minor Care.  3 hours into your shift and you've seen 6 patient's with back pain.  You quickly evaluate them asking them about red flag symptoms, searching for signs of neurologic injury on your physical exam.  As you talk to Jane, your next patient, you get worried she doesn't have simple musculo-ligamentous back pain.  Jane has a history of IVDU and states her last use was 3 months ago.  She cites some subjective fever and chills over the past several days along with aching low back pain which has been getting steadily worse.  On exam, you find she is febrile with a temperature of 101.4, tachycardic to 110, with a normal blood pressure.  She has midline upper lumbar and lower thoracic spinal tenderness to palpation.

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