Pricking the Big Red Balloon
Intra-abdominal hypertension is a critical state that may lead to multiorgan failure and, eventually, to death. However, the diagnosis of this condition is often missed, and the intra-abdominal pressure is a parameter frequently forgotten...
When Dwarves’ Doctors are not Small Doctors
Children are not small adults... and this concept is true in many ways... Dealing with them cannot be done as in adults, and the surgical emergencies that may uprise are completely different from the ones general surgeons are used to... Here you can find a brief yet comprehensive guide on how to deal with a child with a suspected acute abdomen...
The Time of my Life
Trauma is the leading cause of death in the young population, and this is particularly true for low- and middle-income countries. In this post we are going to talk about the distribution of trauma deaths over time, and how this distribution changed over the years ad why...
Eating Batteries, Drinking Alien’s Blood – Part 2
The blood gas gives you back much information... Yet, you should know how to interpret them, how to go back to the source of the problem, and how to treat it... Acidosis and alkalosis are not just two different entities, they are two different worlds...
Eating Batteries, Drinking Alien’s Blood – Part 1
How many times have you heard the anesthesiologists or the ER doctors asking for a blood gas during an emergency? Do you know why it is so important? Do you know how to read it? Here is the first part of our brief talk about the most important lab test in a critical patient.