Welcome to Disaster Day! UCEM learned about a broad range of topics today from active shooter incidents, climate change and how it affects our approach to disaster medicine, and mass casualty preparedness.

Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality for hospitalized patient’s both worldwide and in the United States.  The surviving sepsis guidelines weakly recommend invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring (IABP) over noninvasive blood pressure monitoring (NIBP) with a blood pressure cuff supported by low quality evidence.(1) Data comparing the accuracy between IABP and NIBP measurements are limited. The largest analysis of 736 critically ill patients found a mean difference of 1 mmHg which was not statistically significant, however, there was only one measurement recorded per patient.(2) Arterial lines have several drawbacks compared with non-invasive methods such as: training requirements for caregivers, potential for pain and increased pain medications, limitation of participation in physical therapy, risk of digital ischemia, and risk of iatrogenic infection.(3) In this journal club recap, we analyze an article looking at the relationship between invasive arterial line blood pressure readings and non-invasive cuff measurements.

A hernia is described as, “the abnormal protrusion of abdominal contents through a defect involving the normal confines of the abdominal compartments” (9). It often involves a portion of the intestine protruding through a weak point of the abdominal wall. The location and size of the hernia often determines the symptoms and complications that a patient will present with.

There are several risk factors that make developing a hernia more likely. Older patients and those who have had prior abdominal surgery may have weaker abdominal muscles or connective tissue which would make it easier for a hernia to develop. In addition, if there is increased abdominal pressure, such as patients with obesity, or those who participate frequently in weightlifting, this is another factor that may put someone at a higher risk of developing a hernia. Finally, those with poor wound healing, such as people who smoke often or patients with diabetes, may be at risk for incisional hernias. (6)

An excellent Wednesday here in Cincinnati! We started out the day with our ultrasound grand rounds where ultrasound fellow Dr. Broadstock took us through an interactive lecture on advanced cardiac ultrasound. This was followed by a lecture by faculty member Dr. Irankunda who discussed the importance of names and embracing individuality. Finally, we ended the day with a combined session with our pediatric colleagues where we covered pediatric procedures, foreign body aspiration, and a neonatal potpouri. We can’t wait for next week!

We had an excellent Grand Rounds this week! Dr. Yates led our monthly Morbidity & Mortality Conference discussing pathology ranging from Dabigatran overdose to acute limb ischemia. We had an exciting CPC with hypomagnesemia presenting as new onset psychosis with Drs. Joshi & Lang. Finally, Dr. Gallen led a lecture and small group discussion on tracheostomies and their complications.