Tamingthesru
Annals of B-Pod: Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump
The third Annals of B Pod December Issue highlights a new section - highlighting cases on the front lines in the helicopter. The intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), first developed in the 1960s, is one of the most widely-used cardiac assist devices. Placed in critically-ill patients with cardiogenic shock, it increases coronary blood flow and decreases afterload. Patients with IABPs are frequently transferred to tertiary referral hospitals via helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) transport. As such, prehospital and ED providers must become comfortable with the management of these patients and be aware of complications from these devices, we will take a look at two Air Care cases with IABPs.
Annals of B-Pod: Quick Hit Case
The second installment from the December Issue of Annals of B Pod, Dr. Ham presents a female patient with no past medical history who presents to the Emergency Department shortly after stepping through a picture frame that was propped up on her floor at home. The glass shattered, lacerating the posterior aspect of her left lower leg. She is complaining of difficulty walking, but denies loss of sensation distal to the injury...
Annals of B Pod - B Pod Case: Taking Renal Failure to Heart
The first article from the December 2016 issue of Annals of B Pod is of a patient that is a male in his late 30s with a past medical history significant for trisomy 21, stage III chronic kidney disease of unspecified etiology, and hypertension who presents to the Emergency Department with emesis and dark stools. The patient is unable to contribute significantly to his history, but his family relates that two days prior to presentation, the patient experienced two episodes of “coffee ground” emesis according to the patient’s home health nurse. Over the next day, the patient subsequently experienced several episodes of melenic stools. His family also notes that he has seemed feverish, more lethargic, and less active than his baseline.