I have spent most of the week prepping materials. We have a generously allocated office with intermittent Wi-Fi, this is quiet a luxury out here. There is even aircon (although I am loathed to turn it on when I am alone, imagining horrendous energy consumption in a city with daily blackouts). So, I spend the longest period of my life on Microsoft office; writing presentations, designing pre course assessment, spreadsheets of candidates and trying to plug the large amounts of holes in my knowledge. I am here to teach point of care ultrasound. This is the use of ultrasound by the treating doctor at the bedside with an acutely unwell…
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Meetings, greetings, and your people
Induction is much the same everywhere. There is the stuff you need to know which is some things, and they stuff they must tell you, which is a lot of things. Acceptance is a powerful thing. I accept now this is the way of the world. As it is when it comes to meeting the various great and good of a hospital. It is good to be always polite and good practice to remember everyone’s name, but it does someone become a blur of names and titles as I do my best to scribble them down in my notebook as we go. I was surprised that my little project led…
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Departures and Arrivals
Departures Airports are fundamental strange places. It is one of those things we collectively ignore as a society. They have only become stranger now I no longer take flights unless absolutely necessary(humanitarian work being only exception). It is not just the mass ignorance of how our individual impacts can build up and cause devastation. It is the way, during queues and security checks when group together everyone’s individual intelligence seems to dissolve and be replaced by collective inability to follow basic quiet clear instructions. These seems the most apt metaphor for some of the societal problems. Alas, needs must, the overland trip between Brighton and Freetown, although admittedly epic, would…
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Outpatient management of suspected neonatal sepsis
MSF Blog Surprise trauma Trauma basics Trauma skills Blunt trauma Penetrating trauma Evidence reviews Compendium Cardiology Infectious disease Paediatrics Neurology Pharmacology Toxicology/electrolytes Respiratory Best of FOAM Websites Journals Podcasts Ultrasound Anaesthetics French About A review of some of the latest low-resourcs emergency medicine evidence Implementing WHO guidelines for unwell newborns. Management of possible serious bacterial infection in young infants where referral is not possible in the context of existing health system structure in Ibadan, South-west Nigeria Ayede A et al. Aim To test the feasibility of implementing an outpatient protocol for suspected neonatal sepsis when referral isn’t possible. Rationale The WHO has developed guidelines that recommend a simplified outpatient antibiotic…
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This week I learnt – 6
That we may not have to use sterile gloves for suturing Magnesium can help to rate control Atrial fibrillation (but interestingly not cardioversion). There is concern that high dose naloxone will lead to rebound agitation; however this did not seem the case in this observational study. The continued utility of TXA is demonstrated in this paper looking specifically at the low acuity injuries and still demonstrates a survival benefit (if given early).