Insights on Residency Training

September 11th, 2013

Oral Anticoagulation, Part I: Direct Thrombin Inhibitors

Akhil Narang, M.D.

When I started residency 4 years ago, warfarin was really the only choice of anticoagulation widely used for prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE). Despite knowing about the coagulation cascade for decades, only recently have viable alternatives to warfarin become available. In this post, I hope […]

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August 19th, 2013

Managing Hypertension – Not as Easy as It Once Seemed

Paul Bergl, M.D.

Hypertension… As a medical student, I never really understood the fuss over it. Practicioners had an excellent and concise guide in the JNC-7 to handle all of the major aspects of this disease. The JNC-7 guidelines were algorithmic, and a helpful table of compelling indications for antihypertensive agents couldn’t make life any easier. I soon realized […]

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April 2nd, 2012

What Would You Do?

Gopi Astik, MD

While combing through my social media outlets recently, I came across an article that struck me. The article entitled “Why Doctors Die Differently” addresses a subject many professionals in the medical field know but don’t really talk about — that physicians die too. The article explains how we, as physicians, understand the limits of medical therapy and procedures […]

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March 2nd, 2012

Curses and Blessings of Aging

Gopi Astik, MD

 It seems that every time I am in clinic, patients bring in supplements they bought to prevent aging. I usually look at the product ingredients, which include vitamins and herbs, and ask myself three questions: 1. Why didn’t I market this? I could put vitamins and herbs together and sell it to the baby boomers saying […]

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October 17th, 2011

Checking It Twice

Gopi Astik, MD

I always remember my mother trying to teach me things I didn’t agree with. Being the bigmouth that I was (am), I would voice my disagreement, and she would tell me that, one day, I would tell my kids the same thing. I, of course, did not agree. I felt the same way about some […]

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August 17th, 2011

What Keeps You Charged?

Sarah Bergman Lewis, MD

  Dr. Bergman Lewis is a senior resident in Pediatrics at Seattle Children’s Hospital.  By way of introduction, I am finishing my pediatric residency at Seattle Children’s Hospital, have enjoyed being a resident editor of Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine for the past 3 years, and will write as an interim blogger for the next […]

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July 7th, 2011

The Price of Being a Doctor

Greg Bratton, MD

I saw a patient while I was moonlighting the other night that actually made me question whether or not it was worth it to be a doctor. The patient was a 56-year-old gentleman who presented to the emergency room complaining of neck pain. When I went to talk with him and learn more about his complaint, […]

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April 7th, 2011

The Colors of Life

Greg Bratton, MD

For a week, the patient in bed 301 had been fighting. After being found unresponsive and hypothermic in the field, this 48-year-old male was brought to the ICU and was treated for metabolic acidosis, end-stage liver disease, hepatic encephalopathy, and an acute upper GI bleed, all in the context of presumed alcohol intoxication/withdrawal. It was not […]

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January 31st, 2011

The Real Breathless CPR

Greg Bratton, MD

Residency is hard. The hours are long, the work is grueling, and, simply put, hospital food is not good. Many days, we, as residents, walk the wards in a lifeless haze – coasting on the wings of our white coats, our fuel tanks pointing way past empty. During these times, we find ourselves sitting in wheelchairs that are stored […]

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January 13th, 2011

Help Me Help You

Greg Bratton, MD

Although this clip is from a movie about a sports agent trying to negotiate a new contract for an entitled egotistical football player, every time I see it, it reminds me of work. Put a white coat on Tom Cruise, and transplant them from a shower room to an exam room, and it becomes a […]

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