Brilliant. I think this idea really has legs. If we can move the vent controls outside the room we can check/adjust ventilators without consuming PPE. Combine this with moving IV pumps to the hall and we may reduce ICU PPE consumption by 50%. #innovation#covid4MDs
Calling all #RespiratoryTherapist For which ventilators is it possible to separate the control unit from the ventilator? What type of extension cable is needed? Let’s #crowdsource these extensions. This is an effective low tech way to conserve PPE and save lives. #covid4MDs
Looks like this is the connector we need. Anyone know if these are widely available?
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Tragic news today about former president Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis. I wish him well.
As someone who follows presidential health reporting, I noticed something odd: unlike his predecessors, Biden's physician's never reported PSA.
How to interpret this absence? A🧵 1/
There are two possibilities:
1️⃣ Biden’s PSA was never checked
2️⃣ Biden’s PSA was checked but it wasn't reported
Strictly speaking, not checking PSA could be a medically correct option. Whether or not to test PSA is a complex question and is not the topic of this thread.
2/
Like many VIPs, presidents tend to have excessive testing that is not always strictly evidence-based.
For example, Bush 43 had an exercise treadmill test and a TB test for no apparent reason.
In honor of #MayThe4thBeWithYou let's consider the most difficult airways in the Star Wars universe:
1. Darth Vader
Species: human
Vader presents several challenges: Vent dependent at baseline, airway burns from Mustafar, limited neck mobility.
Discuss GOC before saving him
2. Fodesinbeed Annodue
Species: Trog
All airways require teamwork, but intubating Fodesinbeed Annodue's two heads really will require two operators.
Consider double simultaneous awake fiberoptic intubation
Be sure to consent both heads.
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum & challenging airways than Mos Eisley (except maybe at Jabba's)
3.Greedo
Species: Rodian
Micrognathia, posterior airway, no nasal intubation, green skin so no pulse ox
Approach: VL + bronchoscope. Intubate quickly (shoot first)
Every year, there is a predictable spike in fatal car accidents, medical errors, & heart attacks.
It’s estimated that there are thousands of excess deaths, a 1% increase in energy consumption, & billions of dollars in lost GDP.
The cause? Daylight savings transitions.
🧵
1/
Earth's axis of rotation and orbital axis are not precisely aligned. The 23.5 degree difference - 'axis tilt' - gives us our seasons and a noticeable difference in day length over the course of the year.
2/
For millennia this seasonal variation was an accepted fact of life.
In 1895, George Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist, was annoyed that less afternoon light meant less time for bug collecting.
He realized that clocks could be adjusted seasonally to align with daylight.
Unlike other Trump moves, this is arguably GOOD news for researchers!
If the NIH budget is unchanged (a big if), this allocates more money to researchers; if you go from an indirect of 75% to 15% it means you can fund 3 grants instead of 2.
Between 1947 and 1965, indirect rates ranged from 8% to 25% of total direct costs. In 1965, Congress removed most caps. Since then indirects have steadily risen.
2/
A lot of indirects go to thing like depreciation of facilities not paying salaries of support staff.
This accounting can be a little misleading.
If donors build a new $400m building, the institution can depreciate it & “lose” $20m/year over 20 years. Indirects pay this.
3/
🚨Apparently all NIH Study Sections have been suspended indefinitely.
For those who don’t know, this means there won’t be any review of grants submitted to NIH
Depending on how long this goes on for, this could lead to an interruption in billions in research funding.
With a budget of ~$47.4B, the NIH is by far the biggest supporter of biomedical research worldwide.
Grants are reviewed periodically by committees of experts outside of the NIH.
When these study sections are cancelled, it prevents grants from being reviewed & funded.
Hopefully this interruption will be brief (days)
A longer interruption in study sections (months) will inevitably cause an interruption in grant funding. This means labs shutdown, researchers furloughed/fired, & clinical trials suspended. This will harm progress & patients!