I don’t know but I guess I can understand. Some people define themselves by their career. When they retire, they essentially lose their identity and get really depressed. Still, I think it gets to the point where you need to turn your stethoscope and enjoy other aspects of life. I know for sure […]

The next day you are found aspirating on your own vomit with decorticate posturing and right gaze preference. Shortly afterwards EMS intubates you and your are on a vent in the ER. Your blood work is horrible (renal failure and white blood count over 20K). You might think you are lucky that […]

ERP (walking into the ER at 9am, about to take a sip of coffee): “Good Morning, How was your weekend?”
Nurse: “Fine, get into room 19″
ERP: “What?”
Nurse: “Get into room 19, you need to tube this guy, I think they just started compressions”
ERP (heading over to room 19):”Great, what a way to start”
Two minutes […]

Mr Palpitation (a vibrant appearing man in his mid 80’s): Doc, I got chest pain and felt my heart beating really fast yesterday.
ERP: OK, what were you doing at the time?
Mr Palp: I was on a plane flying back from Puerto Rico - I have a bakery here in town and I […]

Husbands, keep an eye on your wife after she delivers your baby. Watch out for signs of post-partum depression - it can be devastating. Recently we had a woman who in retrospect had obviously been suffering from it for two months (bouts of uncontrolled crying, disinterest in the baby, locking herself in […]

I think I just broke a record. The other night I had a guy in SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) and had to give him adenosine. He was a big dude (over 250 lbs). Guess how much I gave him?
First Dose: 6mg. Did nothing
Second Dose: 6mg. Did nothing
Third Dose: 12mg. Broke the SVT […]

Caution! disturbing image below.
Sad how some people just suddenly decide life is not worth living any more. This guy argued with his wife, told her he was going to kill himself, locked himself in his room and 3 minutes later, BANG. Game over.
See the bullet entrance wound circled in white on the second […]