Category: Critical Care

Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

Imagine you are in a bad car accident. You are in and out of consciousness. There are lights and sirens and the smell of gasoline. Everything hurts more than you can bear. Hands pull you from the car and place you on a hard backboard with a rigid cervi…

Navigating medical decision-making: Embracing limits and growth

“Ms. Smith is going to the MICU,” the resident on the other end of the line informs me.  My stomach tightens as that visceral sense of guilt and frustration sets in, familiar by now but this time with a newfound intensity.  It is my second …

In the trenches of health care: Facing unbearable strain

I’m so sorry, but the pain was too much, and I couldn’t continue. I have witnessed patients crying themselves to sleep while nurses held their hands, praying for their treatments to be approved, giving them one more chance at life. Nurses t…

3 ways clinicians can unlock their career potential through writing

When I was a child, I discovered I had superpowers. One day my mother left me at home with a list of tasks, chores and invented homework assignments to complete over summer break — the joys of having a mom who is also a teacher. As my eyes wandered dow…

3 ways clinicians can unlock their career potential through writing

When I was a child, I discovered I had superpowers. One day my mother left me at home with a list of tasks, chores and invented homework assignments to complete over summer break — the joys of having a mom who is also a teacher. As my eyes wandered dow…

Bully nurse in ICU: a shattered moment for a dying patient

She was oil, and I was vinegar. We didn’t mix. Ever. Even though we wanted the best outcome for our ICU patients, we stood on opposite poles of the earth. Sometimes, there’s only room for one alpha dog, one ultimate bully. And that person w…

From buzzer beaters to critical care

Twenty-four is the number of hours in a day that you have to change someone’s life, and it’s also the jersey number of my favorite basketball player, Kobe Bryant. Basketball has always been a passion of mine, and my desire to compete is the…

Unmasking the truth about ECMO [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join John R. Mehall, a cardiothoracic surgeon and physician executive. We explore the lasting impact of the global pandemic on hospitals in the United States, uncover the underlying financi…

From doctor’s journey in ICU to unveiling poisoning mysteries

Through a combination of coincidental privilege, silly circumstances, hard work, persistence, and perseverance, I ended up becoming a doctor. The journey post-graduation is a difficult one, as it introduces you to a world beyond books and examination h…

Life and death in the ICU: a night of heroism, tragedy, and budgetary battles

ICU: Our acuities were high, and staffing was low. Our ICU, with 24 beds, was already full. The staffing situation for that night was so poor that instead of our RNs having a 2:1 patient-nurse ratio, we were forced into 3:1 assignments. Despite the cha…