So I think I've found a new webcomic

Consistent, funny and smart. You should go check it out.

sci-ence.org - a skeptical comic and blog

Christmas: The other silly season

I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas/ Holiday period and I'd just thought I'd share a couple of corking papers in this month's British Journal of Medicine. Traditionally, the BMJ treats Christmas as a bit of a silly season when it comes to content and publishes papers which might be considered a bit frivolous at other times of the year. Anyway, these are my favourites from this year:

"Relevance of the expression “obs stable” in nursing observations: retrospective study"

"Orthopaedic surgeons: as strong as an ox and almost twice as clever? Multicentre prospective comparative study"

Both papers are freely available as PDFs for your consideration.

See you all in the new year!

Fighting Trousers - Professor Elemental

Well it made me laugh and not just because he raps about "chap hop".

(via Life in the Fast Lane)

Oh, come on!

So, here I am half-way through my plastic surgery placement and loving it.

It took a bit of time to get started, but mainly because I didn't play to my strengths enough and was a bit of a wallflower.

No longer.

I'm getting on well with the team and it's nice to be getting stuck in with history taking, wound washout and dressing, bleeding and cannulating like a mo' fo' and seeing some fascinating cases.

I've really been boning up on my theory, too. I can talk on the difference between an FDP versus and FDS injury, the need for aggressive management of necrotising fasciitis (or "nec fash" as we say in plastics :P), the implications of loss of sensation of different digits or why surgery is so much better than medicine (I'm still not entirely sold on that argument...)

Sitting with the consultant in his clinic still generates existential dread, though. I'm not sure that ever changes, to be fair, as I have seen SHOs and SpRs with an expression I recognise - the "oh god, I have no idea" face. I thought I was doing okay on my last clinic... Only to have One Of Those Questions come up:

Mr Hand: "What test am I asking the patient to perform?"

(the patient is making the familiar "inverted prayer" I know is Phalen's test)

Me: "Phalen's test"

Mr Hand: "And what is the positive Phalen's sign?"

Me: (silently sighing with relief) "Pain or tingling in the hands"

Mr Hand: "And when did Phalen write his paper on this test?"

Me: (OMFGWTFBBQ) "No idea, sorry"

I almost laughed because I thought he was being hyperbolic. Turns out, not so much.

*sigh*

ICU consultants part 1

scene: morning ward round


(A phone beeps)

Consultant: It's my daughter. "Dad, what's the stuff that platelets produce when they come into contact with collagen?" Anyone know?

Turns, looking questioningly at the room full of consultants, registrars an SHO and myself

(hushed silence)

Registrar: Why is she asking?
Consultant: She's doing her A-levels. Seriously, no-one knows? (turns to me) do you?
Me: (thinking that it's been more than three weeks since the last time I had to think about the coagulation cascade) No idea.

In retrospect, and with a quick visit to wiki, I guess she meant Thromboxane or ADP?

Damn your eyes, Sir!

Fuuuuuuuuu-

Hang on, let me try something

)

Nope, that's not going to do it.

Because this week is Asthma

Our PBL case this week is Asthma. Which means I know what YouTube clip I'll be sharing in tomorrow's session