Don't waste my time! Physician Rounds.

Image from: http://house.download-tvshows.com/files/Hugh%20Laurie_1.jpg

Physician rounds, ICU rounds, or multi-disciplinary rounds are very important in the care and treatment of mechanically ventilated patients. It is the only time (usually only once in a 24 hour period) that many specialties can share their concerns, ideas, and goals with the attending intensivist.  The attending physician is very busy, and  responsible for the over-site of many patients, so it is ideal to present your goals during rounds.

I have worked many places and still can't believe how RT's do not attend rounds or do not engage during rounds. These are usually the same RT's that complain that they do not have protocols or that ventilator management is by physician order only. 

"Its your own fault, your NOT allowed to manage the ventilator". 

Why is this patient on mechanical ventilation TODAY?

Photo from: http://theprogressivepatient.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/6/

It is very frustrating when I meet with the ICU staff Respiratory Therapist and ask why is this patient on the ventilator today and I get the following response “they had surgery”, “they coded”, “they had ventilatory failure”, “they have ARDS”, etc. Yet, these events happened hours, days, or even weeks ago, and they are not in the acute stages of their illness anymore.  There is a huge difference between initial indications for mechanical ventilation (MV) versus current goals for MV.

The Infectious Disease Post

Before getting into Respiratory Therapy I was thinking about majoring in microbiology, specifically infectious diseases, so I have taken quite a bit of classes on the subject.

These last few months I have took an interest again on the subject, and have spent my down time researching through books, movies, a mobile game, and even a scavenger hunt.

This post is a hybrid part video/ part text so I would recommend watching the video first.

The references from the video are below: