Shout Outs

Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active. 

Medgadget is the host for this week’s issue of Grand Rounds! You can read this week’s edition here.

Welcome to Grand Rounds, the weekly recap of the best in the medical blog universe! And welcome to Medgadget, where our team of researchers, doctors and engineers cover the world of medical devices and health-related technology news.

For Grand Rounds this week, we suggested bloggers send us technology-related material, and they rose to the challenge; we received some amazing links. Of course, there was great non-techie material too. It’s all below, loosely categorized, with photos and quotes lifted from posts of note.   …….

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Amazing story from BBC science reporter Neil Bowdler: Bionic hand for 'elective amputation' patient (photo credit)

An Austrian resident has voluntarily had his hand amputated so he can be fitted with a bionic limb.

The patient, called "Milo", aged 26, lost the use of his right hand in a motorcycle accident a decade ago.

….. what is called a "brachial plexus" injury to his right shoulder left his right arm paralysed. Nerve tissue transplanted from his leg by Professor Aszmann restored movement to his arm but not to his hand. ….

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angienadia, MD, Primary Dx, has written a thoughtful post on resident work hours which can be read both on her blog or on KevinMD: New ACGME work hour regulations for interns: friend or foe?

…..Libby highlighted what was and is wrong with medicine today. Private physicians cannot and should not be allowed to manage patients who are sick enough to be admitted by phone – ………

The solution stares us in the eye – interns need a stricter cap on the number of patients they can admit or care for at one time. …... Sixteen-hour shift is not the answer – it only aggravates the actual source of the problem

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Sandnsurf, LITFL, give praise to an inspiration patient: Nathan Charles

Patients are often a source of inspiration and hope.
One such stand out individual is Nathan Charles.

I first met Nathan in January of this year in my role as team doctor for the Emirates Western Force rugby union team. Nathan is a 21 year old elite athlete playing number 2 (hooker) for the Western Force. But what makes this achievement even more admirable is that he has cystic fibrosis. …………

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NPR’s Robert Krulwich writes about women in science: The Ghost Of Madame Curie Protests...

……….. I got to thinking about the not-so-subtle way women have been treated in science, even the most celebrated ones.

A few months back, I wrote a post about how the Nobel Committee (a committee of guys) in 1911 tried to get Madame Curie NOT to come and collect her second Nobel Prize. ……….

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From @enochchoi via twitter:   my #TedXHayward talk on Disaster Medical Relief http://ow.ly/4ZTt2

Disaster Medical Relief on Prezi

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Fellow medical blogger @DrJohnM wrote about some things he observed on his recent trip to Germany:   A Kentucky Doc goes to Europe

……..For now, may I highlight a few of the more striking differences between Europe and the States, as noted by a Kentuckian on his first trip across the Atlantic?

(I realize that sophisticated well-traveled people already know this stuff, but I can’t help myself.)

First...The transportation system in Europe uses much smaller vehicles……….

Second…The bikes! I was stunned by the sheer numbers of smart-looking people pedaling around on the sidewalks and streets of Hamburg……….

On healthcare:

(A disclaimer: I am only making observations and asking questions; I am not suggesting we adopt the German healthcare system after a five-day visit.)

I quickly learned that all German citizens get free healthcare. But those who desire ‘more’ care can buy additional private coverage.  ……….

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You can find some of my iPhone photos here. They are not nearly as good as the ones in this HuffPost Arts article from John Seed: The Art of iPhone Photography in Orange County (PHOTOS)

If Cartier-Bresson was still taking photos today, he would ditch his Leica and be taking photos with an iPhone. At least, that is the view of Knox Bronson, a curator, composer and iPhoneographer who has been gathering a stunning gallery of iPhone photos on his site: P1XELS the art of the iPhone.

Bronson, who is a purist, is only interested in collecting photos that have not in any way been manipulated outside of the phone by a computer:

This is one of mine (Instagram photo app with Inkwell filter of a pink rose in full bloom):

Shout Outs

Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active. 

iMedicalApps is the host for this week’s Doctor Watson issue of Grand Rounds! You can read this week’s edition here (photo credit).

This is the first time iMedicalApps is hosting Grand Rounds, and to those not familiar, Grand Rounds is weekly collection of medical blog posts with different themes — hosted by various blogs.

To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what Grand Rounds was until very recently. When I started iMedicalApps in November 2009, we were a rag tag team of physicians and medical students, and I had no experience with the “medical blogosphere” — I didn’t even know it existed, I just wanted to review medical apps and provide a quality resource for medical professionals.  ………..

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These two are both breast cancer survivor related.  Powerful!

HT @medicallessons who tweeted “Make Them Hear You: Voices of Metastatic Breast Cancer - http://t.co/4Jmkzrh”

Last weekend, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network (MBCN) launched an e-newsletter called “Voices.”

The name reminded me of a video MBC and LBBC  helped with last year: “Faces of Metastatic Breast Cancer.”

The low-key video shows a variety of women doing every day things with their families and commenting on MBC. It’s not a public service awareness message–it’s not preachy. Some people are serious, but many are laughing, playing with their kids and so on. It’s well worth a look!

Here are some other women who have inspired me: 

Molly Ivins:

“Having breast cancer is massive amounts of no fun. First they mutilate you;
then they poison you; then they burn you. I have been on blind dates better
than that.”
–Molly Ivins 1944 – 2007, columnist, political commentator and humorist

Plastic surgeon @mchrysopoulo tweeted about a video his group put together and posted on their Facebook page: Tattoos that tell Breast Cancer stories. Go watch the video!

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Recently @seattlemamadoc shared her “Ultimate Disaster Kit” segment and interview she did.  Great advice!

Where can people find out more about emergency preparedness?
· On my Seattle Mama Doc blog, I recently wrote a post about emergency preparedness.
· I’d also recommend checking out the American Red Cross’ Website and 3 Days 3 Ways for more information.

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H/T to @crzegrl15 who tweeted:  Nursing hero: Evacuation of war-wounded in Libya: first-person account by MSF nurse http://bit.ly/gaiZS6

Editor's note: Alison Criado-Perez, a nurse with Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) shares this first-person account of evacuating war-wounded people out of Misrata. Ali is a nurse working for MSF in Libya and Tunisia. She has previously worked in Nigeria, Colombia, Uganda and Central African Republic. The video embedded in this blog post shows Ali actually treating a patient on the boat described in the account shared below. ………

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H/T to @Allergy who shared this on twitter:  Lost in translation: the warning "I am deathly allergic to nuts" accidentally became "I am absolutely dying for nuts" http://goo.gl/h8Myp

Ted Leonsis, founder of the company that owns the Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics sports teams, along with Verizon Center in Washington D.C., ……

He's also had to deal with his allergy in a foreign country. He recently visited Paris, and before leaving, asked the stewardess to translate into French the following message: "I am deathly allergic to nuts. Please do not serve me any nuts or nut products." He then passed the note to a server at a French restaurant. The message was lost in translation, accidentally becoming "I am absolutely dying for nuts. I must have nuts." The error was discovered when the waiter brought ten plates of nuts out for Leonsis. ……….

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H/T to @grahamwalker who shared this tweet:  Awesome. NEJM Clinical Practice review on "Care of Transsexual Persons." Very progressive of them. nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…

It truly is a very nice article which I would encourage all physicians to read.

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Threads has a wonderful article on the recreation of this jacket created for Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts: Threads seamstress contributed to jacket on display at Winterthur Museum

The jacket is currently on loan to the Textiles Gallery at Winterthur Museum, Library and Garden in Wilmington, Delaware: The Plimoth Jacket: A Paradise in Silk and Gold (photo credit)

On loan to Winterthur from Plimoth Plantation, the Plimoth Jacket is not an exact reproduction. Rather, it was re-created from two examples in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. One was chosen for the cut and construction of the jacket and the other for the design of the embroidery. Both originals date to the 1620s. ……

The sewing, embroidery, and lace were all entirely done by hand. The lace spangles (the tear-drop shaped sequins hanging from the lace) were created using tools made specifically for the project. The tools and techniques replicate those from the 1600s. Even the lining was hand-woven and dyed with natural indigo.

Learn More
View a PDF presentation about the creation of the jacket.

Medical Reserve Corps

Updated 3/2017 -- all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active and it was easier than checking each one.

I have volunteered to be a member of a local medical reserve corps (Pulaski County MRC Team 1).  It is still in the forming stage as we recruit members, etc.  There are many on-line courses that can be taken to ready yourself or to take as a review every few years.  A-Train allows me (and other members of my team) to access these courses and to keep a transcript log of the courses we take (and add those not taken through this site).  It also allows our leader to suggest courses for us, to contact us for periodic meetings, etc.  Through this site, I can link to others such as the federal site "Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps". 

I am told that most MRC’s have difficulty getting physicians to sign up.  We need to train along with the EMT’s, fire departments, city planners, hospitals, etc so that when disasters (be it California’s fires or earthquakes, Arkansas’ tornados and this year floods, the Gulf’s hurricanes, school shootings, etc) happen we are ready.  We need to be ready as well as willing.  I would encourage you to volunteer.  You can specify that you are not willing (or able) to be deployed great distances or for extended periods of time.  By being educated in the lingo, organization, and vouched for (they can check your degree, etc) ahead of time it will be easier for you to be “used” when the time comes.

You can search for an MRC in your area here.

I began this course a few years ago and have been slowly learning more about disaster response (man and nature made).  Arkansas recently set up a website for registering as a volunteer, so they could “vet” us prior to being called out.

The Arkansas ESAR-VHP System is an electronic database of healthcare personnel who volunteer to provide aid in an emergency or major disaster. Our System is ultimately designed to register health volunteers, apply emergency credentialing standards to registered volunteers, and allow for the verification of the identity, credentials, and qualifications of registered volunteers in an emergency.

Registered healthcare volunteers will be contacted to determine availability when there is a need for emergency personnel. If available for deployment the volunteer will be provided with the appropriate contact and reporting information.

I would like to encourage you to volunteer or at least on a personal level learn what you need to do as an individual to keep yourself and family safe.  That will lessen the need of responders to do rescue.

IS-22 Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness

Disaster Preparedness

 Updated 3/2017--photos and all links removed as many are no longer active and it was easier than checking each one.

I received this brochure from my state medical society. I'm listing all the links (which I have checked) here so that I can use my Evernote to save them for easy access. Many of them would be useful no matter which state (or country) you live in.

Opportunities to Volunteer
AR Health Alert Network
AR Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals
Citizens Corps
Arkansas Medical Reserve Corps Team
First Response Physicians
AR One Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT)
Arkansas Crisis Response Team
American Red Cross
AR Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters
Central Arkansas Cities Readiness Initiative
RESOURCE LINKS
Clinic and Business Preparedness
Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Businesses
CDC Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Checklist for Clinics (pdf)
Federal Department of Homeland Security Ready America for Businesses
Avian Influenza: WHO Interim Infection Control Guideline for Health Care Facilities
Disaster Medical Information
Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC Pandemic Influenza & Avian Flu General Information
AMA Center for Public Health Preparedness & Disaster Response
AMA Disaster Medicine & Public Health Preparedness Journal
electronic Core Disaster Life Support Course (free CME -- up to 4 AMA Category 1 credits available through 9/30/08)
National Organization on Disability Emergency Preparedness
AR Department of Health Public Health Preparedness
Personal & Family Preparedness/Patient Education
AR Blue Cross/Blue Shield Preparing for a Pandemic Booklet (pdf)
AR Disability and Health Program Emergency Preparedness
Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC Pandemic Influenza Individual Preparedness
Federal Department of Homeland Security Ready America
Federal Department of Health and Human Services
American Red Cross