Journal Club Episodes

No matter which ICU in which I work, I am asked to keep the potassium levels more than 4. Is there any evidence for this?

Patients frequently base their relationships with Doctors on their first impression. And research shows that our attire has a lot to do with that first impression. On this week's episode, Dr. Hassaballa reviews the latest evidence on Physician attire and the patient-physician relationship. Article: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/8/e100824

Typically, we titrate Vascopressors to a mean arterial pressure of 65. Does this harm patient with septic shock? Dr. Hassabolus goes over the literature.

I am clearly in the aggressive fluid resuscitation camp for patients who present with septic shock or sepsis-induced hypotension. And I have been vindicated by the literature. CLASSIC: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2202707 CLOVERS: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2212663 CHEST Review: https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(23)00637-2/fulltext ESICM Guidelines: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40163133/

I was taken aback by the term, "Medical Gaslighting," used in this recent article. So, I sat down with the principal author and discussed the article and its larger implications beyond Gynecology. Article link: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2833711

In the first of a two-part series about sleep in the intensive care unit, Dr. Hassaballa discusses the classic sleep deprivation studies and their implications on our own sleep.

Despite multiple specialty society guidelines recommending not to transfuse blood if the hemoglobin levels are above 7-8 g/dL, many physicians disregard the recommendations. Why is that? Dr. Hassaballa discusses this issue. Article referenced in the show: https://www.pulmccm.org/p/guidelines-on-red-cell-transfusion

Despite a strong recommendation by the American Society of Clinical Oncology in its guidelines, recent surveys indicate very few, if any at all, Oncologists refer patients to Palliative Care. This is a huge disservice.

Recent research shows that a substantial minority of patients have cognitive motor dissociation. This has many important implications for our practice of critical care medicine. NEJM Study: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2400645 NY Times Column: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/opinion/covert-consciousness-unresponsive-brain.html

Dr. Hassaballa discusses this recent review article and meta-analysis of the correction rate of hyponatremia and clinical outcomes.

In this episode of Journal Club, Dr. Hassaballa discusses the recent study comparing small-bore to large-bore chest tubes for hemothorax drainage.

A recent study showed that you don’t need oxygen all day, every day. That’s welcome news for patients needing chronic oxygen.

A study showed no difference between IV and IO access in cardiac arrest. Yet, I have some questions. Study link: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2407616

In this latest Journal Club episode, Dr. Hassaballa discusses an article about potassium replacement after cardiac surgery. Could this be the beginning of a more sensible potassium replacement protocol? Study link: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2823246

Dr. Hassaballa discusses a recent study about using noninvasive ventilation for preoxygenation prior to intubation. Study link: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2313680

In this latest episode of Journal Club, Dr. Hassaballa discusses the latest evidence regarding stress ulcer prophylaxis. Article link: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2404245 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

In this latest installment of Journal Club, Dr. Hassaballa discussed a large study of COVID vaccines and adverse events of special interest. Study link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X24001270 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

In this new series on Healthcare Musings, we discuss important journal articles in the medical literature. In this first episode of Journal Club, Dr. Hassaballa discusses this article about physician empathy and outcomes in chronic low back pain. Article link: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2817441 CARE Measure: https://caremeasure.stir.ac.uk/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit he...