General Internal Medicine

Critical Care

Questions discussed in this category

How do you approach caring for patients admitted with decompensated CHF, but who also exhibit hypotension and do not have overt signs of hypervolemia on exam?

For example, do you consider "cautious" IV fluids or otherwise consider early vasopressors?

5 Answers available

How would you manage a patient with necrotizing pneumonia due to a susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain who continues to have significant purulent secretions and worsening imaging while receiving cefepime?

3 Answers available

Do you recommend IV sodium bicarbonate for patients with rhabdomyolysis and AKI without metabolic alkalosis or hypocalcemia?

3 Answers available

What is your approach to iron supplementation in patients with an active infection?

Are there situations in which you still feel comfortable giving IV iron? If not, do you consider PO iron?

1 Answer available

What is your approach to electrolyte repletion for patients hospitalized with cardiac and non-cardiac conditions?

For example, do you target K >4 and Mg >2?

2 Answers available

What are some practical tips for when a patient's consistently stated goals of care do not correlate with their actions?

For example, what do you do when someone requests aggressive, life-prolonging treatments but then is not receptive to elements of day-to-day care in t...

4 Answers available

Do you routinely hold anticoagulation (including pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis) for bedside procedures such as paracentesis, thoracentesis, and central venous catheter placement?

1 Answer available

What are the best techniques to reduce POCUS artifact and increase the diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound?

2 Answers available

How do you recommend incorporating B-lines on lung POCUS as part of evaluating a patient's volume status?

In particular, how do you reconcile situations where lung POCUS findings contradict other components of volume assessment (e.g. JVD, peripheral edema,...

1 Answer available

What strategies do you find helpful in advanced care planning with patients/families who are very "miracle" centered?

For example, prolonging life-sustaining measures as they "wait for a miracle" of an unrealistic outcome.

1 Answer available

When giving albumin challenge, for acute kidney injury with suspected hepatorenal syndrome, do you administer a single dose daily or split the dose of albumin?

1 Answer available

What is your preferred laboratory test to assess treatment response or infection resolution in patients with bacterial pneumonia?

For example, do you find trending WBC, procalcitonin, CRP, etc., more or less helpful?

3 Answers available

Do you always stop dexamethasone at discharge for patients admitted with COVID requiring respiratory support (as done in the RECOVERY trial), or are there situations in which you will prescribe it to complete a 10-day course?

What situations prompt you to prescribe dexamethasone to complete a 10-day course at discharge?

1 Answer available

How would you approach the management of a patient who develops an accelerated junctional rhythm who exhibits no symptoms and has no prior history of cardiac issues, aside from consulting a cardiologist?

What additional assessments and considerations would you suggest to comprehensively evaluate the underlying cause of the rhythm disturbance and ensure...

1 Answer available

What do you think about using conventional thoracic imaging methods (e.g., X-ray, CT, etc.) to determine if a pleural effusion is of adequate size to consider thoracentesis?

3 Answers available

Would you consider using steroids in patients with respiratory failure caused by aspiration pneumonitis?

1 Answer available

Under what circumstances do you recommend POCUS guidance for lumbar puncture?

2 Answers available

When do you recommend starting a continuous opioid infusion for symptom control at the end of life?

1 Answer available

Do you recommend treating Candida albicans on urine culture from an indwelling catheter in a patient with septic shock?

3 Answers available

For patients with suspected complement-mediated TMA, are there specific clinical or laboratory parameters that can help guide the decision for starting empirical treatment (e.g., eculizumab) while awaiting the results of complement testing?

1 Answer available

Is there a role for repeat surveillance blood cultures in patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis without associated cardiac abscess after a 6 week course of antibiotic treatment without surgical intervention?

1 Answer available

Do you use FVIII levels to differentiate between DIC and coagulopathy of liver disease?

Common thought is that FVIII may be used for differentiating coagulopathy in liver disease (normal to increased, from reduced clearance of VWF/FVIII) ...

4 Answers available