• 2. Mechanics of Breathing

    Subheadings:– Lung pressures– Compliance – Resistance – The act of breathing Lung Pressures What stops the lungs just collapsing down? What keeps them open? The answer is a dynamic, constant tension of outward and inward forces, resulting in an equilibrium that keeps the lungs open. The main equation that explains how lungs remain open is:…

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  • 1. Respiratory Physiology Introduction

    Brief note:I spent last year working with anaesthetic and critical care colleagues as part of my Emergency Medicine training. During this time, I gained a new appreciation for the application of physiology to clinical practice, and the usefulness of first-principles learning, for example, in altering ventilation settings in critically unwell patients. One particular anaesthetic consultant…

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  • Acute Coronary Syndrome; an Evolution to our Approach (OMI/NOMI)

    Our current paradigm (STEMI/NSTEMI) is failing us and our patients. This is a broad overview and discussion on why the current STEMI/NSTEMI paradigm is no longer fit for purpose. Although ST elevation is a vitally important ECG change to recognise, over-emphasis on this morphology risks missing many acute coronary occlusions, as we will see here.…

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