Medicine by Post-It Note

While not all of medicine can be conveyed on a post-it note, quite a lot of the little things can. And what do you get if you add a lot of little things? A big thing. It's medicine... but not as you know it. Disclaimer: while I try to keep the information...

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CONGRATULATIONS!!! That's so awesome to hear! Good luck with everything! :D

:D

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Doc

I’m away from my post its and my scanner, so a celebratory doodle will have to come later but I passed my exams. I have a job. I will be starting as a foundation year 1 doctor in August. Fear me. 

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I can never remember what the different bits are on a JVP wave so here is a way to try and remember it. It’s a bit contrived, what with Cystole and trYcuspid but silly things are easier to remember. 

C is the tricuspid valve closing and kind of bulging as it does. Imagine it over shooting ever so slightly then recoiling back into place. 

V is the atria refilling, hence why the ventricles need to prepare for the next onslaught. 

The letter refers to the bit of waveform that happened just before it. So when the atria contract they cause a bit of backflow, so the pressure in the jugular vein increases (there’s no valve into the atria, only out) causing the upswing. Then the atria relax so blood can flow into said atria, so the jugular vein empties and the pressure goes down. 

Just remember that it’s the JUGULAR VENOUS pressure. Not the right atrial pressure. They’re similar, but not the same. 

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Amsel criteria for diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. It occurs when the balance of bacteria that naturally occur in the vagina becomes disrupted (usually the lactobacilli number goes down), so some get to predominate leading to symptoms of an infection. IT IS NOT AN STI. One of the common causes is excessively cleaning the vagina. Patients like it when you emphasise this. 

Usually they're anaeroboes so treat them with metronizadole. No need to treat the partner. Tah dah. 

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For looking swish in an OSCE. 

Also an SBA question setter's dream. 

Though the types of patients who get aortic stenosis are generally not the type that are even able to squat so it's a bit academic. 

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CCK. I can never remember what it does...

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A brief overview of the features of HHT. 

Treatment is symptomatic - deal with problems as they arise. Cautery, embolisation, iron supplements, etc. Generally patients have a normal lifespan, with nosebleeds being the most problematic feature. 

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Believe it or not, if you google "pandas" this disease does in fact make an appearance on the first page. Didn't the consultant feel silly though when he typed it in and the first thing that appears is all these pictures of pandas. 

It's a bit obscure, but it is the abrupt onset (or sudden dramatic worsening) of OCD and/or Tourette like syndromes following infection with group A beta haemolytic strep - such as with strep throat and scarlet fever. It is thought it might be an autoimmune response ("molecular mimicry" which is a term I have fondness for), similar to sequale of rheumatic fever (valve disease, chorea). 

Mostly I felt like drawing a panda. I copied it from this guy. 

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At some point over the last few days, while I was moping around with a cold and a dodgy ankle, this little project hit 1000 followers! Whoa. Madness. Thank you!

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Chocolate is also a migraine trigger. 

Also I checked travel and exercise but then thought back to the last time I did either and... well.. maybe not. 

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Online resources

Here is a list of online resources for medical students that I think are very useful. These are aimed at UK based med students but I’m sure would be very useful for everyone.

General med student revision

http://almostadoctor.co.uk

http://geekymedics.com/

http://www.fastbleep.com/

http://medrevise.co.uk

http://www.simplyrevision.org.uk

Radiology

http://radiologymasterclass.co.uk/index.html

http://radiopaedia.org/

ECG

http://www.skillstat.com/tools/ecg-simulator

http://www.learntheheart.com/ecg-review/ecg-interpretation-tutorial/introduction-to-the-ecg/

Clinical guidance and management

http://cks.nice.org.uk/ (clinical knowledge summaries and NICE guidelines)

http://patient.co.uk (especially the professional reference section)

OSCE

http://www.oscestop.com/

http://www.osceskills.com/

Paid for revision sites

pastest.co.uk

passmedicine.com

Speciality specific

http://images.rheumatology.org/

http://www.frca.co.uk/ (anaesthetics)

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ATOMIC - an acronym for remembering the six causes of breathing problems that should be noted on the primary survey in a trauma patient.

A. airway obstruction T. tension pneumothorax O. open pneumothorax M. massive haemothorax I. intercostal disruption - i.e. flail chest where a set of ribs have detached and are floating free in the chest. An indicator of severe chest trauma.  C. cardiac tamponade

The fluffy things in the collapsed lung are clouds. It's meant to signify that there's air in there. I'm not sure how successful that was...

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Some associations of Dupuytrens contracture that are useful to be aware of. Some are well established (family history) and some are quite tenuous (manual labour) but are still worth asking about in a history. 

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Tests to do if you suspect haemolytic anaemia. 

AIHA = autoimmune haemolytic anaemia

MAHA = microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia

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5 ways to reduce the need for blood transfusion during surgery. 

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Could never remember which way round the utricle and saccule are.

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It's almost time to start revising

There may be post-it's heading your way soon.

Be afraid.

Very afraid.