Highest Rated Comments


FreyjaSunshine476 karma

I'm an Arizona doctor, OR, not ER.

In general, physicians feel betrayed and unsupported. We are exposed to potentially infectious patients every single day. Administrators care more about keeping the money flowing than in protecting the doctors, nurses, techs and other staff that deal directly with patients.

Testing is sporadic at best, so we don't know who might be infectious. This is actually tougher to protect against than HIV was when it was new (I'm old), and just as scary.

PPE is in short supply, and we have to beg for an N-95 mask. Most of us have bought our own masks and respirators, when we can find them. Some people are making masks out of the wrapper that surgical trays are sterilized in. In one of my hospitals, we have trouble finding disinfectant wipes to clean our gear and keep our work areas virus-free. Not quite a war zone (yet), but very third world-like.

FreyjaSunshine222 karma

We do give more drugs under that circumstance. At the very least, an amnestic. Stopping surgery almost never happens, unless there's an event like cardiac arrest.

Source: I've been an anesthesiologist for 23 years.

FreyjaSunshine156 karma

Nursing students tend to drop like flies. We sit them down against a wall.

FreyjaSunshine100 karma

I was a skeptic, did the CBT-i, and now I'm a true believer. It's been over a year of decent sleep now, following over 50 yrs of insomnia.

I have circadian rhythm disorder, delayed sleep phase type, and likely a short sleep gene. I can't change that, but I can manage it. It's been life changing.

People want a pill to fix their sleep problems, but for lasting effects, you have to put in the work to retrain your brain. This is what works.

FreyjaSunshine96 karma

Anesthesiologist here. I've never done one of those in my 30 years of practice, and don't think that's in any way a safer way to intubate.

Wear PPE, intubate with a video laryngoscope under some sort of plastic (I use a large clear drape over a mayo stand), and make sure the patient is fully paralyzed.

I'm with your attending on this one.