Posts authored during my second year of internal medicine residency training.
Pathophysiology In an average healthy person, normal LV ejection fraction (LVEF): >50% Roughly 50% of those with heart failure have reduced left ventricular (LV) function (HFrEF) Heart cannot squeeze/contract properly, and then progressively dilates. The other 50% have preserved (normal contraction) LV function (HFpEF) Cannot relax properly, leading to high diastolic (filling) pressures. New heart failure …
More organized, saw-tooth type pattern seen on standard 12-lead EKG. Negative flutter waves in inferior leads Positive flutter waves in V1 Typical Flutter = counterclockwise reentry around tricuspid annulus. Rate is ~250/min; noted as 2:1 or 4:1 for its atrial rate and the ratio of electrical conduction down the AV node. Atrial Flutter is often seen in …
As of the time of this writing, I am a second-year internal medicine resident physician, and have been involved in the care of at least fifty patients (averaging nearly one patient per work week, a very conservative estimate) with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), an abnormal heart rhythm. According to MKSAP 17 Cardiovascular Medicine, it is the #1 …
It’ll take some time to shake the feeling of being the “Intern” after twelve months with that role. One of my primary goals for intern year (first year) was to learn the fundamentals of real-world medical practice. If I had to choose a few from a long-list, some fundamentals would include: recognize life-threatening and other urgent but common …
