What I learned today...

Please don't laugh...

The QT interval should be less than half of the RR interval. I know there are some other ways of looking at it, but for the sake of my exploding brain, we are going to keep this simple. I have had several patients with "long QT" and I have had to look up a lot on this.

You cannot give sotalol to someone with long QT, or if they have structural heart disease. I also remember something about haldol and other psych drugs potentially causing long QT syndrome. You can give amiodarone to patients with structural heart disease though. Can you give it if they have long QT? Wish we had a pharmacist on our team this month.

Digoxin slows the heart rate without affecting blood pressure much. It is so funny, because I keep putting patients on this old mostly-forgotten drug. I need to read about it because there are a lot of things to keep in mind while you are using it. And since I am just starting my medical education (med school does not count), I have nothing in my mind and need to fill it up.

It is HARD to find any medical care for the WORKING poor around here. So, even though I am not a huge fan of government run medical care, it is time that someone did something about the fact that I have patients who work 40 hours a week and barely make enough money for basic needs - and they have no health insurance because they are self-employed and not married. But they make too much to get charity clinic. They would pay what they could afford, but I doubt that will be enough to afford a cardiologist. Why do we take care of people who sit on their rears before we take care of those who actually make this country run????? ARGH!

Don't put people on coumadin who can't get their INRs checked. No extra comments needed.

I went to work early, saw my patients and got out of there. My dubin's came in the mail and I am reading it. Maybe I'll take a nap and head back into the hospital this evening once the attendings have had a chance to see my patients.