Is the death of Rory Staunton really the result of a simple mistake?

Physician
August 8, 2012

If you pay attention at all to news about medicine, you must have heard about the tragic death of a 12-year old boy who was seen and discharged from the emergency department of the prestigious New York University Medical Center. He had developed sepsis from what appears to have been a small cut and the diagnosis was missed. When he eventually returned to the ED and was admitted, it …

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Is the death of Rory Staunton really the result of a simple mistake?

Using Advair to treat postinfectious cough

Meds
June 3, 2012

I am not a huge baseball fan to begin with, and when I am, I root for the Nationals.  Thus, I pay little attention to the New York Yankees, and was not aware that Yankee player Mark Teixeira had been suffering from a cough for the past month until it the story from the New York Times came through one of my Twitter feeds. According to the story: “Mark Teixeira had …

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Using Advair to treat postinfectious cough

What separates a developed and a developing country?

Physician
April 22, 2012

How can you determine whether you are in a “developed” or a “developing” country? We used to call these latter “un- or underdeveloped” or “3rd world” countries, but those terms are no longer politically acceptable, considering the tinderbox of feelings about this topic.

If one objectively examines all 20 dozen or so of the world’s countries, a geographer would divide them into either north or south of the Equator. And if, …

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What separates a developed and a developing country?

Why my patient ran away from the hospital

Physician
April 10, 2012

My patient ran away from the hospital.

This ordinarily is almost common place for a hospital bordering the south side of Chicago. In the last two years at the hospital, I had first grown surprised, and then helpless and finally weary to such mysterious absconding. This time however, it struck a chord.

Long before Mr B ran away, I had an inkling the new diagnosis of HIV would be difficult for him …

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Why my patient ran away from the hospital

Fever in children: 5 facts you must know

Conditions
August 11, 2011

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A recent issue of Pediatrics includes a new report detailing the need for doctors to improve patient teaching about fever and fever-reducing drugs.

Many parents fear their child getting a fever or have “fever phobia.” I certainly can understand why. Kids can do crazy things when they get fevers. They don’t sleep well, eat poorly, and behave strangely. Some children …

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Fever in children: 5 facts you must know

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