Critical Care

The emotional toll of being a doctor: My story of witnessing death and coordinating care during COVID-19

Physician
May 9, 2023

When I was a medical student several years ago, I saw someone die in front of me for the first time. My classmate and I weren’t responsible for the patients; we only observed and made additional reports for our studies. The following day, we discussed the disease’s course, the medicines, prevention, and related topics. Most of the things we talked about were theoretical to help avoid future deaths like the …

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The underappreciated heroes of health care: a doctor’s appreciation for therapists

Physician
May 3, 2023

As a doctor who has cared for countless critically ill patients, I cannot stress enough how important therapists are for patient recovery. Whether it’s occupational, physical, or speech therapists, these health care professionals play an integral role in helping patients regain their abilities and quality of life after an illness or injury.

In my experience, occupational therapists are especially crucial for patients who have experienced loss of motor function from a …

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The secret side of a brilliant ICU physician revealed

Conditions
April 25, 2023

As I look at his obituary pictures, I can’t help but feel a sense of longing. I wish I could have known him – that other side of him that his family, friends, and colleagues are sharing in their photos. They’re all smiling and laughing, hugging each other, and radiating a genuine sense of happiness.

He was one of our main ICU physicians, a brilliant man who could meticulously turn a …

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A tale of two patients: one journey, two stories of courage

Conditions
April 21, 2023

It was a busy night in the emergency department, as usual. I rushed from one patient to the next, trying to keep up with the constant stream of people coming in with various ailments and injuries.

One patient, in particular, stood out to me that night. He was an older man, probably in his early 70s, who had come in complaining of severe back pain. After a thorough examination and some …

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A medical advocate’s role in the COVID ICU [PODCAST]

Podcast
April 10, 2023
YouTube video

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In this episode, guest Sara L. Merwin, co-author of The Informed Patient: A Complete Guide to a Hospital Stay, shares her experience helping a family navigate their loved one’s hospital stay during the height of the COVID …

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From hope to heartbreak: a story of loss in the ICU

Conditions
March 31, 2023

Ms. Laura was a vibrant and feisty lady with a personality that filled the room. She had been my patient two months ago when she was admitted for an irregular heartbeat and COPD exacerbation. She was a smoker, and despite her heart issues, she had a strong will to live. I had advised her to quit smoking, but it was a habit that was hard to break.

When I saw her …

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A personal journey through hospital-acquired psychosis [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 12, 2023
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

Join us for a touching and insightful episode with Natasha Khalid, a geriatrics fellow, as she shares her personal experience of dealing with ICU psychosis in a loved one. Natasha takes us on a journey through her …

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The ICU experience that changed a young doctor’s perspective forever

Conditions
February 24, 2023

As a healthy 30-year-old intern with an infant, I never expected to land in the ICU on a random Thursday at 10 a.m. As I prepared to start my first precepted thoracentesis at the VA, I suddenly began to experience double vision. Assuming it to be a weird manifestation of anxiety, I politely stepped out to try to gather myself. I ran some cold water and splashed it on my …

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The ICU nurse shortage: How cost-cutting is endangering patient care

Conditions
February 11, 2023

Recently, I read an article by an ICU nurse that discussed the disturbing trend of replacing seasoned nurses with inexperienced ones in the name of cost-cutting. This issue is not limited to the ICU but is rampant in every area of nursing.

As a psychiatric nurse with 45 years of experience, 35 of which were as a board-certified psychiatric nurse, and a former mentor and preceptor, I have witnessed the …

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A heartbreaking yet heartwarming story of a pediatric neurology resident’s struggle and empathy

Physician
February 4, 2023

The pager beeps early on the first day of my inpatient pediatric neurology service week. The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) would like us to perform a brain death examination on a young boy before potential organ donation. An apparently healthy boy who had an unexpected clinical course that led to his current state.

As a pediatric neurology resident, I often have difficult conversations with our patients and families, but the …

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The isolation of the COVID ICU: the need for patient advocates

Conditions
January 30, 2023

The COVID ICU is abuzz with monitors beeping and doctors and nurses rushing from bed to bed to care for critically ill patients, most on ventilators. The machines – dialysis, vents, pumps – sound off their rhythmic repetitions; breaths are pushed in and pulled out, and meds are dripped. Only the patients themselves are silent. We know this, and we hear this, but we are not there. It’s thhe height …

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The Christmas miracle and the music box

Conditions
December 17, 2022

She was 82 years old — sweet, frail, and maybe four feet eight inches tall.

She had many beloved children, grandchildren, and even a few great-grandchildren

They all grew up knowing that family was their core — their base, their home where love resided.

It was only a few days before Christmas, and Mrs. Mary entered our ICU.

COPD.

She lived with this for a long time. But this time, it crippled her. We gave …

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A doctor’s grief

Physician
November 30, 2022

Last evening I crumbled in the arms of my patient and wept. This was unknown territory to me, an unexpected role reversal. For three weeks after my Mom’s death, I maintained a stoic distance as patients offered their condolences, as they asked about my mother, and empathized. We doctors have been trained to do this, to face death, to keep our emotions at arm’s length. But this patient, who has …

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Physician burnout: a lack of resilience or a lack of control?

Physician
October 17, 2022

When I quit my clinic job after four waves of the COVID-19 pandemic as an intensivist, I decided not to work in direct patient care for a while. I expected harsh criticism from my colleagues. Surprisingly, that never happened. The feedback was unexpected, at least for me. Most of my colleagues admired my decision. They called me brave for taking the leap, and many admitted thinking about the same for …

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Working in medicine isn’t an all-or-nothing situation

Physician
October 10, 2022

I have recently undergone (yet another) transition and am now back to living at home with my family full time instead of in an apartment half of the time. So wonderful most of the time … I think.

It is amazing and a very big wake-up call that I missed many of my children’s lives. And that those two years I will never get back, but it’s also just so hard …

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Residency almost killed me — literally

Physician
September 5, 2022

One morning, I was sitting in resident lecture. This time was supposedly protected, but we realized fairly quickly that the work still had to be done, and “I had lecture” never really worked out well as an explanation.

By this time in the week, I had already worked 80 hours, and the luxury of sitting down for an hour in a row was the main upside to the lecture. I kept …

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