The Critical Care Commute Podcast

Dr Rob Mac Sweeney is an Intensivist at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, and the lead organizer for the Critical Care Review, both the website and conference. 2023's conference is June 14-16, and streamed from the Titanic Centre in Belfast. Join us as Dr. Mac Sweeney explains what makes this meeting one of the top conferences in Critical Care. Follow this link for the 20223 meeting: CCR23 (criticalcarereviews.com)

Welcome to this episode featuring Dr. Hannah Wunsch, Professor of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine and now published author of her debut book, The Autumn Ghost. In this episode, we explore the story behind Dr. Wunsch's book, the inspiration for its creation, and the message she hopes to convey to readers. The Autumn Ghost is a captivating literary work that delves deep into the origin story of Critical Care Medicine, the fragility of life, and the importance of cherishing the moments we have with our loved ones. Join us as we dive into the pages of Autumn Ghost and explore the profound themes that Dr. Wunsch explores in her writing.

Dr. Sam Shemie is a world-renowned expert in the field of critical care and the determination of brain death. He is a pediatric critical care physician and a professor of Pediatrics and Critical Care Medicine at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Shemie is also the founder and director of the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, a national research program focused on improving organ donation and transplantation in Canada.Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Shemie has made significant contributions to the understanding and practice of brain death determination, which is a critical component of organ donation and transplantation. He has published numerous scholarly articles on the subject, and he has served as an advisor to the World Health Organization, the Canadian Blood Services, and other organizations on issues related to organ donation and transplantation.In this podcast, Dr. Shemie shares his expertise on brain death determination and the ethical considerations that surround this complex topic. Listeners will gain valuable insights into the science of brain death determination, as well as the challenges that clinicians and families face in making these difficult decisions. Dr. Shemie's thoughtful and compassionate approach to this topic will leave listeners with a deeper understanding of the critical role that organ donation and transplantation play in saving lives.

Dr. Sam Shemie is a highly respected expert in the field of critical care medicine. He is a pediatric critical care physician (our first peaditric critical care specialist on the podcast) and a professor of Pediatrics at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Shemie has dedicated his career to improving the care of critically ill patients, particularly children. He has a special interest in organ donation and transplantation, and has made significant contributions to the development of donation policies and practices in Canada and around the world.  In this podcast, Dr. Shemie shares his extensive knowledge and experience in the field critical care medicine, as he takes us on a journey of "Life, Death and the Bridges in Between."

Dr Robyn Harrison is a clinical professor in infectious diseases at the University of Alberta, Canada, and the vice-chair of NACI (the National Advisory Committee on Immunization). She joins us for a topical chat to coincide with new guidelines, and to explore what we can ALL do to keep our patients safer from one of the ICUs biggest issues: that dastardly bacterium Streptococcus Pneumoniae. Many thanks, Robyn; go adult vaccines!   Further Reading: 1. Sprague E, Reynolds S, Brindley P. Patient Isolation Precautions: Are They Worth It?. Can Respir J. 2016;2016:5352625. doi:10.1155/2016/5352625 2. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/public-health-level-recommendations-use-pneumococcal-vaccines-adults-including-use-15-valent-20-valent-conjugate-vaccines/summary-february-2023.html 3. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults/index.html

Mervyn Singer is a ludicrously busy and accomplished intensivist and professor at University College London. He is a prolific and provocative publisher, researcher and innovator, and our go to guy for all things Sepsis, Syndromes and (basic) Science. This is a fun and informative chat: many thanks Merv!   Further Reading: 1. Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, et al. The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016;315(8):801-810. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0287 2. Shankar-Hari M, Phillips GS, Levy ML, et al. Developing a New Definition and Assessing New Clinical Criteria for Septic Shock: For the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016;315(8):775-787. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0289 3. Póvoa P, Coelho L, Dal-Pizzol F, et al. How to use biomarkers of infection or sepsis at the bedside: guide to clinicians. Intensive Care Med. 2023;49(2):142-153. doi:10.1007/s00134-022-06956-y 4. Singer M. Personalizing Sepsis Care. Crit Care Clin. 2018;34(1):153-160. doi:10.1016/j.ccc.2017.08.011 5. Singer M. Sepsis: personalization v protocolization?. Crit Care. 2019;23(Suppl 1):127. Published 2019 Jun 14. doi:10.1186/s13054-019-2398-5 6. Morelli A, Ertmer C, Westphal M, et al. Effect of heart rate control with esmolol on hemodynamic and clinical outcomes in patients with septic shock: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2013;310(16):1683-1691. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.278477 7. Singer M, Shipley R, Baker T, Cowell A, Brealey D, Lomas D. The UCL Ventura CPAP device for COVID-19. Lancet Respir Med. 2020;8(11):1076-1078. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30422-7

Dr Mark Wilson is one clever, busy and productive chap. His day job is as Neurosurgeon, Pre Hospital Resuscitation Doc and a Professor at Imperial College London. Most relevant to our podcast he is co-founder of GoodSAM (http://www.goodsamapp.org/), a platform that alerts doctors, nurses, paramedic and those trained in basic life support to emergencies around them. Listen, learn, and sign up for GoodSam.   Link to BBC show: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0018x4p Link to GoodSAM evidence: GoodSAM (goodsamapp.org)

Every department, that uses clinical pharmacists on their team has one: A pharmacy whiteboard! A whiteboard for education. These take tons of work before a single note is written, and great care is taken to ensure accuracy and relevance. Join us on this new short segment called "the Pharmacy Whiteboard" as we learn from pharmacists using their whiteboard ideas. In this his first one, we are joined by Dr Jonathan Mailman, a clinical pharmacist from Victoria BC, Canada, as he discusses the value of clinical pharmacists in the ED. No better time than now as pharmacy appreciation month draws to a close. Further reading: Here's the short selection Pharmacy Practice literature (in PMID) by category:Sepsis PMID: 24904184 PMID: 27503060 Trauma PMID: 23943183 PMID: 25797938 PMID: 25768964PMID: 29079370 Resuscitation PMID: 29276268 PMID: 21665406PMID: 18349308 PMID: 22095821 Stroke PMID: 28759998 PMID: 29623155 Cost saving: PMID: 29276268PMID: 30079985PMID: 35158260 BPMH:PMID: 17381374

This one is a biggie! Join us as we chat with Drs. Roger Harris and Oli Flower, the gurus behind the SMACC and CODA conferences. The topic is, naturally enough, the past and future of the medical conference.

Tim Caulfield (professor, best selling author, Netflix presenter and Order of Canada recipient) joins us for a spirited discussion of so much that matters to so many: COVID, vaccines, masks, science, tribalism and public debate. Informative provocative and (surprisingly?) upbeat. Further Reading:  On the harm of misinformation: https://cca-reports.ca/reports/the-socioeconomic-impacts-of-health-and-science-misinformation/ Debunking sudden death https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/11/07/why-wont-a-debunked-conspiracy-theory-about-doctors-harmed-by-the-covid-vaccine-go-away.html And a recent study that is relevant: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35653-z