Thursday, September 27, 2007

Transfer Password Wallet Entries to iPhone

I've been a long time user of Password Wallet from Zelznick Scientific Software. A password manager with 448-bit keys, it can launch url's and autofill usernames and passwords. Love it.

This morning they announced the availability of Password Wallet for iPhone. I purchased and installed it right away. It's slick, so I thought I'd post some screenshots. After exporting my selected Password Wallet records to Safari as a bookmarklet, I synced my iPhone with iTunes. I next went to that bookmarklet:

After entering my (correct) password I saw:

Selecting one of the records yielded (username and password erased, of course).



Monday, September 24, 2007

The Latest In Controlling OR Heat Loss

Keeping patients warm in the operating room can be a challenge. On call two weekends ago I had an 'Aha' moment--give them knit caps! Below is the protype--a scullcap made from 6 inch stockinette.

[note: this photo was taken with an iPhone!]



Saturday, September 15, 2007

Tool of the Trade: Lidocaine

Dr. Wes' post on the proper way to inject lidocaine got me to thinking about how I do it and I think I have some tips to share, too. I inject lidocaine in people's back while they're in labor, in their groins, necks, and arm pits when I do blocks, and of course in their hands and arms when I place IV's. (I inject it into their IV's, too, but there's no trick to that, really.)

When I have time, I like to add about a one fourth volume of bicarbonate to the lidocaine I'm injecting. (This doesn't work with bupivicaine as it will cause it to precipitate out.) I've testing this on myself, on nurses in labor, and in patients in labor and I am convinced this removes most of the burning sensation that comes with injecting lidocaine.

After having selected my injection site and cleaned it (with alcohol, betadine, chloraprep, duraprep, etc.) I wait for the prep to dry so that the prepping agent doesn't cause any stinging. I place a drop of lidocaine on the skin and insert the needle through the drop of lidocaine to make contact with the skin (after warning the patient, of course). This works, not because it numbs the skin under the drop (you need a eutectic mixture of local anesthetics for that) but because it caries some lidocaine in on the tip of the needle. I inject while inserting the needle intradermally. You should inject slowly, advance slowly, and see a skin wheal if it's truly an intradermal injection. This is easiest on horizontal surfaces but can also be done on a vertical surface like a back. In my opinion the wrong way to do inject lidocaine is the way tuberculin skin test are often placed: jab in the tiny needle (ouch!) inject the antigen quickly (ouch!).

When I watch trainees inject lidocaine I often see them stop to aspirate to make sure they're not in a blood vessel. This is unnecessary a) if you keep the tip of the needle moving and b) because the total dose of lidocaine in the 3cc syringe is not enough to cause toxicity even if injected intravascularly. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming...



Sunday, September 9, 2007

Give Me $200 Off My NEXT iPhone

People at the hospital gleefully point out to me that my iPhone is now $200 cheaper than when I bought it ten weeks ago. I'll tell you what I'd like more than a $100 rebate now: A $200 rebate on my next iPhone (you know, the one with 3G wireless).


Your History Can Haunt You

A cardiologist in San Diego is accused of striking a patient during a heart cath:

Dr. Maurice Buchbinder, a prominent cardiologist, and Scripps Memorial in La Jolla are under federal investigation because he allegedly hit a patient several times during a procedure at the hospital, physicians and health officials have confirmed.

Having been called to the cath lab on several occasions to intubate his patients I can say that this report does not surprise me and is completely consistent with past behavior (though he never struck anyone in my presence). I'm quite sure he refrained from striking me only because of my size and ability to fight back.


Nothing can stand between me and my bluegrass

On call at the hospital today. The work is done and we're getting ready to order Chinese food. Time for some computer work and bluegrass. But wait! The hospital has decided to block XM streams!

Thank you iTunes: Bluegrass Radio 128 kbps 100 Percent Pure Acoustic Bluegrass

Life is good (again).

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