Category: health care

  • Will A Stone Float On Water?

    Will A Stone Float On Water?

    I told the little story about a postop nurse asking me a CAM-ICU question (Will a stone float on water?) after I got back to the recovery room following my retinal detachment surgery last week. I got that one right by answering “No.” But for a split second—I had to think about it. Sena was…

  • They Did Learn How to Check for Delirium!

    They Did Learn How to Check for Delirium!

    Here’s another oldie but goodie blog post, “It’s Survey Time.” It’s a blast from the past (May of 2011) but it needs a short introduction on why I’m reposting it. So, I’m about a week out from my surgery for a detached retina. I’m doing pretty well. I keep thinking about a question a nurse…

  • The Path to Asapiprant: Perspiration or Inspiration?

    The Path to Asapiprant: Perspiration or Inspiration?

    I just found a University of Iowa Health Care announcement about a potential novel treatment to protect older patients from the ravages of Covid-19 infection. According to the announcement: “An experimental drug that counters immune aging, effectively prevents death in older mice with severe COVID-19, suggesting it may have potential as a therapy to protect…

  • The Connection Between The University of Iowa and Factitious Disorder

    The Connection Between The University of Iowa and Factitious Disorder

    I found another old blog post, Thoughts on Munchausen’s Syndrome, which reminded me of a psychiatric disorder I saw probably more frequently than most psychiatrists unless they are consultation-liaison specialists. I wrote it in June of 2011. I still don’t understand the disorder and I doubt anyone else does either. The interesting connection to Iowa…

  • Quiz Show on Delirium

    Quiz Show on Delirium

    Here’s an old post from February 15, 2011 from my previous blog The Practical Psychosomaticist called Quiz Show Versus Grand Rounds for Delirium Education: “So you want to put on a game show contest to educate clinicians about delirium? Contact David Meagher, a psychiatrist in (where else?) Limerick, Ireland. He reported on this innovative educational…

  • My Opinion So Far of the 2nd Covid-19 Booster

    My Opinion So Far of the 2nd Covid-19 Booster

    My title for this post indicates my opinion of the Covid-19 vaccine 2nd booster. I missed nearly all of the FDA Advisory Committee meeting last Wednesday but got the last hour of the discussion of the questions: “Following the scheduled presentations and open public hearing, the VRBPAC will be asked to discuss and provide input…

  • University of Iowa Ophthalmology Always a Top Contender

    University of Iowa Ophthalmology Always a Top Contender

    Well, I suppose I should tell you why you’re seeing these oldie blog posts from a different era in my career. It’s because I didn’t know whether I’d even be able to see well enough to write after my retinal detachment surgery, which was this past Friday. So, I scheduled a few posts from the…

  • Going Down Blogging Memory Lane

    Going Down Blogging Memory Lane

    I’ve been going down the blogging memory lane lately and thought I’d repost what was probably the very first post I published on my first blog, The Practical Psychosomaticist. The title was “Letter from a Pragmatic Idealist.” While a lot of water has gone under the bridge since mid-December of 2010, some principles remain the…

  • My Old Elevator Pitches on Delirium

    My Old Elevator Pitches on Delirium

    I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my chronicle as expressed in my old blog posts. As the featured image shows, I used to have a blog I called The Practical Psychosomaticist, which I started back in 2010. It was mostly about how to diagnose, manage, and prevent delirium. One…

  • Reminder: FDA Advisory Committee Meeting Today on Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters

    Reminder: FDA Advisory Committee Meeting Today on Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters

    Just a reminder; today the FDA Advisory Committee will meet from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, ET today to discuss Covid-19 vaccine boosters. I’ll be unable to post a “play by play” as I have in the past because I have something else on my schedule. Especially noteworthy is the Briefing Document in the meeting…