Origin Stories

Origin Stories

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DVT Prophylaxis in Hospitalized Medical Patients - Questioning the Evidence
Early in my training I was taught that DVT prophylaxis was a crucial "bottom of the list" item. In the ensuing years, has my diligent adherence to this…
 • Tony Breu
Calcium versus Sodium Chloride
Although calcium has become the key drug used to "stabilize the cardiac membrane" in hyperkalemia, turns out another drug may be just as good.
 • Tony Breu
β-blockers in heart failure. From No! to Maybe? to Yes!
For decades, the use of β-blockers in heart failure was contraindicated. Then, Finn Waagstein made a bold move, successfully treating a single patient…
 • Tony Breu
[Behavioral] Alert!
Sometimes practice changes permanently based on single studies of few participants. The use of behavioral alerts provides an example.
 • Tony Breu
Bacillis...Clostridium...Clostridioides
Nearly 100 years ago, a new bacteria was named for its fastidious nature. Although the genus has undergone iterative modification, the species remains a…
 • Tony Breu
The Guinea Pig Test
Although the origin of "human guinea pig" isn't clear, the long use of the guinea pig test as a diagnostic tool in suspected tuberculosis remains a…
 • Tony Breu
How "≥250 PMNs = SBP" came to be
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is an example of how a number defines a condition.
 • Tony Breu
The ever decreasing hemoglobin transfusion threshold.
From normal to 10 to 9 to 8 to 7 to...
 • Tony Breu
Blood banks. Do you have good credit?
The origins of the term "blood bank" provides insights into the earliest methods of blood acquisition and allocation in the hospital.
 • Tony Breu
Origin Stories
Origin Stories
An exploration of why we do what we do in medicine. I identify and review the history of common practices, how culture and habit make us resistant to change, and more.
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Origin Stories

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