STUDY NOTES · SHOCK & RESUSCITATION The Breathing Number That Isn’t Always About Breathing A widely used measure of ventilation can plummet for reasons that have nothing to do with how well someone is actually breathing. A patient appears to be breathing...
STUDY NOTES · PEDIATRIC EMERGENCIES Why the Smallest Patients Break the Rules of Standard Monitoring Equipment The same device that reliably measures an adult’s breathing can become unreliable in an infant — not because it’s faulty, but because of simple...
STUDY NOTES · MONITORING & ASSESSMENT The Blind Spot in Pulse Oximetry: Why “Normal” Doesn’t Always Mean Safe A patient’s oxygen saturation can look perfectly reassuring for minutes after they’ve stopped breathing adequately —...
STUDY NOTES · CARDIAC ARREST The Sudden Surge: Why One Vital Sign Jumps Instead of Climbing Most recovering vital signs improve gradually. This one leaps abruptly — and the reason it does reveals exactly what’s been happening in the body all along. Recovery from...
STUDY NOTES · MONITORING & ASSESSMENT Can You See a Heartbeat on a Capnogram? A monitor built to track carbon dioxide can sometimes pick up something else entirely — the steady rhythm of the heart itself. Most people assume a carbon dioxide monitor is a... 